Back to results
US 6,554,944 B1Granted
Process for making bowls comprising acrylic plastics filled with alumina trihydrate
OwnerChris R. Peters, James E. Younginventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerChris R. Peters, James E. Younginventors
Estimating the term…
Processes for producing durable three-dimensional bowls such as water basins comprising plastics preferably acrylics heavily filled with alumina trihydrate, some embodiments including visible particles such as those sometimes used for simulating nature stone. A preferred process for manufacturing the bowls of such material includes defining a flat rigid blank such as from a larger rectangular bulk sheet in the approximate top outline shape of bowl to be formed, e.g., the blank being oval for an oval bowl and circular for a circular bowl. The blank is provided a smooth side which will be the concave finished and exposed side in use. The blank is heated to a point of softening and of uniform temperature throughout, located within a molding die such as a matched molding die having a female cavity of the desired bowl shape, indexed to the die, but left generally unrestrained so that the heated blank and un-clamped edges thereof are allowed to draw inward to reduce tension loads during forming. Force is applied relatively slowly to the blank, such as from a male portion of the die, to compress the blank into the female cavity and desired bowl shape. The bowl is cooled somewhat, removed from the die, the top edge trimmed to suitable evenness, a drain hole with surrounding bevel is cut in the bowl, an overflow hole is cut near the top edge for bathroom sinks, and sanding and polishing is applied on the exposed side(s).
A process for producing a durable three-dimensional bowl shaped product, said process comprising thermoforming, into said bowl shaped product, a planar blank comprising plastics binding a filler of alumina trihydrate of 20-85 percent of the total blank weight, the thermoforming including heating the blank to generally uniform temperature and softness, and further,
A process for producing a bowl useful as a water basin and comprising acrylic plastics binding a filler of alumina trihydrate comprising 55 to 85 percent by weight of the bowl;
A process for producing a three-dimensional non-rectangular bowl useful as a water basin and comprising acrylic plastics binding a filler of alumina trihydrate of 20-85 percent by weight;
A process for producing a durable bowl shaped water basin comprising plastics with a filler of alumina trihydrate of 20-85 percent by weight and including the steps of
A process for producing a bowl shaped water basin from solid surfacing material;
A process for producing a durable three-dimensional bowl shaped product of acrylics and alumina trihydrate based solid surface material, said process including the steps of thermoforming a blank of acrylics and alumina trihydrate based solid surface material into said three-dimensional bowl shaped product;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.