PROCESS FOR CASTING A PLATE-SHAPED COMPONENT AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THE PROCESS

Abstract

A method of encapsulating a plate-shaped component, in particular a glass cover for a vehicle sliding roof, comprises inserting the component and an insertion part to be connected to said component into a mold cavity; fixing the insertion part in the mold cavity by applying a holding force that is directed substantially transversely to a normal to the component; and encapsulating a part region of the component in the mold cavity.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A method of encapsulating a plate-shaped component, the method comprising the steps of: inserting the component and an insertion part to be connected to said component into a mold cavity; fixing the insertion part in the mold cavity by applying a holding force that is directed substantially transversely to a normal to the component; and encapsulating a part region of the component in the mold cavity.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the plate-shaped component is a glass cover for a vehicle sliding roof.

20. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the insertion part is fixed by means of holding forces acting at two sides on the insertion part.

21. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the insertion part is fixed by means of oppositely directed holding forces acting at oppositely disposed sides of the insertion part.

22. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the insertion part is pneumatically fixed.

23. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein the insertion part is fixed by filling at least one elastically deformable chamber of a fixing apparatus with compressed air.

24. The method in accordance with claim 23, wherein the chamber is acted on by a vacuum to release the fixing apparatus after the hardening of a medium.

25. The method in accordance with claim 23, wherein a connection section of the insertion part is sealed with respect to a medium by the fixing apparatus.

26. An apparatus for carrying out a method of encapsulating a plate shaped component, the apparatus comprising: at least two molding tools that together bound a mold cavity; and a fixing apparatus for fixing the insertion part in the mold cavity by applying a holding force that is directed substantially transversely to a normal to the component.

27. The apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the fixing apparatus is configured to exert a holding force acting at two sides on the insertion part.

28. The apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the fixing apparatus is configured to engage at oppositely disposed sides of the insertion part with oppositely directed holding forces.

29. The apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein the fixing apparatus is configured to pneumatically fix the insertion part.

30. The apparatus in accordance with claim 26, further comprising at least one elastically deformable chamber for fixing the insertion part by filling the chamber with compressed air.

31. The apparatus in accordance with claim 29, wherein the fixing apparatus has at least one inflatable seal that is provided with the chamber and that, in an inflated state, is suitable for applying the holding force to the insertion part and for sealing a connection section of the insertion part with respect to a medium.

32. The apparatus in accordance with claim 31, wherein the seal has a contact surface that is configured to contact the insertion part in the inflated state of the seal and to apply the holding force to said insertion part.

33. The apparatus in accordance with claim 32, wherein the contact surface of the seal is configured to contact a connection section of the insertion part.

34. The apparatus in accordance with claim 32, wherein the contact surface is provided with a profiled surface.

35. The apparatus in accordance with claim 26, further comprising a first and a second inflatable seal for engaging at oppositely disposed sides of the connection section of the insertion part and for applying oppositely directed holding forces to the insertion part.

36. The apparatus in accordance with claim 35, wherein contact surfaces of the first and the second seal are provided with profiled surfaces that are suitable for engaging into one another.

Description

[0030] The invention will be explained by way of example in the following with reference to an advantageous embodiment. In the drawings, which schematically illustrate the embodiments,

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an insertion part;

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a glass cover connected to an insertion part by means of the method in accordance with the invention;

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a section of a cross-sectional view of an apparatus provided with two elastic fixing elements in accordance with an embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged section of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 in which the elastic fixing elements are shown in a pressurized state; and

[0035] FIG. 5 shows the enlarged section of FIG. 4 in which the elastic fixing elements are shown in a state in which a vacuum is generated in the chambers.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows by way of example a rigid insertion part 12 that is configured as a retaining bracket. The insertion part 12 has a fastening section 13 and a connection section 16. The fastening section 13 is provided to be encapsulated with a medium during an encapsulation process and thus serves to fasten the insertion part 12 to a plate-shaped component 10 shown in FIG. 2, for example, to a glass cover for a vehicle sliding roof. The connection section 16 has a connection structure, for example, a plurality of openings 17 that are provided to connect the insertion part 12 to a mechanical system of a vehicle sliding roof, for example.

[0037] The connection section 16 of the insertion part 12 is provided with a plurality of cranked portions 14 along its longitudinal direction of extent.

[0038] It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the component 10 is connected to the insertion part 12 by the hardened medium 18. In this respect, the insertion part 12 with the connection section 16 projects from the medium 18. The manufacture of the unit shown in FIG. 2 with the component 10 and the insertion part 12 will be described in the following with reference to the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0039] As FIG. 3 shows, the apparatus comprises a lower molding tool 20 and an upper molding tool 22, which is disposed on the lower molding tool 20, that define a mold cavity 24.

[0040] The component 10 and the insertion part 12, which can be pre-positioned and pre-fixed by means of magnets and/or pins, are inserted into the mold cavity 24. In this respect, the component 10 is disposed on the lower molding tool 20 and contacts the vacuum seals 21 between which a vacuum is generated to prevent a slipping of the component 10. Thus, the component 10 is positioned in the mold cavity 24 due to the vacuum.

[0041] The region of the mold cavity 24 into which the medium 18 is inserted is bounded outwardly by the component 10, the two molding tools 20, 22, a seal 25, and by holding rails 29, 31 that will be looked at in more detail in the following. The component 10 projects with its marginal region into this region of the mold cavity 24, as does the fastening section 13 of the insertion part 12.

[0042] A fixing apparatus 26 comprises two elastic fixing elements 28, 30 and the two holding rails 29, 31, in each of which one of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 is received. A support 40 for the holding rails 29, 31 is disposed on the holding rails 29, 31 and the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 and adjoins the upper molding tool 22. In addition, the support 40 acts as a spacer between the two holding rails 29, 31, and thus between the two elastic fixing elements 28, 30.

[0043] The two elastic fixing elements 28, 30 consist of an elastically deformable material, in particular silicone, and each have a chamber 32, 34 and a contact surface 36, 38 having a surface profiled in the manner of a sawtooth. The two contact surfaces 36, 38 are spaced apart by a gap into which the connection section 16 of the insertion part 12 projects.

[0044] The encapsulation of the component 10 takes place as follows: After the component 10, the insertion part 12, and the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 comprising the holding rails 29, 31 have been inserted into the mold cavity 24 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the chambers 32, 34 of the two elastic fixing elements 28, 30 are acted on by compressed air of, for example, approximately 2 bar to approximately 8 bar, in particular approximately 4 bar to approximately 6 bar, by means of an air connection, not shown. In this respect, the chambers 32, 34 expand so that the elastic wall of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 that surrounds the chambers 32, 34 arches outwardly. The hollow spaces produced in FIG. 3 at the upper side and at the lower side of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 by compensation grooves are closed by the outwardly arching material of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30, see FIG. 4. The material also arches into the gap between the two elastic fixing elements, as likewise shown in FIG. 4, and thereby fixedly contacts the connection section 16 of the insertion part 12.

[0045] The two elastic fixing elements 28, 30 thereby cause holding forces whose lines of action extend substantially transversely to a normal to the component 10 over its total length and which continuously act in an oppositely directed manner at oppositely disposed sides of the insertion part 12 to fix the insertion part 12 and to secure it against displacement, in particular on the insertion of the medium 18. On the other hand, a sealing of the connection section 16 against the medium 18 is effected.

[0046] The profiling of the contact surfaces 36, 38 also causes them to be placed at a free end around this free end in the longitudinal direction of the insertion part 12 and to engage into one another there. A careful sealing of the free end is thereby also ensured.

[0047] Subsequently, the medium 18 is inserted into the corresponding region of the mold cavity 24, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and in so doing surrounds the component 10 and the insertion part 12 in accordance with the shape predefined by the molding tools 20, 22, the seal 25, and the holding rails 29, 31, wherein the connection section 16 remains free of the medium 18.

[0048] After the medium 18 has hardened, a vacuum is generated in the chambers 32, 34 as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the contact surfaces 36, 38 of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 release from the insertion part 12 and the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 approximate their original shape. The insertion of a new insertion part 12 for a further encapsulation process is thereby facilitated. In addition, the application of a negative pressure increases the service life of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 since, on the pulling out of the elastic fixing elements 28, 30, the retaining force acting on the elastic fixing elements 28, 30 is reduced by the previous application of the negative pressure. The elastic fixing elements 28, 30 are therefore released from the insertion part 12 after the encapsulation due to the vacuum so that no mechanical abrasion results, and thus a reduced wear results, on the removal of the fixing elements 28, 30. At the same time, the fixing apparatus 26 protects the insertion part 12 from damage during the removal.

[0049] The embodiments of the method and of the apparatus described herein have in common that a plate-shaped component 10 can be encapsulated by them, wherein, during the encapsulation, a secure holding of the insertion part 12 is ensured, on the one hand, and the insertion part 12 is reliably sealed against a medium, on the other hand. With this new method of fixing and sealing, considerably larger tolerances of the insertion part 12 can also be compensated and a plastic-free connection surface can thus be reliably produced.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

[0050] 10 plate-shaped component [0051] 12 insertion part [0052] 13 fastening section [0053] 14 cranked portion [0054] 16 connection section [0055] 17 opening [0056] 18 medium [0057] 20 molding tool [0058] 21 vacuum seal [0059] 22 molding tool [0060] 24 mold cavity [0061] 25 seal [0062] 26 fixing apparatus [0063] 28 elastic fixing element [0064] 29 holding rail [0065] 30 elastic fixing element [0066] 31 holding rail [0067] 32 chamber [0068] 34 chamber [0069] 36 contact surface [0070] 38 contact surface [0071] 40 support