Method and mold for producing a sandwich component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12447653-B2
Application number	US-202117912936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2021
Priority date	Apr 20, 2020
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A method and compression mold are provided for producing a sandwich component, in which an outer shell and an inner shell are compressed, together with foam particles in a cavity between the shells, which cavity is formed by two mold halves of a mold, under pressure and at an increased temperature to form the sandwich component. At least one mold half is heated in a first temperature-control zone to a higher maximum temperature than in a second temperature-control zone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a sandwich component, comprising:
compressing an outer shell and an inner shell together with foam particles lying between them in a cavity, which cavity is formed by two mold halves of a compression mold, under pressure and at elevated temperature to provide the sandwich component, wherein
at least one mold half is heated to a higher maximum temperature in a first temperature-control zone than in a second temperature-control zone.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
both mold halves have first and second temperature-control zones and are heated to a higher maximum temperature in the first temperature-control zone than in the second temperature-control zone.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein
the maximum temperature in the first temperature-control zone is set in such a way that there is an at least partial collapse of the foam particles in a bordering component portion, and
the maximum temperature in the second temperature-control zone is set in such a way that the foam particles in a bordering component portion bond to one another and to the outer shell and inner shell without collapsing.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the maximum temperature in the first temperature-control zone is set in such a way that there is an at least partial collapse of the foam particles in a bordering component portion, and
the maximum temperature in the second temperature-control zone is set in such a way that the foam particles in a bordering component portion bond to one another and to the outer shell and inner shell without collapsing.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
inserting the outer shell and the inner shell into respective mold halves of the compression mold;
partially closing the compression mold, to leave a mandated gap between the outer shell and the inner shell;
introducing the foam particles into the gap between the outer shell and the inner shell; and
subsequently fully closing the compression mold.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
inserting the outer shell and the inner shell into respective mold halves of the compression mold;
fully closing the compression mold, to leave a residual cavity between the outer shell and the inner shell; and
filling the residual cavity with the foam particles, which are introduced into the cavity under pressure.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the first temperature-control zone is configured in a portion, of one mold half or of both mold halves, in which a height of the cavity corresponds substantially to a sum total of an outer shell thickness and an inner shell thickness.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the first temperature-control zone is configured in a portion, of one mold half or of both mold halves, in which a height of the cavity is lower than 50 percent of a maximum height of the cavity.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the outer shell is configured as a shaped sheet-metal part or fiber-reinforced plastics component, and
the inner shell is configured as a shaped sheet-metal part or fiber-reinforced plastics component.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Dauner Willy
• Schindlbeck Martin

Classifications

• B29K2105/04

  cellular or porous · CPC title

• B29C44/06

  Making multilayered articles {(B29C44/0407 - B29C44/0492 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C44/1233

  the preformed parts being supported during expanding · CPC title

• B29C44/352

  Means for giving the foam different characteristics in different directions · CPC title

• B29C44/3415

  Heating or cooling · CPC title