Two-dimensional composite component and method and device for the production thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing a two-dimensional composite component (150) having a porous basic component (152) and an injection molded component (154) rigidly joined to the basic component (152), said method comprising the following steps: introduction of the mat-like or panel-like basic component (152), comprising two mutually spaced-apart base sides (152b1, 152b2) and a circumferential narrow side (152s) joining the base sides (152b1, 152b2), into a basic component cavity (114) of a molding tool (112), which further comprises an injection molding cavity (116), closure of the molding tool (112), so that at least a portion (152s) of the basic component (152) forms a portion of a wall of the injection molding cavity (116), and injection of injection molding material (156) into the injection molding cavity (116), and formation thereby of the injection molding component (154) and joining of the injection molding component (154) to the basic component (152), wherein upon closure of the molding tool (112) before the injection molding material (156) is injected, the entire region (152s), formed by the basic component (152), of the wall of the injection molding cavity (116) is formed by the narrow side (152s) of the basic component (152).

Claims

1. Method for producing a two-dimensional composite component having a porous basic component and an injection moulded component rigidly joined to the basic component, comprising the following steps: introducing a mat-shaped or panel-shaped basic component comprising two mutually spaced-apart base sides and a circumferential narrow side joining together the base sides into a basic component cavity of a moulding tool, which further comprises an injection moulding cavity; closing the moulding tool so that at least a portion of the basic component forms a portion of a wall of the injection moulding cavity, upon closure of the moulding tool, shaping the basic component under the influence of pressure and heat, thereby reducing a thickness of the basic component in an entire region between a predetermined contour, which is at a distance from an associated portion of the narrow side, and the associated portion of the narrow side, and compressing the basic component to a greater extent along the predetermined contour than in the entire region between the predetermined contour and the associated portion of the narrow side, such that the predetermined contour forms a sealing edge preventing injection moulding material from penetrating beyond the sealing edge; and injecting injection moulding material into the injection moulding cavity and formation thereby of the injection moulding component and joining of the injection moulding component to the basic component, such that the injection moulding material enters the pores in the basic component at least in a specific joining region, thereby producing the rigid join between the basic component and the injection moulded component; wherein when the moulding tool is closed before the injection moulding material is injected, a region of the wall of the injection moulding cavity formed by the basic component, is formed by the narrow side of the basic component only.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein when the moulding tool is closed, before the injecting step, a region of the wall of the injection moulding cavity is formed by the narrow side of the basic component which extends over the entire circumference of the basic component.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the step of shaping the basic component under the influence of pressure and heat, overlaps time-wise with the step of injecting injection moulding material.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined contour runs substantially parallel to the associated portion of the narrow side.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein further comprising a step of heating the basic component before it is introduced into the moulding tool.

6. Method according to claim 2, wherein the region of the wall of the injection moulding cavity formed by the basic component comprises the entire narrow side of the basic component which extends over the entire circumference of the basic component.

7. Method according to claim 5, wherein the basic component is compressed perpendicularly to at least one of the base sides.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined contour is closed.

Description

(1) In the following, the present invention will be described with reference to a preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the accompanying figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a device according to the invention, according to a first embodiment of the invention and of a composite component according to the invention produced therein,

(3) FIG. 2 is a plan view of the composite component according to the invention from FIG. 1, and

(4) FIG. 3 for comparison, is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1, of a moulding tool and composite component known from the prior art.

(5) All the figures are greatly simplified schematic illustrations which are merely to illustrate the principle of the invention and, in particular, are not true to scale.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a device 110 according to the invention for implementing the method according to the invention, which device can produce a composite component 150 according to the invention comprising a porous basic component 152 and an injection moulded component 154 joined rigidly to the basic component 152.

(7) The device 110 comprises a moulding tool 112 which can comprise, for example, two moulding tool parts (moulding tool halves) 112.1 and 112.2 which contact one another in a parting plane T when the moulding tool is closed.

(8) The moulding tool 112 comprises a basic component cavity 114 and an injection moulding cavity 116 which adjoins the basic component cavity 114 along an (imaginary) boundary surface, identified in the figures as GF, and is connected to the basic component cavity. It is pointed out that even if the basic component 152 is not positioned in the basic component cavity 114, the course of the boundary surface GF can be recognised in most cases from the shape of the moulding tool halves 112.1, 112.2.

(9) The basic component cavity 114 is configured for a mat-like or panel-like basic component 152 which comprises two mutually spaced-apart base sides 152b1 and 152b2 as well as a circumferential narrow side 152s joining the base sides 152b1 and 152b2 together.

(10) In this respect, the moulding tool 112 is configured according to the invention such that when the basic component 152 has been introduced and the moulding tool 112 is closed, as shown in FIG. 1, the boundary surface GF is formed exclusively by the narrow side 152s of the basic component 152.

(11) According to the invention, the composite component 150 is produced in the device 110 such that first of all, when the moulding tool 112 is open, the mat-like or panel-like basic component 152 is introduced into the basic component cavity 114 of the moulding tool 112, the moulding tool 112 is then closed, for example, by moving the two moulding tool halves 112.1 and 112.2 towards one another in a closure direction S until they are in the position shown in FIG. 1, so that a portion of the basic component 152 forms a region of the wall of the injection moulding cavity 116.

(12) Here, the entire region, formed by the basic component 152, of the wall of the injection moulding cavity 116 is formed exclusively by the narrow side 152s of the basic component 152, so that the injection moulding material 156 is injected frontally onto the narrow side 152s of the basic component 152 through a sprue 160, merely indicated in the figures, so that the injection moulded component 154 does not engage around or behind the basic component 152 and is also not in contact with the basic component along one of the base sides 152b1, 152b2.

(13) It has surprisingly been found that the penetration of the injection moulding material 156 into the pores in the basic component 152 in a joining region 162 of the basic component 152 adjoining the narrow side 152s thereof is sufficient to rigidly join the injection moulded component 154 to the porous basic component 152 and thereby to produce the two-dimensional composite component 150 according to the invention.

(14) It can be provided that during the injection of the injection moulding material 156 into the injection moulding cavity 116, for example upon closure of the moulding tool 112, along a predetermined contour K (cf. FIG. 2) which is at a distance from a portion of the narrow side 152s associated with the contour K, which portion contributes to the wall of the injection moulding cavity 116, and which contour preferably runs substantially parallel to this portion, the basic component 152 is compressed to a greater extent, in the present case is compressed to a greater extent perpendicularly to the base sides 152b1 and 152b2, than in a region 162 between the predetermined contour K and the associated portion of the narrow side 152s. In the present example, the entire narrow side 152s is associated as the associated portion with the (closed) contour K.

(15) This prevents injection moulding material 156 from penetrating into an inner region 172 of the basic component 152, so that the acoustic characteristics of the basic component are affected and impaired as little as possible.

(16) For this purpose, it is possible to provide in the moulding tool halves 112.1 and 112.2 projections 164 which project in each case into the interior of the basic component cavity 114 in the closure direction S of the moulding tool 112, are at a distance from the boundary surface GF (for example by a distance r) and preferably extend parallel to said boundary surface, particularly preferably along the entire boundary surface GF around the basic component 152, thereby producing a closed contour K. In the present case, when the moulding tool halves 112.1 and 112.2 are closed relative to one another, they are moved towards one another so that the closure directions S of the two moulding tool halves oppose one another.

(17) The composite component 150 can have a corresponding recess 170, shown in FIG. 2, which can extend parallel to the contact surface KF between basic component 152 and injection moulded component 154, preferably along the entire contact surface KF and at a distance from said contact surface.

(18) Provision can be made to shape the basic component 152 under the influence of pressure and heat during and/or after closure of the moulding tool 112, this step preferably overlapping with the injection step of the injection moulding material 156. As an example, the thickness of the basic component 152 can be slightly reduced in an outer region 171, a possible shape of the basic component 152 before closure of the moulding tool 112 being indicated in FIG. 1 by dashed lines. Alternatively, it can also be provided that before the moulding tool is closed, the thickness of the basic component is greater over the entire basic component than after the moulding tool is closed.

(19) As can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, it can be provided that the injection moulded component 154 circumferentially encompasses the basic component 152 along the entire narrow side 152s thereof.

(20) A device 10 which is known from the prior art, for example from the above-mentioned document, and is illustrated in a simplified manner in FIG. 3 comprises a moulding tool 12 with a basic component cavity 14 and an injection moulding cavity 16 which adjoins the basic component cavity, which are configured such that as a result of introducing a basic component 52 into the basic component cavity 14 and filling the injection moulding cavity 16 with injection moulding material 56, the resulting injection moulded component 54 covers and thus engages around the basic component 52 on three sides S1, S2, S3.

(21) In contrast to this, in the case of the composite component 150 according to the invention (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2), the injection moulded component 154 is only joined to the basic component 152 along the narrow side 152s thereof. In particular, it can be provided here that a thickness D of the composite component 150 in a region of the basic component 152 directly adjoining a contact surface KF is not less than or is as great as in a region of the injection moulded component 154 directly adjoining the contact surface KF, whereas in the known composite component 50, a jump in thickness D=D1D2 necessarily occurs (cf. FIG. 3).

(22) The basic component 152 can be, for example, an LWRT material, i.e. a material preferably constructed from several layers and based on thermoplastic fibre non-woven fabrics, while the injection moulding material 156 can be any material, preferably a thermoplastic material, for example PP or PA.

(23) The invention allows the production of lightweight composite components 150 which are particularly effective in terms of acoustics and are particularly suitable as acoustically effective lining components for motor vehicles.