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US 7,841,850 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for shaping thermoplastic profiles
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorSoheyl Mottahedeh
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorSoheyl Mottahedeh
Estimating the term…
An apparatus and method for producing elongate variably shaped bodies at least partially comprising thermoplastic material a profile is extruded from an extrusion system head and engaged in a flexible conduit created by cavities formed inside a series of calibration plates attached flexibly together. The calibration plates slide freely over a rotating mold to adopt the shape of the mold's outer contour. The profile is driven through the flexible conduit and winded around the rotating mould like coils. In an embodiment of the apparatus and method, the profile is winded around a size-variable mould creating three-dimensional objects in real time.
An apparatus for variably shaping an extruded profile inline with an extrusion process, said apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for variably shaping an extruded profile inline with an extrusion process, said apparatus comprising:
An apparatus for variably shaping in a post-extrusion process a straight thermoplastic extruded profile of a predefined length, said apparatus comprising:
A method for variably shaping an extruder profile inline with an extrusion process, said method comprising:
A method for variably shaping an extrudable profile, inline with an extrusion process, said method comprising:
A post-extrusion method of variably shaping a straight thermoplastic extruded profile, wherein said method comprises:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Of tubes or other profiled members: bending longitudinally, i.e. modifying the curvature of the tube axis
Characterised by the shape of the extruded material at extrusion: flat, e.g. panels
With calibration or sizing, i.e. combined with fixing or setting of the final dimensions of the extruded article: characterised by calibrator…
Bending or folding: helically, e.g. for making springs
About 2 years 4 months of term left · ends 1 Mar 2029 (estimated)
Disclosed in the present application is an apparatus and method for shaping thermoplastic profiles. The apparatus and method relate to variably shaping extruded profiles in a continuous manner, inline with an extrusion process. The principles of the apparatus and method also apply to post-extrusion processes.
Extruded thermoplastic profiles are commonly used in every sector of human life. Extruded profiles are usually supplied in linear form. Currently bending of extruded profiles such as plastic pipes or arched plastic window frames is done in post-extrusion environments where a pre-determined length of linear-shaped profile is re-heated and gradually bent into a desired shape. Such methods of bending and shaping of profiles are labor intensive and therefore costly, and limit profiles utility. Production costs further increase if some level of complexity is introduced in the geometry of the profile.
Spiral welding machines for wrapping a hot strip of metal or plastic material around a constant-diameter coiler to form a pipe or a tank are known technology. However, wrapping a bulky profile of complex cross-sectional geometry around a mold of uneven geometry (rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal) and maintaining continuously the inner and outer cross-sectional dimensions of that same bulky profile substantially constant during bending so that the walls of the profile do not collapse has been a challenge. Furthermore, accomplishing all the above activities in an economic manner is an even greater challenge.
The apparatus may take form in various components and arrangements of components; and the method may apply various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus and are not to be construed as limiting the same. The below detailed description of the preferred embodiments is in conjunction with appended drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in figures, and wherein:
figure one (labeled “FIG. 1” in the drawings) is a perspective view of an embodiment of an inline bending apparatus which includes a series of calibration plates, a mold mounted to a horizontal-axis turn-table, a conditioning system, a cutting device and a receptacle system;
figures two-a, two-b, two-c, and two-d (labeled respectively FIGS. 2-A, 2-B, 2-C & 2-D in the drawings) are top views of the bending apparatus showing four different stages of how a profile is being winded around a vertical-axis mold laid over a horizontal turn-table.
Referring to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the apparatus and method only and not for purposes of limiting the same, the figures show F-shaped and O-shaped extruded profiles, preferably with perpendicular walls in cross-section, which should not be read as a limitation, but as a preference.
Protecting walls of a thermoplastic profile from collapsing during a bending and shaping process in a continuous manner is a challenge of the plastic industry.
In addition to this challenge, comes the need to manufacture on a continuous basis bended and shaped products inline with an extrusion process, so that the latent heat of the extrusion process can be used more efficiently. Still another challenge is to bend and shape profiles of complex cross-sectional dimensions and to do so in a cost-effective and timely manner.