Patent EP0162594A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0162594A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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The manufacture of multi-colour plastic shells
Assignee: Davidson Textron Inc
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Filing: 1985-04-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-04-24
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus and a process for manufacturing multiple colour thin walled hollow shells for parts such as automobile door panels, control and instrument panels from dry thermoplastic powders includes a powder box divider to form two or more compartments in a powder charge box and means for joining the charge box divider end-to-end with a mould separation edge on an open-ended heated mould for separating the mould into two or more sections; each compartment of the charge box has a different colour powder. The charge box and mould are joined and then are rotated so that the powder is distributed into each mould section by gravity flow with the powder from each section flowing to the divider which separates the colours so as to form two or more tones on a resultant shell of cured material.
Inventors
- 👤 John D. Gray
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 23:28
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C41/00; B29C41/02; B29C41/22; B29C41/18; B29C69/00; B29C69/004; B29K; B29K2027/00; B29K2027/06; B29K2105/00; B29K2105/0005; B29K2105/0032; B29K2105/0038; B29K2105/0044; B29K2995/00; B29K2995/0018; B29K2995/002; B29K2995/0021; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/30; B29L2031/3005; B29L2031/3014; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S264/00; Y10S264/60
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
141 words
1 . A process for moulding a single-piece multi-colour plastic shell comprising the steps of: (1) heating an open-ended mould to a temperature near the fusing temperature of a powder thermoplastic material; (2) connecting powder charge box means to the mould to form a closed system with at least two colour powder sources; (3) sealing an interior portion of the charge box means to a mould divider means to separate a preheated mould into first and second colour casting surfaces; (4) thereafter rotating the charge box means and mould in a powder casting sequence for releasing powder charges of a separate colour onto each of the casting surfaces to build up a shell of desired shape and size; (5) and controlling flow of the separately cast colours to form an integral joint between the plastic cast on the separated casting surfaces.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
141 words
1 . A process for moulding a single-piece multi-colour plastic shell comprising the steps of: (1) heating an open-ended mould to a temperature near the fusing temperature of a powder thermoplastic material; (2) connecting powder charge box means to the mould to form a closed system with at least two colour powder sources; (3) sealing an interior portion of the charge box means to a mould divider means to separate a preheated mould into first and second colour casting surfaces; (4) thereafter rotating the charge box means and mould in a powder casting sequence for releasing powder charges of a separate colour onto each of the casting surfaces to build up a shell of desired shape and size; (5) and controlling flow of the separately cast colours to form an integral joint between the plastic cast on the separated casting surfaces.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein the flow control step includes distributing the powder charge of different colour against the side of a powder charge box divider and into a mould rib cavity to build a joint to integrally connect adjacent cast colour strips along a styling line.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
A process according to claim 2, comprising distributing a powder charge of each colour into a V-joint powder collection regions; and thereafter positioning the mould and flowing the cast powder from each of the collection regions to form a joint for integrally :onnecting the adjacent cast colour strips.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
78 words
A process according to claim 2, comprising distributing a powder charge of one colour through a Flow opening into a first powder collection region at the nould divider means; thereafter metering flow of a second colour into a second powder collection region in communication with the first powder collection region; and thereafter curing the powders collected in the first and second powder collection regions to form a joint for integrally connecting adjacent cast colour strips in the mould.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process according to claim 4, comprising wherein the metering flow is produced by relatively moving a charge box interior portion and a metering plate with respect to the mould divider means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
84 words
A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connecting step includes sequential connection of a first powder box in sealed relationship to the mould divider means to cast powder of a first colour against one of the mould casting surfaces followed by connecting a second powder box in sealed relationship to the previously cast first colour layer to cast powder of a second colour against the other of the mould casting surfaces and overlapping the first cast powder colour.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
102 words
A process according to claim 6 comprising sealing the first box to the mould by a side wall sealed against the mould divider means during the casting of the first powder colour against the one of the mould casting surfaces; and sealing the second box to the mould by a side wall sealed against the previously cast first colour at a position offset from the mould divider means to cause the second colour to cover the rib and a portion of the first cast colour so as to form an integral joint between adjacent cast layers of different colour on the mould.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
136 words
A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the connecting step includes sequential connection of a first powder box in sealed relationship to a masking strip on the mould to divide it into first and second powder casting surfaces; distributing powder against one of the casting surfaces to form a layer of cast powder of one colour on the first powder casting surface, removing the first box and the masking strip; and sealing a second powder box against the previously formed layer of cast powder at a point offset from an exposed edge of the layer; and casting a layer of powder against the second powder casting surface and in overlapped relationship with the exposed edge so as to form an integral joint between the adjacent cast powder layers on the mould.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
121 words
Apparatus for moulding a thin-walled plastic shell in a heated open-ended mould from a charge of thermoplastic powder material in open-ended charge box means comprising: means for joining a heated mould and charge box means in open-ended relationship; co-acting means on the box means and the heated mould to define at least two separate casting surfaces on the mould; means for rotating the mould and charge box means so as to distribute two charges of different colour against the separate casting surfaces of the mould; joint formation means operative to form a joint along a line on the heated mould between the separate casting surfaces to form a single-piece shell with first and second coloured segments joined at a style line.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
121 words
Apparatus for moulding a thin-walled plastic shell in a heated open-ended mould from a charge of thermoplastic powder material in open-ended charge box means comprising: means for joining a heated mould and charge box means in open-ended relationship; co-acting means on the box means and the heated mould to define at least two separate casting surfaces on the mould; means for rotating the mould and charge box means so as to distribute two charges of different colour against the separate casting surfaces of the mould; joint formation means operative to form a joint along a line on the heated mould between the separate casting surfaces to form a single-piece shell with first and second coloured segments joined at a style line.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
134 words
Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the charge box means includes a single open-end box having at least one divider wall separating the box into first and second open end compartments each having a predetermined charge of plastic powder of different colour; the mould has a divider rib engageable with the partition to define first and second powder casting surfaces on the mould for receiving powder from the first and second open end compartments when the box and mould are joined and rotated; and joint formation means including the divider wall and divider rib to form first and second powder collection regions; and means for separating the mould from the charge box and curing the powder collection regions to form an integral joint between powder cast on the separate casting surfaces of the mould.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
86 words
Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the joint formation means includes V-joint means defining powder collection regions on either side of the divider wall adjacent to the rib; and comprising means for positioning the mould to allow powder to flow from the powder collection regions to be cured at a V-shaped joint line on the shell with a sharp radius groove that defines a transition line between portions of the shell formed by powder cast on the first and second powder casting surfaces of the mould.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
119 words
Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the joint formation means includes a powder box divider wall and a relatively movable metering plate; the divider wall and movable metering plate being selectively positioned with respect to the mould divider rib during a fill phase when powder of a different colour is cast onto the separate mould casting surfaces to produce flow of one of the colours into one of the powder collection regions and to position the metering plate to produce flow of another powder colour into the other powder collection region to be joined with the other powder in the one powder region to form an integral joint between the shell segments cast on the separate mould casting surfaces.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
77 words
Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the joint formation means includes a mould divider rib having a ledge and a rib extension, the divider wall being spaced from the ledge to define the first powder collection region; and the metering plate has an angular end surface movable with respect to the rib extension to define the second powder collection region and a flow control orifice for flow of a second colour powder to the second collection region.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the joint formation means includes a metering plate having a gasket means engageable with the mould rib to form the first collection region; the divider wall being movable and engageable with the rib and having end means cooperating with the rib to form a second collection region; the gasket means being operable to release powder from the first collection region to flow into contact with powder in the second collection region to form an integral joint between two separate colour shell segments cast on the mould.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
53 words
A one-piece integrally cast plastic shell comprising a first shell segment formed of cured plastic powder having a first colour; a second shell segment formed of cured plastic powder having a second colour; and a joint formed integrally of each of the first and second sheel segments along a joint line formed therebetween.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
A one-piece integrally cast plastic shell comprising a first shell segment formed of cured plastic powder having a first colour; a second shell segment formed of cured plastic powder having a second colour; and a joint formed integrally of each of the first and second sheel segments along a joint line formed therebetween.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
110 words
A one-piece integrally cast plastic shell comprising a first shell segment formed from cured plastic powder of a first colour; a second shell segment formed from cured plastic powder of a second colour; a joint of cured plastic powder integrally connecting the first and second shell segments including joint walls that are joined when the shell is fused to form a resultant projection on one side of the shell adapted to be buried in a substrate and to form a sharp radius groove on the other side of the shell for defining a styling transition line between first and second coloured panels defined by the first and second shell segments.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
110 words
A one-piece integrally cast plastic shell comprising a first shell segment formed from cured plastic powder of a first colour; a second shell segment formed from cured plastic powder of a second colour; a joint of cured plastic powder integrally connecting the first and second shell segments including joint walls that are joined when the shell is fused to form a resultant projection on one side of the shell adapted to be buried in a substrate and to form a sharp radius groove on the other side of the shell for defining a styling transition line between first and second coloured panels defined by the first and second shell segments.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
78 words
A one-piece integrally cast plastic shell comprising a first shell segment formed from cured plastic powder of a first colour; a second sheel segment formed from cured plastic powder of a second colour; a joint of powder plastic including a V-shaped welt and spaced side segments of different colour integrally joined to an adjacent shell segment for defining an outwardly protrudent transition between first and second panels of different colour defined by the first and second shell segments.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
78 words
A one-piece integrally cast plastic shell comprising a first shell segment formed from cured plastic powder of a first colour; a second sheel segment formed from cured plastic powder of a second colour; a joint of powder plastic including a V-shaped welt and spaced side segments of different colour integrally joined to an adjacent shell segment for defining an outwardly protrudent transition between first and second panels of different colour defined by the first and second shell segments.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
65 words
A multi-colour door panel shell of cured plastic powder comprising; a lower panel of one colour of cured plastic powder; at least one other upper panel of another colour of cured plastic powder; each of the panels having a marginal joint edge thereon and joint means of plastic powder integrally cured to each of the joint edges to form a single-piece cast door panel shell.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
65 words
A multi-colour door panel shell of cured plastic powder comprising; a lower panel of one colour of cured plastic powder; at least one other upper panel of another colour of cured plastic powder; each of the panels having a marginal joint edge thereon and joint means of plastic powder integrally cured to each of the joint edges to form a single-piece cast door panel shell.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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