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US 6,641,769 B1Granted
Method of forming composite ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene material
AssigneeGlobal Polymer Industries, Inc.
InventorTodd Huntimer
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AssigneeGlobal Polymer Industries, Inc.
InventorTodd Huntimer
Estimating the term…
The present invention concerns a composite article having joined ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene and melt-flowable polyethylene portions and method of making the same. The ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene portion has a textured surface with a pattern of ribs which may vary in shape and configuration, such as a series of parallel ribs or a plurality of pins of various cross-sectional shapes, e.g., oval, round or rectangles. The melt-flowable polyethylene portion is melt-bonded to or fused to the ribs of the ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene portion providing high bond strengths between the two portions. In the method of the invention, a ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene portion having a rib surface is contacted with molten, melt-flowable polyethylene. The molten, melt-flowable polyethylene is at a sufficient temperature that the temperature of the ribs is raised quickly to a temperature enabling the melt-flowable polyethylene to strongly melt-bond to the ribbed surface.
A method of rapidly forming a composite article of UHMWPE and melt-flowable polyethylene, comprising forming a UHMWPE portion having a ribbed surface, the ribbed surface having ribs having a ratio of average height to average thickness of at least 1.5/1 and extending outwardly from the UHMWPE portion, said ribs being configured of sufficient thickness and sufficiently spaced apart to allow molten, melt-flowable polyethylene applied to the ribbed surface to flow between the ribs and to cover the ribbed surface, and contacting the ribbed surface with molten, melt-flowable polyethylene injected into the mold, heated to a temperature sufficient to raise the temperature of such ribs, to enable the melt-flowable polyethylene to melt-bond to said ribbed surface.
The method of claim one wherein said UHMWPE portion is compression molded to provide said ribbed surface.
A method of rapidly forming a composite article having UHMWPE and melt-flowable polyethylene portions, comprising providing within an injection mold a UHMWPE portion having a ribbed surface, the ribbed surface having ribs having a ratio of average height to average thickness of at least 1.5/1 and extending outwardly from the UHMWPE portion, said ribs being configured of sufficient thickness and sufficiently spaced apart to allow molten, melt-flowable polyethylene applied to the ribbed surface to flow between the ribs and to cover the ribbed surface;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.