LOAD CARRIER AND METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a charge carrier (10) with a main body (12) made of a particle foam, in particular of expanded polypropylene (EPP) or of expanded polyurethane (EPU), and with at least one functional element (20), which consists of a material that is harder than the particle foam. According to the invention, it is provided that the main body (12) has a depression (26) for each functional element (20), the depression being assigned to the respective element and having extending from it, in two mutually facing boundary surfaces (36), a respective receiving channel (38) which is bounded on three sides by the main body (12) and is open towards the depression (26), and that each functional element (20) has an anchoring portion (28), which protrudes into the depression (26) assigned to it and has retaining ribs (32) which project away from one another and each engage in one of the receiving channels.

Claims

1. A load carrier, comprising: a main body made from a particle foam, and a functional element made of a material which is harder than the particle foam, wherein the main body defines a depression, the depression including two bounding faces which face one another and each of which extend into the main body to a respective receiving groove, each receiving groove delimited by the main body on three sides and open toward the depression, and wherein the functional element has an anchoring section which protrudes into the depression, the anchoring section including holding ribs which engage the receiving grooves.

2. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the anchoring section of the functional element has an engagement section received in the depression and from which the holding ribs project on sides of the engagement section which face away from one another.

3. The load carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the holding ribs project out of the engagement section by at least 1.5 mm.

4. The load carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bounding faces of the depression bear against the engagement section of the functional element.

5. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the depression is stretched by the functional element with deformation of the main body.

6. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the anchoring section has a notch, and the depression has a projection which projects out of one of the bounding faces and which engages the notch.

7. The load carrier as claimed in claim 6, wherein the projection has a smaller length in a longitudinal direction of the of the functional element than the notch.

8. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element is made of a rigid plastic.

9. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element is configured in one piece.

10. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element is a holding rail with a holding section for piece goods.

11. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving grooves lie symmetrically opposite one another with regard to a center longitudinal plane of the depression from which they extend.

12. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein a depth, measured from the respective bounding face, of each of the receiving groove increases continuously up to a maximum depth.

13. A method for producing a load carrier as claimed in claim 1, the method comprising: (a) heat treating the main body by sintering the main body in a sintering mold, (b) removing the main body from the sintering mold before cooling the main body to ambient temperature, and (c) after removing the main body from the sintering mold and before the cooling of the main body to ambient temperature, introducing the anchoring section of the functional element into the depression with at least partial elastic deformation of the main body in the region of the depression receiving the anchoring section of the functional element.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wherein the functional element comprises a plurality of functional elements, and the depression comprises a plurality of depressions each extending into the main body, and wherein (c) comprises introducing the anchoring section of each of the plurality of functional elements into a respective one of the plurality of depressions with at least partial elastic deformation of the main body in the region of each the plurality of depressions receiving the anchoring section of a respective one of the plurality of functional elements.

15. The load carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element comprises a plurality of functional elements, and wherein the depression comprises a plurality of depressions each extending into the main body, each of the plurality of depressions engaging a respective one of the plurality of functional elements.

Description

[0011] In the following text, the invention will be explained in greater detail on the basis of one exemplary embodiment which is shown diagrammatically in the drawing, in which:

[0012] FIGS. 1a,b show a load carrier in a perspective illustration and in an exploded illustration,

[0013] FIGS. 2a,b show detailed illustrations of the load carrier according to FIG. 1b in a perspective view and in section,

[0014] FIGS. 3a,b show a holding rail in a perspective view and in a side view, and

[0015] FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the load carrier according to FIG. 1a in section.

[0016] The load carrier 10 which is shown in the drawing serves to store and to transport components for the automotive industry. It has a single-piece main body 12 which is made from a particle foam and has a bottom 14 and walls 16 which stand up from the bottom 14 and border an upwardly open receiving space 18 for the components all around. Two functional elements are fixed on the bottom 14 in the form of holding rails 20 which each have a holding section 22 with upwardly standing teeth 24, between which the components can be inserted. The holding rails 20 are manufactured structurally identically as injection molded parts in one piece from a rigid plastic.

[0017] Each holding rail 20 is assigned a depression 26 in the bottom 14 of the main body, into which depression 26 an anchoring section 28 of the holding rail 20 engages. The anchoring section 28 has an engagement section 30, received in the depression, and holding ribs 32 which project from the engagement section 30 by approximately 2 mm in opposite directions to one another. One of the holding ribs 32 extends over the entire length of the holding rail 20, while the other holding rib 32 is interrupted by way of a notch 34 in the middle of the holding rail 20. From each of the depressions 26, a receiving groove 38 extends in each case in two bounding faces 36 which face one another, which receiving groove 38 is delimited on three sides by the main body 12, is open toward the depression 26, and the depth of which increases initially continuously starting from the respective bounding face 36 until it reaches a maximum depth. A projection 40 which engages into the notch 34 of the relevant holding rail 20 projects from one of the bounding faces 36 approximately in the middle of the depressions 26. As measured in the longitudinal direction of the holding rail 20, the projection 40 is shorter than the notch 34, with the result that it is received with play in the latter.

[0018] During the production of the load carrier 10, first of all the main body 12 is produced in a sintering method by way of heat treatment in a sintering mold. Before cooling to ambient temperature, the main body 12 is removed from the sintering mold, and the holding rails 20 are inserted into the depressions 26, the particle foam material which is still soft being slightly deformed elastically. During cooling to ambient temperature, it contracts, with the result that firstly the bounding faces 36 bear against the engagement sections 30, and secondly the main body 12 is under stress or is stretched in the region of the depressions 26. This is achieved by virtue of the fact that the width X (cf. FIG. 3b) of the engagement section 30 is greater by from 1% to 3% and preferably by 2% than the spacing A (cf. FIG. 2b) between the bounding faces 36 would be if no holding rail 20 were inserted into the depression 26. In addition or as an alternative, the width Y (measured in the region of the holding ribs 32) of the holding rail 20 can be greater by from 1% to 3% and preferably by 2% than the width B which the depression 26 would have in the region of the receiving grooves 38 if no holding rail 20 were inserted into it.

[0019] The following is to be noted in summary: the invention relates to a load carrier 10 with a main body 12 made from a particle foam, in particular made from expanded polypropylene (EPP) or from expanded polyurethane (EPU), and with at least one functional element 20 which consists of a material which is harder than the particle foam. It is provided according to the invention that the main body 12 has, for each functional element 20, a depression 26 which is assigned to the latter and from which in each case one receiving groove 38 which is delimited by the main body 12 on three sides and is open toward the depression 26 extends in two bounding faces 36 which face one another, and that each functional element 20 has an anchoring section 28 which protrudes into the depression 26, assigned to it, and has holding ribs 32 which engage in each case into one of the receiving grooves.