Method of making a sandwich-type composite panel having a cellulose-based core and a living hinge and panel obtained by performing the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9527268-B2
Application number	US-201514603407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 23, 2012
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A method of making a sandwich-type composite panel having a cellulose-based core and a living hinge from a stack of material is provided. The stack includes first and second reinforced thermoplastic skins, first and second sheets of thermoplastic adhesive and a cellulose-based cellular core disposed between the sheets and the skins. A pressure is applied to the stack after heating the stack wherein the skins are bonded to the core by the sheets to form the composite panel. A portion of the composite panel is crushed at a predetermined location simultaneously with applying the pressure to locally compact and separate the cellular core at the predetermined location to form two side portions of the panel. The heated first skin stretches during the step of crushing while remaining intact between the two side portions. The skins bond together at the predetermined location to form the living hinge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a sandwich-type composite panel having a living hinge, the method comprising:
providing a stack including first and second reinforced thermoplastic skins, first and second sheets of thermoplastic adhesive and a cellulose-based cellular core disposed between the sheets and the skins;
heating the skins to a softening temperature wherein the first skin is stretchable when heated to the softening temperature;
applying a pressure to the stack after the step of heating wherein the skins are bonded to the core by the sheets to form the composite panel; and
crushing a portion of the composite panel at a predetermined location simultaneously with the step of applying to locally compact and separate the cellular core at the predetermined location to form two side portions of the panel and a crushed portion of the panel between the two side portions, the first skin stretching during the step of crushing while remaining intact between the two side portions, the first and second skins at the predetermined location bonding together to form the living hinge between the two side portions.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second skins are chemically bonded to each other at the predetermined location to form the living hinge.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stack includes a thermoplastic covering layer for covering the second skin.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the covering layer is a resin carpet.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the resin is polypropylene.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cellular core is a honeycomb core.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the skins is fiber reinforced.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic of the skins and the core is polypropylene.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the panel has a thickness in the range of 5 to 25 mm.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the skins is a woven skin.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the skins is a woven polypropylene skin.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pressure lies in a range including 10×10 5 Pa to 30×10 5 Pa.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the living hinge has a thickness less than 3 mm.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the living hinge has a thickness of 2 mm or less.

15. A method of making a carpeted, sandwich-type, composite panel having a living hinge, the method comprising:
providing a stack including first and second reinforced thermoplastic skins, first and second sheets of thermoplastic adhesive, a cellulose-based cellular core disposed between the sheets and the skins and a thermoplastic covering layer for covering the second skin;
heating the skins to a softening temperature wherein the first skin is stretchable when heated to the softening temperature;
applying a pressure to the stack after the step of heating wherein the skins are bonded to the core by the sheets to form the carpeted composite panel; and
crushing a portion of the composite panel at a predetermined location simultaneously with the step of applying to locally compact and separate the cellular core at the predetermined location to form two side portions of the panel and a crushed portion of the panel between the two side portions, the first skin stretching during the step of crushing while remaining intact between the two side portions, the covering layer and first and second skins at the predetermined location bonding together to form the living hinge between the two side portions.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the covering layer and first and second skins are chemically bonded to each other at the predetermined location to form the living hinge.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the thermoplastic of the skins, the covering layer and the core is polypropylene.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the living hinge has a thickness less than 3 mm.

Assignees

• Global Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Preisler Darius J
• Heikkila Christopher A

Classifications

• B32B2266/0214

  Materials belonging to B32B27/00 · CPC title

• B32B2323/16

  EPDM, i.e. ethylene propylene diene monomer · CPC title

• B29C53/06

  Forming folding lines by pressing or scoring · CPC title

• B29C51/145

  having at least one layer of textile or fibrous material combined with at least one plastics layer · CPC title

• B32B27/32

  comprising polyolefins {(comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30)} · CPC title