METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A FOAMED PLASTIC MOLDED BODY WITH A FILM LAYER COATING

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a foamed plastic molded body with a film layer coating by using a tool mold with at least one tool cavity to form a shaping mold cavity, including A) heating at least one tool cavity of the tool mold; B) applying a granulate to the at least one heated tool cavity; C) fusing the granulate in the heated tool cavity to form a liquid film layer; D) applying the liquid film layer to a foamed plastic molded body to form a film layer coating on the surface of the plastic molded body by fusing the liquid film layer with the surface of the plastic molded body; and E) cooling the at least one tool cavity and ejecting the plastic molded body coated with the film layer.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A method for manufacturing a foamed plastic molded body with a film layer coating by using a tool mold with at least one tool cavity to form a shaping mold cavity, comprising the following method steps: A) heating at least one tool cavity of the tool mold; B) applying a granulate to the at least one heated tool cavity; C) fusing the granulate in the heated tool cavity to form a liquid film layer; D) applying the liquid film layer to a foamed plastic molded body to form a film layer coating on the surface of the plastic molded body by fusing the liquid film layer with the surface of the plastic molded body; E) cooling the at least one tool cavity and ejecting the plastic molded body coated with the film layer.

17. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein before performing method steps A) to E), the plastic molded body is produced in the tool mold by an expansion method, then the tool mold is opened, wherein the plastic molded body remains in at least one first tool cavity and method steps A) to E) are then performed for at least one second opposite tool cavity, wherein applying the liquid film layer by fusing the liquid film layer with the surface of the plastic molded body is per-formed according to method step D) by closing the tool mold again and the cooling in method step E) of the at least one tool cavity is per-formed in the closed molding condition.

18. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein in the area of the at least one tool cavity first method steps A) to C) are performed, then the tool mold is closed and the mold cavity of the tool mold is filled with a first expandable plastic granulate or with foam pearls, respectively, and then the first plastic granulate or the foam pearls, respectively, are expanded in the mold cavity, wherein method step D) is performed by the fact that the plastic molded body or the first expand-able plastic granulate or the foam pearls, respectively, is expanded against the liquid film layer formed on the at least one tool cavity and fuses therewith.

19. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein the granulate is applied in method step B) beyond the region of the at least one tool cavity to the multi-part tool mold, and that at least one part of the multi-part tool mold comprises a sealing ring which, when closing the tool mold, throws up the granulate outside the region of the at least one first and/or second tool cavity to a bead in the edge area of the at one first and/or second tool cavity.

20. The manufacturing method according to claim 18, wherein in the method step of the expansion of the first expandable plastic granulate or the foam pearls, respectively, the expansion process is terminated after a defined period of time and the first plastic granulate or the foam pearls, respectively, which are not yet melted or expanded are removed from the mold cavity such that only a layer of the first expanded plastic granulate or of the foam pearls, respectively, adheres to the film layer.

21. The manufacturing method according to claim 20, wherein after removing the non-expanded proportions of the first plastic granulate or of the foam pearls, respectively, the mold cavity is filled with a second expandable plastic granulate or with foam pearls, respectively, which are then expanded to form the plastic molded body.

22. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein the granulate is applied in method step B) by means of a spray pistol to the at least one tool cavity.

23. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one tool cavity to be heated is heated in method step A) by introducing a heating medium through the corresponding heating channels in the at least one tool cavity.

24. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein in method step A) the at least one tool cavity to be heated is heated to at least a temperature above the melting temperature of the granulate, in particular to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 260° C.

25. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein in method step B) a powdery thermoplastic plastic granulate is applied to the at least one tool cavity.

26. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one tool cavity to be heated is heated in method step A) by an external heating source which is arranged to be spaced apart from the at least of tool cavity, such as in particular a radiant heater.

27. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein in method step B) granulate is only proportionately applied to defined partial re-gions of the at least one tool cavity to form at least one film layer in certain areas, wherein in subregions of the at least one tool cavity can be covered in order to prevent a granulate application in method step B).

28. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein in method step B) a granulate is applied to the tool cavity with a layer thickness in the range of 0.05 mm to 2 mm.

29. The manufacturing method according to claim 16, wherein in method step E) the at least one tool cavity to be cooled is cooled convectively and/or conductively.

30. The manufacturing method according to claim 18, wherein the expandable plastic granulate or the foam pearls, respectively, are supplied and/or discharged through at least one injector device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0075] In the following, preferred exemplary embodiments of the method according to the invention are explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0076] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view through a tool mold in a closed state;

[0077] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a tool cavity according to the invention while applying granulate;

[0078] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a tool mold with a foamed plastic mold manufactured according to the invention; and

[0079] FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a tool mold with an external heating system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a tool mold 2 in a closed state, wherein the tool mold 2 is formed by two opposite tool cavities 21a and 21b, wherein the aforementioned opposite tool cavities 21a and 21b enclose a shaping mold cavity 22. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the first tool cavity 21a is provided with a plurality of heating channels 24 through which a heating medium can be supplied to the first tool cavity 21a so that the first tool cavity 21a can be heated to a defined temperature.

[0081] In FIG. 2 an exemplary embodiment of a tool cavity 21 of a tool mold 2 is shown, wherein the illustrated tool cavity comprises a temperature sensor 4 by means of which the temperature of tool cavity 21 can be measured. In FIG. 2 the process of applying granulate 3 by means of a spraying pistol 32 is shown, wherein the applied granulate forms a film layer 31 with a film layer thickness 33 in the area of tool cavity 21. As can also be seen in FIG. 2, layer thicknesses 33 of applied granulate 3 can be adjusted or specifically influenced in sections in tool cavity 21 by specific application of granulate 3 by means of spraying pistol 32.

[0082] FIG. 3 shows a plastic molded body with a proportionate film layer coating 11, wherein the foam molded body is manufactured by using tool mold 2, which is formed from a first tool cavity 21a and a second opposite tool 21b, through which the plastic molded body was produced, by applying plastic granulate 3 to the second tool cavity 21, film layer coating 11 was applied to plastic molded body 1 according to the invention.

[0083] FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a tool cavity 21 according to the invention with a temperature sensor 4 and an external heat source 55 having the form of a plurality of radiant heaters with directional orifices. Tool cavity 21 can be heated by means of external heat source 55 to a defined temperature and sensor 4 can be used to control heat source 55.