Method for producing plastics containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518485-B2
Application number	US-201715419219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2017
Priority date	Jul 20, 2011
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing plastics containers from thermoplastics with inserts which, by exploiting the heat of plasticization, are connected during shaping of the plastics container by a material bond and/or interlocking connection to the container wall, wherein the method provides the use of at least one opening on the insert, which opening forms a melt duct or melt inlet and/or melt passage for plasticized or plastic material of the container wall, wherein the method is distinguished in that the opening is monitored as a reference opening by optical and/or sensory means during the production of the connection, wherein the degree of penetration of the opening with thermoplastic from the container wall is used as a measure of the quality of the connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a plastic container, comprising:
heating a thermoplastic material;
shaping the thermoplastic material into a wall of the container;
providing at least one insert, wherein the at least one insert includes at least opening;
connecting the at least one insert to the wall of the container by at least one of a material bond with the thermoplastic material and an interlocking connection with the thermoplastic material;
monitoring the at least one opening with at least one sensory device during the connecting of the at least one insert to the wall of the container;
determining a degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material; and
using the degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material as a measure of quality of a connection between the thermoplastic material and the at least one insert.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the connecting of the at least one insert to the wall of the container by at least one of a material bond with the thermoplastic material and an interlocking connection with the thermoplastic material further comprises welding the at least one insert to the wall of the container to form a welded connection; and
the using of the degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material as a measure of quality of a connection between the thermoplastic material and the at least one insert further comprises using the degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material as a measure of quality of the welded connection between the thermoplastic material and the at least one insert.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one opening is a reference opening;
the insert further comprises at least one fastening opening; and further comprising,
penetrating the reference opening with the thermoplastic material;
penetrating the fastening opening with the thermoplastic material; and
using the degree of penetration of the reference opening by the thermoplastic material as a measure of degree of penetration of the fastening opening by the thermoplastic material.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the connecting of the at least one insert to the wall of the container by at least one of a material bond with the thermoplastic material and an interlocking connection with the thermoplastic material further comprises connecting the at least one insert to the wall of the container with at least the interlocking connection.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein:
the insert includes at least one fastening surface which forms the interlocking connection, and
the interlocking connection includes a fastening undercut.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the at least one fastening surface which forms the interlocking connection forms a surface of the fastening undercut.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a signal with the sensory device when a predetermined degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material is achieved.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one sensory device is arranged in the at least one opening.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one sensory device is arranged downstream of the at least one opening in a direction of a flow of the thermoplastic material.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one sensory device comprises at least one of an optical sensory device, a temperature sensory device, a measurement sensory device and a contact sensory device.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one sensory device comprises at least one of a temperature sensor, a measuring electrode, a light barrier and a camera.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
penetrating the at least one opening with the thermoplastic material; and
the determining of a degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material further comprises measuring the degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
providing at least one displaceable body in the at least one opening;
penetrating the at least one opening with the thermoplastic material; and
the determining of a degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material further comprises displacing the at least one displaceable body with the thermoplastic material penetrating the at least one opening and determining the displacement of the at least one displaceable body to determine the degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one opening forms at least one of an inlet and a duct and a passage for the thermoplastic material.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
plasticizing the thermoplastic material with an extruder; and
the forming of the heated thermoplastic material into the wall of the container is performed by blow molding.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the shaping of the thermoplastic material into a wall of the container further comprises shaping at least two planar, web-form parisons of the thermoplastic material into mutually complementary shells providing the wall of the container;
the connecting of the at least one insert to the wall of the container further comprises connecting the at least one insert to at least one of the shells of the container; and
joining the shells together to form the container.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein:
the connecting of the at least one insert to at least one of the shells of the container is performed at least one of during and after shaping the at least two planar, web-form parisons of the thermoplastic material into the mutually complementary shells; and
the connecting of the at least one insert to at least one of the shells of the container is performed before joining the shells together to form the container.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one sensing device is attached to a mold to form the container or on a robot arm.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the container is a motor vehicle fuel tank; and
the at least one insert comprises at least one of a surge tank, a level sensor, a vent valve, a valve housing and a fastening base.

20. The method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the fastening undercut is provided by a dovetail profile.

21. A method for producing a plastic container, comprising:
heating a thermoplastic material;
shaping the thermoplastic material into a wall of the container;
providing at least one insert, wherein the at least one insert includes at least opening;
connecting the at least one insert to the wall of the container by at least one of a material bond with the thermoplastic material and an interlocking connection with the thermoplastic material;
monitoring the at least one opening with at least one sensory device during the connecting of the at least one insert to the wall of the container;
determining a degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material; and
using the degree of penetration of the at least one opening by the thermoplastic material to indicate a presence of a connection

Assignees

• Kautex Textron Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Elsasser Carsten
• Hild Jochen
• Hutzen Markus

Classifications

• B29C51/267

  Two sheets being thermoformed in separate mould parts and joined together while still in the mould (B29C49/0691 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C65/608

  the integral rivets being pushed in blind holes · CPC title

• B29C65/028

  making use of inherent heat, i.e. the heat for the joining comes from the moulding process of one of the parts to be joined · CPC title

• B29C66/976 Primary

  by the use of an indicator pin, e.g. being integral with one of the parts to be joined · CPC title

• B29C66/54

  Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles · CPC title