Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Air felting type shaping means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-09
2001-02-20
Pyon, Harold (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Air felting type shaping means
C425S085000, C425S405100, C264S087000, C162S227000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190151
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to the production of three-dimensional objects from fibers, and, more specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for compressing fibers in a mold made at least in part of an elastomeric material to create a three-dimensional object.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, fiber structures of the kind used for cushioning and packaging (for example, pulp packaging, peanuts, egg crates and the like) are formed from cellulose fibers using a wet forming process. The product is formed on a solid, rigid mold that is covered with a screen material on all of its surfaces. The strength of the resultant structure is due to entanglement of the fibers and hydrogen bonding. Some strength-enhancing chemical or resin may also be added.
The strength resulting from fiber entanglement depends upon the type and length of the fibers used. Bonding of cellulosic fibers depends on fiber-to-fiber contact, which is increased with increased compression of the fiber mat. Current industry use of compression of pulp-molded articles ranges from no compression to compression by mating male and female rigid molds that have close tolerances for higher consolidation of the fibers.
If the structure has any three-dimensional parts, the sides of the structure must have a draft angle, so that the compression force of the mating molds has a component force on the sides of the mold normal to the structure being formed. If the sides of the mold are substantially vertical, the mating part is not able to apply a compression force component normal to sides of the structure.
The structural performance of a pulp-molded article can be enhanced by fiber addition or by increased bonding. Increased bonding may allow for a reduction of fiber content for a given performance need. U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,870, issued to Setterholm et al. for a “Method and Apparatus for Forming Three Dimensional Structural Components from Wood Fiber” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,584, issued to Hunt for “Methods and Apparatus for Making Grids from Fibers” illustrate several methods and devices for forming products from the materials herein addressed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for making three-dimensional structures from fibers for various structural uses.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for making three-dimensional structures from fibers which utilizes compressive forces normal to the surfaces of the object being formed as a result of the composition of the mold.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for molding three-dimensional objects from fibers which permits the fabrication of such objects in a wide variety of structural configurations.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional objects from fibers where the objects consist of a plurality of interconnected ribs without integral surfaces covering the ribs.
It is a further object of the invention to provide three-dimensional objects manufactured from fibers where the objects consist of a plurality of interconnected ribs without integral surfaces covering the ribs.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object from fibers permitting the cost effective use of both cellulosic and non-cellulosic fibers to create such three-dimensional objects.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished as explained in the detailed description of the embodiments of the invention in connection with the Figures.
Generally, however, the objects of the invention are accomplished in a method of making a three-dimensional object from fibers which includes attaching a mold made at least in part of elastomeric material to a porous support. The mold comprises a first mold member defining at least one channel in fluid communication with the porous support. Each channel has within it a second mold member structure. A mixture of fibers and fluid carrier is poured onto the mold. Thereafter, a pressure differential is created across the mold to create a flow of the mixture toward the porous support via the channels containing the second mold members. This flow causes the fluid carrier to pass through the porous support, thus depositing the fibers within the recessed portions and generally across the top of the second mold members in the mold. Thereafter, the mold is compressed sufficiently to deform the mold and to provide substantially uniform pressure to the fibers which have been deposited in and on top of the second mold members. In a number of the embodiments, the first mold member and second mold members have different relative heights to achieve various structural features in the formed object. Moreover, the mold may be made of different materials to provide a variety of structural features in the formed object. The apparatus of the present invention is the mold described above.
The invention further provides three-dimensional objects manufactured from fibers where the objects consist of honey comb-like structure including a plurality of interconnected ribs without integral surfaces covering the ribs. Additionally, the invention provides such objects where the ribs include integrally-molded flanges to impart strength and other desirable structural characteristics to the objects.
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Fado John D.
Heckenberg Donald
Pyon Harold
Silverstein M. Howard
Stockhausen Janet I.
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