Apparatus and method for forming a design on an expanded bead foam article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9770853-B2
Application number	US-201514687606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2015
Priority date	Apr 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus and method for forming a design on an expanded bead foam article such as an exercise roller is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of molding a design into a foam article comprising the steps of:
Step 1: Providing a steam molding apparatus comprising two half-cylindrical opposing dies with one open end, the opposing dies defining an axis A, and a circular end die plate oriented orthogonally to the axis A, the two half-cylindrical dies and the end die plate defining a cavity, the end die plate being reciprocally moveable in an axial direction from an outward position to an inward position independently of the half-cylindrical dies, the end die plate having a design contour as part of or mounted on its cavity facing side;
Step 2: Filling the cavity with expanded foamed beads while the end die plate is in the outward position;
Step 3: Bonding the expanded foam beads together under pressure by introducing pressurized steam into the steam molding apparatus;
Step 4: Forming a design into an endwall of the molded article by moving the end die plate inward (toward the foam beads) to increase the axial pressure on the expanded foam beads at the end endwall;
Step 5: Cooling the expanded foam beads in the cavity, thereby producing a molded article having a design formed in an endwall;
Step 6: Retracting the end die plate outward (away from the molded article); and
Step 7: Ejecting the molded article from the steam molding apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
before or during the design forming step 4, the end die plate is heated.

Assignees

• Sonoco Dev Inc

Inventors

• Cole Rob

Classifications

• B29C44/3426 Primary

  Heating by introducing steam in the mould · CPC title

• B29C44/10

  Applying counter-pressure during expanding · CPC title

• B29C44/3434

  by using a sheet, grid, etc. to distribute the steam in the mould · CPC title

• B29C44/343

  by using pipes to direct the steam inside the mould · CPC title

• B29C33/048

  using steam · CPC title