Method of manufacturing fuel tank and fuel tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9908280-B2
Application number	US-201415032519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2014
Priority date	Nov 6, 2013
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a fuel tank includes: an introducing process in which a molten resin sheet formed with a tank body is introduced in a forming mold; a shaping process in which a movable member abuts against the molten resin sheet to form a molten resin projection projected in a thickness direction of the molten resin sheet; an arranging process in which the molten resin projection is inserted in an attachment hole provided in an attachment part, and the attachment part is arranged on the molten resin sheet; and a machining process in which the molten resin projection is pressurized by a pressurizing member, so as to bulge out a portion of the molten resin projection to an outer peripheral side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a fuel tank comprising:
introducing a molten resin sheet in a forming mold, the molten resin sheet being formed with a tank body formed of a resin;
shaping a molten resin projection by forming a molten resin projection and abutting a movable member against the molten resin sheet, the molten resin projection being projected in a thickness direction of the molten resin sheet;
arranging an attachment part on the molten resin sheet by inserting the molten resin projection in an attachment hole provided in the attachment part; and
machining to make a portion of the molten resin projection bulge out to an outer peripheral side by moving the movable member in an opposite direction from a projecting direction of the molten resin projection while pressurizing the molten resin projection by a pressurizing member in the opposite direction from the projecting direction of the molten resin projection, wherein
during a process in which the portion of the molten resin projection is machined to bulge out to the outer peripheral side, the movable member and the pressurizing member move with a constant clearance being kept between the movable member and the pressurizing member during pressurization of the molten resin projection.

2. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein
during a process in which the portion of the molten resin projection is machined to bulge out to the outer peripheral side, the movable member starts moving in the opposite direction from the projecting direction of the molten resin projection when the pressurizing member abuts against the molten resin projection.

3. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein
during a process in which the portion of the molten resin projection is machined to bulge out to the outer peripheral side, the movable member starts moving in the opposite direction from the projecting direction of the molten resin projection when the clearance between the movable member and the pressurizing member becomes a predetermined value.

4. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein
during a process in which the molten resin projection is formed and shaped, the molten resin sheet is arranged along a mold surface of the forming mold in a state that the movable member is projected from the mold surface.

5. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein
during a process in which the molten resin projection is formed and shaped, the movable member is projected from a mold surface of the forming mold after the molten resin sheet is arranged along a mold surface, and the molten resin projection is formed.

6. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 4 , wherein
during the process in which the molten resin projection is formed and shaped, a space between the forming mold and the molten resin sheet is depressurized to arrange the molten resin sheet along the mold surface, or a space between a pressure forming mold, which is mated with the forming mold, and the molten resin sheet is pressurized to arrange the molten resin sheet along the mold surface.

7. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 6 , wherein
during the process in which the molten resin projection is formed and shaped, the molten resin sheet is arranged along the mold surface after the space between the forming mold and the molten resin sheet is pressurized to stretch the molten resin sheet, so as to secure an extra length with respect to the mold surface, or after the space between the pressure forming mold, which is mated with the forming mold, and the molten resin sheet is depressurized to stretch the molten resin sheet, so as to secure the extra length with respect to the mold surface.

8. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 6 , wherein
while the molten resin sheet is introduced in the forming mold, the molten resin sheet, an extra length of which is secured with respect to the mold surface, is introduced in the forming mold.

9. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 7 , wherein: the extra length portion with respect to the mold surface of the forming mold comprises a surface area of a formed surface of the molten resin sheet that is larger than a surface area of the mold surface.

10. The method of manufacturing the fuel tank according to claim 1 , wherein
a magnet of the movable member is embedded in a tip of the movable member, a magnet of the pressurizing member is embedded in the pressurizing member, and the magnet of the movable member and the magnet of the pressurizing member are arranged in a direction to generate a repulsive force between the magnet of the movable member and the magnet of the pressurizing member.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kimura Miki

Classifications

• B29C66/71

  characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined (welding bar compositions B29C65/125) · CPC title

• B29K2995/0069

  non-permeable · CPC title

• B60K2015/03493

  made of plastics · CPC title

• B29C51/06

  using pressure difference {for prestretching} · CPC title

• B29K2023/086

  EVOH, i.e. ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer · CPC title