Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – With measuring – testing – or inspecting – Controlling fluid pressure in direct contact with molding...
Patent
1998-07-29
2000-08-01
Theisen, Mary Lynn
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
With measuring, testing, or inspecting
Controlling fluid pressure in direct contact with molding...
264517, 264121, 264122, D04H 154
Patent
active
060962496
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a method for forming a cushion structure for seat of automobile, airplane, etc., from a fiber aggregate. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for molding a fiber aggregate composed of a matrix consisting of crimped synthetic staple fibers and binder fibers having a melting point lower than that of the matrix fiber and dispersed in the matrix by filling a mold cavity with the fiber aggregate and molding the aggregate under heating.
2. Background Arts
Inexpensive urethane foam has been frequently used in general as a cushion material for a seat having complicated form such as a seat for automobile, airplane, etc. However, urethane foam has problems such as the emission of toxic gases in combustion and the difficult recycling use, and a new molding material has been keenly desired as a substitute for urethane foam.
Materials as a substitute for urethane foam have been desired recently to meet the above questions. A cushion structure produced by using a fiber aggregate has been attracting much attention as a material to solve various problems mentioned above. The fiber aggregate is composed of a matrix consisting of synthetic staple fibers and binder fibers having a melting point lower than the staple fibers and dispersed in the matrix. A cushion structure can be formed by filling the fiber aggregate in a mold cavity, closing the mold and performing the hot-molding of the aggregate to effect the thermal fusion of the binder fibers in the fiber aggregate.
The filling of a fiber aggregate in a mold cavity has been performed hitherto e.g. by preparatorily shaping a lump of a fiber aggregate to a definite size and placing the preparatorily shaped aggregate in the mold cavity by hand or by an automatic machine such as an industrial robot.
This process necessitates the procedures of the preparatory shaping of a fiber aggregate and the filling of the shaped aggregate into a mold. The additional process of the preparatory shaping results in the increase of cost and necessitates a temporary holding space to hold the preparatorily shaped fiber aggregate.
A method to transport small lump of fiber aggregate into a mold by the aid of pressurized air stream without preparatorily shaping the fiber aggregate is proposed e.g. in the Japanese Patent (TOKKAISHO 62-152407) as a method for solving the above problems. According to the method, the unshaped fiber aggregate is transported to an opener by a conveyor and the opened small blocks are filled in a mold cavity by the aid of pressurized air stream generated by a blower. The fiber aggregate filled in the mold is heated to effect the firm bonding of the fibers with the binder fibers in the fiber aggregate and the conversion of the aggregate into a cushion structure having a form corresponding to the cavity form of the mold.
These conventional processes lack the function to detect and judge the completion of the filling of the fiber aggregate in the mold cavity. Accordingly, the necessary amount of the fiber aggregate to be filled in the mold cavity is preparatorily weighed for each batch before filling in the cavity. It is indispensable to perform an additional process to preparatorily weigh the filling amount of the fiber aggregate prior to the filling of the aggregate in the mold cavity. The additional process necessitates additional labor and time to cause a great problem in the reduction of molding cost.
The process from the filling of the fiber aggregate into the mold cavity to the heating and cooling of the filled aggregate should be performed in an extremely short time for reducing the molding cost by mass-production such as the production of a cushion material for automobile. Preferably, the whole process is completed in one mold cavity without passing through several steps. An attempt to perform the above process is disclosed e.g. in a Japanese Patent Laid-Open (TOKKAIHEI 7-324266). In this process, a fiber structure (cushion material) is formed by using a mold made of
REFERENCES:
patent: 5378296 (1995-01-01), Vesa
patent: 5571465 (1996-11-01), Gill et al.
patent: 5587121 (1996-12-01), Vesa
Teijin Limited
Theisen Mary Lynn
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