PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MANUFACTURES AND MANUFACTURES OBTAINED WITH SUCH PROCESS

Abstract: The present invention refers to a process for the production of manufactures substantially made of inert material and plastic matter. It also refers to a manufacture suitable to act as a balance mass for machines, in particular for household appliances, obtained by means of the process as per what above. According to an embodiment the process for the production of manufactures made substantitally of inert material and plastic matter comprises the following stages: to mix (30) said inert material and said plastic matter into a rotary wheel mixer (50); to heat (32) said inert material and said plastic matter at the same time as the previous mixing stage (30); to introduce (34) the material coming from the previous stage into a mould; to cool (36) said mould.

Description: " Process for the production of manufactures and manufactures obtained with such process" DESCRIPTION The present invention refers to a process for the production of manufactures substantially made up of inert material and plastic matter. In addition it refers to a manufacture that is suitable to act as a balance mass for machines, in particular for household appliances, that is obtained by means of the process as per what above. In machines, as for instance household appliances, such as washing machines dishwashers and the similar, or as tractors and machine tools , masses are utilised that are suitable to statically and dynamically balance the same machines, in particular counter-weights are utilised. Generally these counter- eights are made up of manufactures which are obtained from a conglomerate mix. In particular, the mix is made of inert materials such as sand, metallic scales, concrete and water. Depending on the cases the manufactures are also provided with a reinforcement consisting in internal reinforcements. There are also known manufactures that are obtained with a mix of inert material and plastic matter. However, they are expensive since they require great amounts of plastic material and they are difficult to produce. In view of the state of the art herein described, a scope of the present invention is to provide for a process for the obtaining of manufactures obtained from a mix of inert material and plastic matter that does not show the disadvantages of the known art. In particular that has a low production cost and it is easily obtainable. According to the present invention, these and other scopes are attained by means of a process for the production of manufactures substantially made of inert material and plastic matter, comprising the following stages: to mix said inert material and said plastic matter in a rotary wheel mixer; to heat said inert and said plastic material at the same time as the previous mixing stage; to introduce the material coming from the previous stage into a mould; to cool said mould. In addition such scopes are attained by means of a manufacture that is suitable to act as a balance mass for machines, in particular for household appliances, comprising a solid state compound consisting of a mixture of inert material and plastic matter, characterised in that it comprises inert material in a quantity comprised between 60% and 85% of the total weight and plastic matter in a quantity comprised between 15% and 40% of the total weight. Owing to the present invention it is possible to provide a process that is insensitive to the type and to the dimensions (within reasonable limits) of the materials being used, and that in addition to the fact that it is possible to use a low percentage of plastic matter a low cost manufacture is obtained. In addition, a manufacture is obtained, that is qualitatively good in workmanship, better than concrete manufactures, since it is not subject to chalking and/or crumbling. The characteristics and the advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, that is illustrated as a non limiting example in the enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 represents a flow chart that describes the various stages of the process according to the present invention; Figure 2 represents a rotary wheel mixer according to the present invention. According to the present invention the use of plastic matter preferably of the type coming from differentiated waste collection and/or scraps of production is provided. According to the process subsequently described this does not require any working before its use, it can also be accumulated on the exterior and it can have any dimension (within reasonable and compatible limits with the machines utilised in the process). According to the present invention the use of inert material of any type, for instance calcareous material, sulphates, silicates, metallic oxides, etc., even having various nature and even dirt, is preferably provided. The size of the inert material can also have any size from powders to a dimension of 20- 30 millimetres. The choice of the type of material or of the mix of materials to be used can be conditioned by the final weight of the manufacture that it is wanted to be obtained. Therefore based on the dimension of the manufacture, of the desired final weight and of the percentages of plastic matter and inert material being used, that will be described hereinafter, the material or materials having adequate specific weight are chosen. Referring to Figure 1, there is the cumulus of inert material 10 that before its use is preferably preheated 12 in oven in order to eliminate humidity and in order to subsequently accelerate the mixing and the melting of the plastic matter. The preheating temperature is comprised between 100°C and 400 °C and more preferably between 250°C and 350°C, and even more preferably around 300°C. The inert matter is thus weighed 14 in order to determine the amount that will be input into the mixer. In addition there is the cumulus of plastic matter 20 that is preferably preheated 22 in oven before being used. The preheating temperature is comprised between 30°C and 100 °C, and more preferably between 50°C and 80°C. The plastic matter is thus weighed 24 in order to determine the amount that will be input into the mixer. The inert material and the plastic matter are therefore placed inside a mixer 50 for the mixing 30. Preferably the mixer 50 is of the mill type with rotary wheels, rendered in Figure 2. It comprises two wheels 52 which are set in motion by a motor 54. Through transmission means 56 the motion of the motor 54 is transferred to the wheels 52. In addition it comprises means for the insulation and closing 58 of the mixing area 60 of the inert material and the plastic matter. It also comprises heating elements, not shown, in order to allow the heating 32 and therefore the melting (or in any case the transition of the plastic matter into a mixture state that allows its mixing with the inert material) and the mixing of the plastic matter. The rotary wheel mixer 50 is heated at a temperature comprised between 100°C and 300°C, and more preferably equal to approximately 200°C. Preferably the inert material at first and subsequently the plastic matter, that finds therefore a more favorable situation for the melting and the mixing, are inserted in the mixer 50. The mix of inert material and plastic matter inside the heated mixer 50 is brought to a temperature at which the plastic matter covers completely all the surfaces of the inert matter and it binds them to each other. The mix preferably comprises inert material in quantity comprised between 60% and 85% of the total weight, more preferably equal to about 85% and the plastic matter in quantity comprised between 15% and 40% of the total weight, more preferably equal to about 15%. Subsequently there is the stage 34 of metering and of introduction of the mix into the mould, that is the amount of mixture necessary to the filling of the mould is taken (preferably by weighting it) from the mixer. The material taken from the mixer is thus inserted into the mould by means of a press at low pressure. The cooling 36 of the mould and consequently the cooling of the manufacture thus take place. The mould is preferably made of aluminium or of other material having high thermal conductivity and it is cooled by means of cooling liquid, preferably water. The manufacture is extracted 38 from the mould and it is once more cooled preferably by immersing it 40 into a cooling liquid, preferably water.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Process for the production of manufactures substantially made of inert material and plastic matter, comprising the following stages: to mix (30) said inert material and said plastic matter into a rotary wheel mixer (50); to heat (32) said inert material and said plastic matter at the same time as the previous mixing stage (30) ; to introduce (34) the material coming from the previous stage into a mould; to cool (36) said mould. 2. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that previously to the mixing stage (30), said inert material is preheated (12) at a temperature comprised between 100°C and 400 °C. 3. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that previously to the mixing stage (30), said plastic matter is preheated (22) at a temperature comprised between 30°C and 100 °C. 4. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that the mixing stage (30) mixes inert material in quantity comprised between 60% and 85% of the total weight and plastic matter in quantity comprised between 15% and 40% of the total weight. 5. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that the heating stage (32) takes place in said heated rotary wheel mixer (50) . 6. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 5 characterised in that the rotary wheel mixer (50) is heated at a temperature comprised between 100 and 300°C. 7. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that the stage of introduction (34) of the material into a mould takes place at a low pressure. 8. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that said mould has high thermal conductivity. 9. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that said mould is cooled (36) by means of cooling liquid. 10. Process for the production of manufactures according to claim 1 characterised in that it comprises the stage to extract (38) the manufacture from said mould and to immerse (40) it into a cooling liquid. 11. Manufacture suitable to act as a balance mass for machines, in particular for household appliances, comprising a solid state compound made of a mix of inert material and plastic matter, characterised in that it comprises inert material in a quantity comprised between 60% and 85% of the total weight and plastic matter in a quantity comprised between 15% and 40% of the total weight. 12. Manufacture according to claim 11 characterised in that said inert material is chosen among calcareous materials, sulphates, silicates, metallic oxides. 13. Manufacture according to claim 11 characterised in that said plastic matter comes from production scraps or from differentiated waste collection.

Inventors: AMITRANO ANGELO, AMITRANO, ANGELO
Applicants: AMITRANO ANGELO, PASELL S R L, AMITRANO, ANGELO, PASELL S.R.L.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B29B7
IPC codes: B01F7, B01F15, B29B7, B29B17