Method and device for producing a 3-D substrate coated with a laminate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267185-B2
Application number	US-202016993485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2020
Priority date	Sep 18, 2015
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A forming tool is used, which has a tool trough arranged in a stationary manner and a pressure bell, which can be lowered onto and lifted away from the tool trough. An arrangement is created in which a single- or multi-layer, initially flat, flexible laminate separates the trough interior from the pressure-bell interior in a pressure tight manner. A table, on which the 3-D substrate to be coated is located, assumes a lowered position within the trough interior; there is a considerable, free intermediate space (between the laminate and the 3-D substrate. A radiant-heater assembly is inserted into said intermediate space. The radiant-heater assembly has a carrier, on the top side of which radiant heaters that can be activated are attached and on the bottom side of which radiant heaters that can be activated are attached.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for producing a 3D-substrate that is coated with a laminate, the device comprising:
a forming tool including,
a lower stationary tool half which includes a tool trough that envelops a tool trough interior space in which a lowerable table is arranged,
an upper tool half which includes a pressure bell that envelops a pressure bell interior space, wherein the pressure bell is arrangeable in a closed pressure position adjacent to the tool trough and in a raised release position that is remote from the tool trough,
wherein an arrangement is providable in the raised release position of the pressure bell,
so that a 3D-substrate that is to be coated is insertable into the forming tool and the 3D-substrate is fixable to the lowerable table in the tool trough and the lowerable table is lowerable to a bottom dead center,
so that a one layer or multi-layer initially flat laminate that has a visible side and an opposite contact side or a flexible transfer foil that is provided with a blank made from the laminate is applicable at a circumferential edge of the pressure bell or adjacent thereto wherein an arrangement is providable in the closed pressure position of the pressure bell,
so that the laminate or the transfer foil separates the tool trough interior space and the pressure bell interior space pressure tight from each other,
so that a pressure medium pressure of less than or equal to 30 kPa is initially providable in the tool trough interior space,
so that an initial vacuum of less than or equal to 30 kPa is providable in the pressure bell interior space and subsequently a pressure medium pressure of 2-18 bar is providable in the pressure bell interior space by introducing a fluid pressure medium,
so that the laminate is heatable while the tool trough interior space and the pressure bell interior space are provided with a pressure medium pressure of less than or equal to 30 kPa,
wherein the tool trough includes at least one retraction cavity for at least one movable heat radiator arrangement which includes at least one upward radiating heat radiator,
wherein the at least one movable heat radiator arrangement is movable in the closed pressure position of the pressure bell and after the pressure medium pressure is set at less than or equal to 30 kPa within the tool trough interior space from the at least one retraction cavity into an intermediary space between the laminate and the 3D substrate to be coated and the laminate is heatable in a controlled manner by the at least one upward radiating heat radiator to form a heated laminate,
wherein the heated laminate is applicable over a glue layer to the 3D-substrate and coatable thereto,
wherein ambient pressure is providable in the tool trough interior space and the pressure bell interior space and renders the pressure bell separable from the tool trough by lifting the pressure bell from the tool trough and the 3D-substrate that is coated with the laminate is removable from the tool trough interior space,
wherein the glue layer that is provided with activatable glue is arranged at a contact side of the laminate and the glue layer arranged at the laminate contact side is activatable by activating the at least one upward radiating heat radiator,
wherein the movable heat radiator arrangement is additionally provided with at least one activatable downward radiating heat radiator,
wherein the movable heat radiator arrangement is introducible into the intermediary space between the laminate material and the 3D-substrate so that a surface of the 3D-substrate is heatable in a controlled manner by the at least one downward radiating heat radiator,
wherein the at least one movable heat radiator arrangement is retractable into the retraction cavity after completion of heat treatments,
wherein the 3D-substrate is configured to penetrate a laminate plane in an upper dead center of the lowerable table and move the heated laminate along in a tent shape while a pressure medium pressure of less than or equal to 30 kPa is maintained in the pressure bell interior space and in the tool trough interior space wherein the pressure bell interior space is pressure configured to be sealed from the tool trough interior space by the laminate while the lowerable table is being raised from the lower dead center to the upper dead center,
wherein a fluid pressure medium or compressed air is introducible into the pressure bell interior space after the lowerable table has reached the upper dead center in order to adjust a pressure medium pressure of 2-18 bar in the pressure bell interior space while maintaining a pressure medium pressure of less than or equal to 30 kPa in the tool trough interior space so that the laminate is pressed and coated onto the substrate above the at least one movable heat radiator arrangement,
wherein a respective box is applied at two opposite side walls of the tool trough,
wherein the box respectively defines a retraction cavity for a displaceable half heat radiator arrangement, and
wherein two of the half heat radiator arrangements form the heat radiator arrangement after insertion into the trough interior.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the tool trough includes at least one horizontal or substantially horizontally oriented retraction cavity for at least one displaceable and horizontal or substantially horizontally arranged heat radiator arrangement which is configured with activatable upward radiating radiators and with activatable downward radiating heat radiators.

3. The device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a horizontal or substantially horizontal box is applied at two opposite side walls of the tool trough
wherein the box defines horizontally oriented or substantially horizontally oriented retraction cavities for movable half heat radiator arrangements, and
wherein two of the movable half heat radiator arrangements form a horizontal or substantially horizontal arranged heat radiator arrangement after insertion into the trough interior.

4. The device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat radiator arrangement includes a carrier,
wherein a top side of the carrier includes activatable upward radiating heat radiators and additional activatable upward radiating UV radiators.

5. The device according to claim 1 ,
wherein IR flat radiators are used for heat radiators,
wherein a heat element of the IR flat radiators includes strips made from a temperature resistant metal foil that are arranged parallel adjacent to each other and that form a continuous conductor,
wherein the metal foil is forcible to glow when an electrical current passes through so that the metal foil reaches a temperature of up to approximately 800° C., and
wherein medium wave length to long wave length IR radiation is emitted in a wave length range of 2.6 to 9.6 μm.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the lowerable table includes a rectangular table surface with dimensions of approximately 540 mm×approximately 360 mm up to approximately 800 mm×approximately 600 mm.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one movable heat radiator arrangement includes two heat radiators that are movable in opposite directions perpendicular to the movement direction of the lowerable table.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the upper dead center of the lowerable table is above the at least one movable heat radiator arrangement.

9. A device for producing a 3D-substrate that is coated with a laminate, the device comprising:
a forming tool including,
a lower stationary tool half which includes a tool trough that envelops a tool trough interior space in which a lowerable table is arranged,
an upper tool half which includes a pressure bell th

Assignees

• Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co Kg

Inventors

• Drexler Christian
• Niebling Curt

Classifications

• B29C51/10

  Forming by pressure difference, e.g. vacuum · CPC title

• B29L2031/3005

  Body finishings · CPC title

• B29C51/14

  using multilayered preforms or sheets · CPC title

• B29C51/20

  having movable moulds or mould parts · CPC title

• B29C51/425

  using movable heating devices · CPC title