Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Preform reshaping or resizing means: or vulcanizing means... – Including both heating and cooling means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-04
2001-04-03
Theisen, Mary Lynn (Department: 1732)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Preform reshaping or resizing means: or vulcanizing means...
Including both heating and cooling means
C425S394000, C264S120000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for shaping a fibrous elastic body which is, for example, used for a seat back pad, a seat cushion pad, or a pad, etc., of a seat for an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Molded polyurethane foam is in popular use, for example, as a material for a seat back pad, a seat cushion pad, etc., of a seat for an automobile. However, in recent years, a fibrous elastic body, due to its excellent recyclability, has attracted more attention than shaped polyurethane foam which is inferior in terms of recyclability. Such a fibrous elastic body is shaped by a laminate shaping technique or a blow shaping technique which will be described below.
First, the laminate shaping technique will be described. Before describing the technique, a technique for shaping a matted fiber material which is used for the laminate shaping technique will be described with reference to the explanatory diagrams in FIG.
15
(
a
) through FIG.
15
(
e
). In FIG.
15
(
a
), a matrix fiber which is made of a polyester fiber and a binder fiber which is made of a polyester fiber which has a lower melting point than that of the matrix fiber are prepared. Next, in FIG.
15
(
b
), the matrix fiber and the binder fiber are cotton-blended. Next, in FIG.
15
(
c
), the cotton-blended fibers are fibrillated (or opened), thereby obtaining a fibrillated fiber material
100
. Then, in FIG.
15
(
d
), the fibrillated fiber material
100
is matted, thereby obtaining a matted fiber material
101
which has a certain thickness with a certain density. Next, in FIG.
15
(
e
), the matted fiber material
101
is cut into a predetermined shape, whereby a cut fiber material (or “a fibrous mat material”)
102
is obtained. On average, a number of cut-out pieces for a seat back pad is 6 to 8.
Now, a shaping die which is used for laminate type shaping will be described with reference to FIG.
14
(
a
) through FIG.
14
(
d
) which shows the shaping process. A shaping die
130
includes a bottom die
131
and a top die
135
which are approximately box-like in shape. In FIG.
14
(
a
), the top die
135
is omitted. The bottom die
131
and the top die
135
have shaping surfaces
131
a
and
135
a,
respectively, which define a predetermined shape, i.e., a cavity of a seat back pad when the shaping die is closed. The respective shaping surfaces
131
a
and
135
a
of the bottom die
131
and the top die
135
are formed by a highly breathable punching metal which includes a number of holes. The shaping surface
131
a
of the bottom die
131
forms a front surface portion of the seat back pad. The shaping surface
135
a
of the top die
135
forms a back surface portion of the seat back pad. An air supply slot
133
is formed at the bottom surface of the bottom die
131
. On the other hand, an exhaust slot
136
is formed at the top surface of the top die
135
.
To shape a seat back pad using the shaping die
130
described above by the laminate-type method, in FIG.
14
(
a
), the fibrous mat material
102
described earlier is disposed as a laminate, within the shaping surface
131
a
of the bottom die
131
which is opened. Next, in FIG.
14
(
b
), the top die
135
is closed over the bottom die
131
to thereby clamp the fibrous mat material
102
. In this condition, heated air is force-fed inside the bottom die
131
through the air supply slot
133
of the bottom die
131
. After being blown through the fibrous mat material
102
, the heated air is discharged outside through the top die
135
at the exhaust slot
136
. Heating with the heated air melts the binder fiber which is contained in the fibrous mat material
102
, whereby the matrix fiber is shaped into the shape of a seat back pad. Following this, in FIG.
14
(
c
), instead of the heated air, cool air is blown through the fibrous mat material
102
to thereby cool the fibrous mat material
102
. This solidifies the melted binder fiber. Next, in FIG.
14
(
d
), the shaping die is opened and the content is removed from the shaping die, whereby a seat back pad
110
is obtained.
Now, the blow shaping technique will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram in
FIG. 16. A
shaping die
140
which is used in this type of shaping is almost the same as the shaping die which is used in the laminate shaping technique described above, and therefore, identical reference symbols will be assigned to identical or corresponding portions. A redundant description will be omitted, and different portions will be described. The bottom die
131
and the top die
135
, as they are opened, are enclosed by a restriction box
141
which is formed by a punching metal. The bottom die
131
includes a material blowing slot
132
which leads to an inner space which is created between the bottom die
131
and the top die
135
as they are opened. Unlike the laminate-type method, the blow-type method uses the fibrillated fiber material
100
which is obtained during the course of shaping of the fibrous mat material
102
(See FIG.
15
(
c
)), instead of using the fibrous mat material
102
.
To shape a seat back pad using the shaping die
140
as described above by the blow-type method, in
FIG. 16
, the inner space between the bottom die
131
and the top die
135
is filled with the fibrillated fiber material
100
by means of air feeding under a pressure feed force, that is, air blown, through the material blowing slot
132
of the bottom die
131
. Following this, the fibrillated fiber material
100
is clamped, with the top die
135
fit with the bottom die
131
. Next, through steps which are similar to the shaping process of the laminate-type method (See FIG.
14
(
b
) through FIG.
14
(
d
)), the seat back pad
110
is obtained.
The laminate shaping technique described above, requiring to set the fibrous mat material
102
inside the shaping die
130
depending on necessity, ensures an advantage that it is possible to shape a material which has a complex shape including a vertical wall portion, a pocketform portion, etc., without creating any significant defective shape due to density shortage or filling shortage. Another advantage is that it is possible to set a non-woven fabric, a pendant wire and the like, which are to be attached to the back surface of the seat cushion pad
110
, in the shaping die
130
together with the fibrous mat material
102
and to simultaneously shape them.
However, in the laminate shaping technique, in order to suppress a density change at a joint portion where the fibrous mat material
102
is disposed overlapping, about 6 to 8 cut-out pieces are necessary as described earlier. Hence, it is necessary to cut the matted fiber material
101
and consequently form about 6 to 8 pieces of the fibrous mat material
102
, and set the cut fibrous mat materials
102
one after another to the bottom die
131
. This creates a problem where productivity is very bad.
Meanwhile, according to the blow shaping technique, since it is not necessary to cut the matted fiber material
101
and set the fibrous mat materials
102
to the bottom die
131
, which is required in the laminate shaping technique, the problem of bad productivity is solved. In addition, since the blow shaping technique rarely creates a defective shape due to density shortage and filling shortage if an article to be shaped has a simple shape such as a cubic shape and a rectangular shape, the blow shaping technique is appropriate. However, when an article to be shaped has a complex shape which includes a vertical wall portion, a pocketform portion, etc., the blow shaping technique creates defective shape problem due to density shortage or filling shortage, as will be described in detail below.
Density shortage will be described with reference to the explanatory diagrams in FIG.
17
(
a
) and FIG.
17
(
b
). In FIG.
17
(
a
), a fiber density of the fibrillated fiber material which is filled by blowing into the inner space which is created between the bottom die
131
and the top die
1
Mori Takayasu
Nomura Masafumi
Yamaguchi Masanao
Araco Kabushiki Kaisha
Patterson Thuente Skaar & Christensen P.A.
Theisen Mary Lynn
LandOfFree
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