METHOD FOR PRODUCING A LIQUID GUIDANCE DEVICE

Abstract

A method for producing a liquid-conducting device made of aluminum including a functional surface made of anodized aluminum. A surface of a strip- or layer-shaped aluminum sheet is provided with a masking during a masking phase for producing a processing on the surface of the aluminum sheet and in its structure. The aluminum sheet is processed in an electrolytic process for realizing a functional surface, which is provided with an aluminum oxide layer, on the processing surface, a body surface of the liquid-conducting device, which includes at least one processing surface or one functional surface, being sized as a component of the aluminum sheet during a sizing phase, the liquid-conducting device being separated from the strip- or layer-shaped aluminum sheet during a separating phase.

Claims

1. A method for producing a liquid-conducting device made of aluminum sheet, in particular as a component of containers or container parts, the liquid-conducting device comprising a functional surface made of anodized aluminum, wherein a surface of a strip- or layer-shaped aluminum sheet is provided with a masking during a masking phase for producing a processing surface defined in its position on the surface of the aluminum sheet and in its structure, the aluminum sheet being processed during a processing phase in an electrolytic process for realizing a functional surface, which is provided with an aluminum oxide layer, on the processing surface, a body surface of the liquid-conducting device which comprises at least one processing surface or one functional surface, being sized as a component of the aluminum sheet during a sizing phase, the liquid-conducting device being separated from the strip- or layer-shaped aluminum sheet during a separating phase.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the masking is realized as a permanent or temporary masking.

3. The method claim 1, wherein the processing phase is performed before or after the sizing phase.

4. The method claim 1, wherein the sizing phase is performed simultaneously with the separating phase.

5. The method claim 1, wherein the body surface is sized by realizing a formed area comprising the processing surface or the functional surface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separating phase is performed after the sizing phase.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the separating phase is performed after the sizing phase and before the processing phase.

8. A liquid-conducting device made of aluminum sheet comprising a functional surface made of anodized aluminum, the functional surface forming merely a partial surface of a body surface of the liquid-conducting device.

9. The liquid-conducting device according to claim 8, wherein the functional surface is asymmetric.

10. The liquid-conducting device according to claim 8, wherein the liquid-conducting device is produced by forming a sheet blank.

11. The liquid-conducting device according to claim 8, wherein the liquid-conducting device is realized as a container part.

12. The liquid-conducting device according to claim 8, wherein the liquid-conducting device (14) forms a component of a container part.

13. The liquid-conducting device according to claim 12, wherein the liquid-conducting device is realized as a container closing device disposed on a container lid.

14. The liquid-conducting device according to claim 8, being realized as a container.

Description

[0033] In the following, one possibility of performing the method and of a container produced using this method are described in more detail by means of the drawing.

[0034] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a beverage container;

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a container part realized as a container lid of the container shown in FIG. 1;

[0036] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the method sequence for producing a container part of the container lid shown in FIG. 2;

[0037] FIG. 4 is an individual view from the bottom of a container part produced using the method shown in FIG. 3;

[0038] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the container part shown in FIG. 4.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a container 10 which is realized as a beverage can and comprises the following essential parts: a container pot 12 defining a container interior 11 and a container lid 13 sealing container pot 12.

[0040] Container lid 13 is shown in an open position in FIG. 2 and comprises a container closing device 14 provided with an opening tab 15 and a pouring protrusion 16 which forms a liquid-conducting device. Opening tab 15 comprises a pivoting axis 17 which is located in a pivot holder 19 formed in a lid bottom 18. On one side of pivot axis 17 is located an actuation end 20 which can be pivoted about pivot axis 17 by means of an opening movement 21 so that a push opener 22 of opening tab 15, which is formed opposite actuation end 20 on the other side of pivot axis 17, is pivoted against a closing piece (not illustrated) formed in lid bottom 18 and the closing piece is detached from a connection to surrounding lid bottom 18 by means of push opener 22 by destroying a predetermined breaking device 24 and is pivoted downward when continuing opening movement 21 so that a pouring protrusion 25 is formed in lid bottom 18.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 2, a functional surface 27, which has an anodically produced aluminum oxide layer on container closing device 14 formed from the aluminum sheet, is located on an underside 26 of the liquid-conducting device realized as pouring protrusion 16 in this instance. Functional surface 27 causes a pouring procedure to induce or enhance foaming when a beverage contained in container interior 11, e.g., beer, comes into contact with functional surface 27.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows the production method for producing container closing device 14 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0043] As FIG. 3 shows, production of container closing device 14 starts with a strip-shaped aluminum sheet 32 in this instance, which consecutively passes through several processing stations, namely a masking station 28, an electrolysis station 29, a forming station 30 and a separation station 31. Depending on the configuration of the processing stations, the infeed of strip-shaped aluminum sheet 32 can take place in a continuous or clocked manner.

[0044] With this shown exemplary embodiment, a masking 34 is applied to the surface of aluminum sheet 32 with a masking lacquer at masking station 28, the masking lacquer being able to be applied in such a manner using a printing mechanism, for example, that a plurality of processing surfaces 33 are defined preferably in a matrix array on the surface of aluminum sheet 32 with regard to their size, their position and in particular their structure.

[0045] The exemplary illustration of FIG. 3 notwithstanding, processing surfaces 33 therefore do not have to be designed as a contiguous surface but can rather be provided with a masking grid formed by the masking lacquer.

[0046] In a processing phase following the previously described masking phase, aluminum sheet 32 passes through electrolysis station 29 at which an electrolyte is applied to the surface of aluminum sheet 32 by spraying, for example; due to masking 34, a surface reaction for forming an anodized aluminum oxide surface as a functional surface 27 takes place only in the area of processing surfaces 33 not covered by masking 34.

[0047] Subsequently, aluminum sheet 32 passes through forming station 30 for performing a sizing phase during which body surfaces 37, which are realized as bowl-shaped recesses in the present instance, are sized by realizing formed areas 36 which are produced using an embossing or deep-drawing procedure.

[0048] Subsequently, liquid-conducting devices 14, which comprise body surfaces 37 and are realized as container closing devices as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in this instance, are separated in the shown method variation at a separation station 31 during a separating phase of the method.

[0049] A synopsis of FIGS. 4 and 5 clearly shows that on the container closing device 14 separated from aluminum sheet 32, functional surface 27 is realized on a bottom 38 of body surfaces 37 designed as bowl-shaped recesses, bottom 38 forming underside 26 (FIG. 2) of pouring protrusion 16. Opening tab 15 of container closing device 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed by a protrusion 39 separated from aluminum sheet 32 in conjunction with formed area 36 during the separating phase.

[0050] As a synopsis of FIGS. 4 and 5 clearly shows, a ridge 40 framing functional surface 27 is formed on underside 26 of container closing device 14, which is produced according to the production method shown in FIG. 3, in the area of the pouring protrusion 16 formed by the bowl-shaped recesses 37, web 40 abutting against lid bottom 18 of a closed container 10 so that ridge 40 enables realizing a hermetically sealed space when lid bottom 18 is closed, in particular if ridge 40 is provided with an adhesive sealing material (not further illustrated), such as in particular silicone, functional surface 27 being shielded from environmental influences and contact to the liquid in the sealed space until the opening procedure described in the introduction of the description is performed and a beverage contained in container interior 11 and functional surface 27 come into contact with each other during the pouring procedure.