Method and system for manufacturing insulation block and insulation block

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an insulation block, preferably an insulation plate, in which method the casting mold is adjusted to a desired size by moving at least one wall of the casting mold, the pre-expanded polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylene beads are led to the casting mold, the pre-expanded polymer beads are steamed in the casting mold, and the formed finished insulation block is removed from the mold. In a method according to the invention at least one wall of the casting mold is moved during the steaming and/or during the cooling phase after the steaming.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an insulation block which comprises parallel first and second large planar surfaces and parallel first and second long side edges and parallel first and second short side edges perpendicular to the long side edges, delimiting the surfaces, said method comprising placing pre-expanded polymer beads into the casting mould, wherein said polymer beads are selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, polypropylene and polyethylene, and wherein said casting mould comprises a lower wall, side walls and an upper wall, which walls together delimit an inner volume of the casting mould, wherein at least one wall is movable, steaming and expanding said pre-expanded polymer beads in the casting mould to produce a formed insulation block, cooling said formed insulation block, and removing said formed insulation block from the mold, wherein said polymer beads and their cells are formed into an elongated shape and are directed parallel to the large planar surfaces of the insulation block substantially in the entire insulation block by moving at least one movable wall of the casting mould at a time between a middle of the steaming phase and a middle of the cooling phase after the steaming phase, wherein the movable wall is moved 10 to 40% of a length of a wall which is substantially perpendicular to the movable wall, so that the inner volume of the casting mould decreases in an entire area of the casting mould.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-expanded polymer beads are preheated before placing them into the casting mould.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one wall of the casting mould is moved during a period of time which is about 25% before the end of the steaming phase and about 25% from the beginning of the cooling phase after the steaming phase.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following the invention will be described in more detail by referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, which show in schematic views a method according to an embodiment of the invention for manufacturing an insulation block, such as an insulation plate.

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B show a method according to the invention in two stages. In stage A, shown in FIG. 1A, pre-expanded polymer beads 3 are arranged into the casting mould 1, which casting mould comprises a movable upper wall 2. The polymer beads 3 substantially fill the entire inner volume of the casting mould. In stage B, shown in FIG. 1B, the polymer beads are steamed in the mould 1 and the movable upper wall 2 of the casting mould 1 is pressed downwards in the steaming phase and/or during the cooling phase after the steaming phase, as a consequence of which an insulation block comprising mainly elongated polymer beads and cells 3 can be formed. The formed insulation block is cooled down in the casting mould 1 so that the movable upper wall 2 is still in the position, to which it was moved during the steaming phase and/or during the cooling phase following it.

EXAMPLE

(3) With a method according to the invention insulation plates were manufactured so that the casting mould was filled with polymer beads so that the polymer beads substantially filled the entire inner volume of the casting mould, and after that the polymer beads were steamed in the casting mould. In the steaming phase the upper wall of the casting mould was moved downwards, whereby the insulation plate to be formed was compressed. The thermal conductivity (.sub.10) was measured from the insulation plates formed. Polystyrene Ineos Nova Silver (density 18 kg/m.sup.3) was used as a raw material in the insulation plates.

(4) TABLE-US-00001 Thickness of the Compression in Thermal conductivity plate the steaming .sub.10 (mm) phase % (W/K .Math. m) 100 0 0.030 80 20 0.0285 70 30 0.0275

(5) The thermal conductivity of the compressed plates decreases compared to the uncompressed plate, so the thermal conductivity of the insulation plates according to the invention is better.

(6) The invention is not intended to be limited to the above-presented exemplary embodiments, but the intention is to apply the invention widely within the inventive idea delimited by the claims delimited below.