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US 4,105,386 AGranted
Apparatus for the manufacture of thin-walled shaped articles of thermoplastic material
AssigneeBellaplast GmbH
InventorsAlfons W. Thiel, Hans Hell
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBellaplast GmbH
InventorsAlfons W. Thiel, Hans Hell
Estimating the term…
Thin-walled articles of thermoplastic material are formed in a continuous apparatus starting with heating and extruding granular thermoplastic raw material in the form of a continuous web which is immediately stabilized by rapid cooling of its opposite surfaces and the stabilized web wherein the material sandwiched between the precooled outer surface layers remains at or near extrusion temperature is fed into a thermal forming station wherein shaping tools form the articles in the web without the need for further heating of the web. Adjustments are provided for correlating the cooling action to different materials and web feed rates, for varying the web feed rates and increments, and for varying the shaping tool movements to adapt for different materials and sizes of articles. After the formed articles are separated from the web the web residue is fed back to be mixed with incoming raw material at the extrusion station.
Apparatus for manufacturing thin-walled articles comprising means including extrusion means for forming a continuous hot plastic web of thermoplastic material, means for continuously advancing said web, means defining a stabilization station through which said web passes and wherein opposite surfaces of said moving web are cooled to provide supportive outer layers therealong, means defining a thermal forming station positioned for receiving said stabilised web and wherein successive areas of said web are subjected to shaping tool operation for forming articles of desired shape in the web, means intermediate said stabilization and thermal forming stations for converting continuous motion of said web into intermittent motion for disposing successive web areas for a predetermined time at said thermal forming station, means providing a dwell station for equalizing the surface temperature conditions of said web within said successive web areas before said respective web areas are disposed at said thermal forming station and means for actuating said web moving means and the shaping tools at said thermal forming station in synchronism and in such correlation with the temperature of said web at extrusion and the speed of advance of the web that the stabilized web arrives at said thermal forming station while it retains sufficient heat for achievement of thermal forming when operated upon by said shaping tools.
Apparatus for manufacturing thin-walled articles comprising means including extrusion means for forming a continuous hot plastic web of thermoplastic material, means for continuously advancing said web, means defining a stabilization station through which said web passes and wherein opposite surfaces of said moving web are cooled to provide supportive outer layers therealong, said stabilization station comprising a stabilizing and cooling device directly receiving the web coming from said extrusion means, and said device comprising cooling members adapted for gripping opposite sides of the web in heat-conducting contact and connected to means for varying the cooling temperature, means defining a thermal forming station positioned for receiving said stabilized web and wherein successive areas of said web are subjected to shaping tool operation for forming articles of desired shape in the web, means for feeding and guiding the web to be shaped in its longitudinal direction through the thermal forming station, means providing an arrangement of tools to act on the web in the thermal forming station wherein at least one of the tools is opposite the web and guided for movement substantially at right angles to the web surface, and means mounted at the thermal forming station for separating the shaped articles from the web, one part of the separation means being movably associated with the tool and a second cooperating part of the separation means being mounted at the side of said web guiding means opposite said first part, means intermediate said stabilization and thermal forming stations for converting continuous motion of said web into intermittent motion for disposing successive web areas for a predetermined time at said thermal forming station, and means for actuating said web moving means and the shaping tools at said thermal forming station in synchronism and in such correlation with the temperature of said web at extrusion and the speed of advance of the web that the stabilized web arrives at said thermal forming station while it retains sufficient heat for achievement of thermal forming when operated upon by said shaping tools.
Apparatus for manufacturing thin-walled articles comprising means for producing a continuous hot plastic web of thermoplastic material, means defining a thermal forming station adapted for receiving said hot web and wherein successive areas of said web are subjected to a shaping tool operation for forming articles of desired shape in the web, means for intermittently advancing said hot web in its longitudinal direction through said thermal forming station for disposing successive web areas for a predetermined time at said thermal forming station, forming tools in said thermal forming station disposed on opposite sides of the web for acting on the web to shape articles therein during web dwell periods, a tool support in said thermal forming station pivotally mounted for movement about a horizontal axis, means for moving said support to different angular positions in each of which a tool is opposite the web to be shaped, means whereby said tool support is moved to-and-fro with respect to a frame system carrying the web and means whereby to control such motion, and means mounted in the thermal forming station for separating the shaped articles from the web, one part of said separation means being associated with a tool at one side of the web and a second cooperating part of the separation means mounted at the side of the web opposite said first part.
Apparatus for manufacturing thin-walled articles comprising means for producing a continuous hot plastic web of thermoplastic material, means defining a thermal forming station adapted for receiving said hot web and wherein successive areas of said web are subjected to a shaping tool operation for forming articles of desired shape in the web, means providing a dwell station for equalizing the surface temperature conditions of said web within said successive web areas before said respective web areas are disposed at said thermal station, means for intermittently advancing said web in its longitudinal direction through said thermal forming station for disposing successive web areas for a predetermined time at said thermal forming station, forming tools in said thermal forming station disposed on opposite sides of the web for acting on the web to shape articles therein during web dwell periods, and means mounted in the thermal forming station for separating the shaped articles from the web, one part of said separation means being movably associated with a tool at one side of the web and a second cooperating part of the separation means mounted at the side of the web opposite said first part.
Apparatus for manufacturing thin-wall articles comprising means including extrusion means for forming a continuous hot plastic web of thermoplastic material, means for continuously advancing said web, means defining a stablization station through which said web passes for stabilizing said web at its opposite surfaces, means defining a thermal forming station positioned for receiving said stabilized web and wherein successive areas of said web are subjected to shaping tool operation for forming articles of desired shape in the web, said apparatus further comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.