Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a composite, foam/fabric material for use as protective material in products, and utilizes an apparatus which includes a punch press with punches arranged in rows and correspondingly aligned dies for receiving the punches therethrough. The system operates by punching a sheet of foam material into a plurality of discrete foam elements which are transferred onto a heated fabric substrate, and retained thereon by heat bonding. The apparatus consists, in one preferred embodiment, of a clamp plate which clamps a sheet of foam material onto a die plate, and after a punching sequence, the sheet of foam material, along with the sheet of fabric material, are indexed downstream, and the process repeats.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a composite, foam/fabric material for use as protective material in products such as shin guards, helmets, baseball chest protectors, bicycle seats, chairs, shoulder pads, carry bag straps, sports bras, etc. The invention is directed to providing a foam/fabric construction which may be used as a liner, and consists of a fabric top and bottom between which is sandwiched foam material, such as a plurality of discrete foam elements, which may themselves be formed as composites of different types of foams. The foam material may consist of a single material such as EVA, polyethylene (PE), polyurethane or polyvinyl, amongst others, or alternatively, the foam elements may be composites of EVA, PE, etc. The foam elements may be cylindrical in form, hexagonal, square, or other desired shapes. This material can be used, as mentioned above, for shin guards, and even components of sports equipment. The method and apparatus enables a foam sheet to be cut into foam elements which are then deposited and pressed onto a heated substrate, such as a fabric, to provide foam/fabric bonding. An upper fabric sheet may be then be adhered to the other side of the foam elements, with the resulting composite foam/fabric thereby forming a material for use in a multitude of applications, as mentioned above. 
         [0002]    The method of the present invention utilizes an apparatus which includes a punch press with a plurality of horizontally aligned, elongate punches, which may be arranged in rows, and correspondingly aligned dies on a die plate for receiving the punches therethrough. The system may process a sheet of foam material that is sliced by the punches and dies into a plurality of discrete foam elements which are transferred to and pressed onto the heated fabric substrate, and partially melted to be retained thereon by heat bonding. The advantages of the present technology will be understood more readily after consideration of the drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    Embodiments of the various aspects of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawing figures as set forth below: 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is a side schematic view, partially cut away, showing the construction of a single punch, extending from an upper platen, disposed in an initial position adjacent a clamp plate, with the clamp plate holding a sheet of foam material against the upper surface of a die plate; 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1 , showing downward extension of the upper platen so that the punch engages the top surface of the foam sheet; 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a view of the upper platen further extended downwardly so that the punch sheers off a foam element from the foam sheet; 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a view showing the upper platen further extended downwardly, so that the punch is shown pushing the severed foam element down toward a fabric sheet which has been heated by heating elements, such as a plurality of electrodes which are incorporated in a lower support plate; 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  shows further extension of the upper platen and the punch to deposit the severed foam element downwardly against the heated fabric sheet; 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  shows retraction of the upper platen and the punch with the foam element retained on the heated fabric sheet; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 7-12  illustrate schematically views similar to that of  FIGS. 1-6 , but include a construction where there are a pair of clamp plates disposed above the die plate. 
           [0011]      FIG. 13  is a more complete view of the apparatus, with the construction shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , showing assembly of the upper platen, mounted on guide posts for reciprocal movement toward a lower platen, wherein the upper platen consists of a plurality of punches, and the clamp plate is shown above the die plate, which in turn is mounted above a bottom plate which includes heating elements extending therethrough for providing heat to the fabric sheet; 
           [0012]      FIG. 14  is a view, similar to  FIG. 13 , showing positioning of the foam sheet between the clamp plate and the die plate, with the fabric material shown positioned on top of the bottom plate; 
           [0013]      FIG. 15  is a view similar to  FIGS. 13 and 14 , showing assembly of the actuator press mounted on top of the upper platen, and also shows the relative positions of the foam sheet and fabric sheet; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 16  is a view showing two rows of a plurality of discrete foam elements which have been punched out of a foam sheet and deposited on a fabric sheet and adhered by heat bonding in accordance with the method and apparatus of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    As stated at the outset, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for fabricating and depositing a plurality of discrete foam elements onto a heated fabric sheet which serves as a substrate, and includes, in general terms, a punch assembly operable for punching into a foam sheet to cut away or shear off and then deposit foam elements onto the heated fabric sheet. The heating of the fabric sheet enables bonding between the foam elements and the fabric sheet, and the composite foam/fabric sheet is then indexed downstream and a second fabric sheet is bonded to the upper surface of the foam elements, thereby creating a foam/fabric composite which can be utilized in many different applications, for protection and use as shin guards, protective linings for helmets, baseball chest protectors, etc. 
         [0016]    Another aspect of the present invention is that the apparatus is so constructed so that a foam sheet, which is severed into the plurality of discrete foam elements, may comprise a composite in itself, in other words, the foam sheet can be made up of a composite of EVA, polyurethane, etc. The present invention enables the foam sheet, whether of unitary construction or of composite construction, to be placed above a die plate, and upon actuation of a power-driven press, a plurality of punches are displaced downwardly and driven into the foam sheet for simultaneously severing off a plurality of discrete foam elements and depositing them onto a heated sheet of fabric material. 
         [0017]    For simplicity of explanation, an initial description will proceed here with reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , which show only the operation of a single punch to form a single foam element. The preferred embodiments will all include a plurality of spaced-apart punches, so that a plurality of discrete, foam elements are deposited upon a heated sheet of fabric material. As shown in  FIG. 1 , an upper platen/punch plate is indicated generally at  10 , and is positioned beneath a hydraulic press or the like (not shown). Upper platen  10  includes a plurality of punches, and as just mentioned, only the actuation of one punch, such as indicated at  12 , will be described, with the understanding that applicant&#39;s method and apparatus includes multiple punches, arranged in side-by-side, elongate parallel rows, each having a free distal end and an end attached to the platen. As shown in  FIG. 1 , upper platen  10  is in its retracted position, thereby retracting punch  12  as well. 
         [0018]    A sheet of foam material, indicated at  10 , has been indexed to a position so that it is mounted on the top surface of a die plate  18 . The foam sheet is then clamped by a clamp plate  16  against the die plate so that it is sandwiched therebetween. The clamp plate includes an aperture  16   a  aligned with and dimensioned for receiving punch  12  therethrough when upper platen  10  is moved downwardly. Die plate  18  is provided with an aperture  18   a  extending therethrough as well, and may be provided with a cylindrical cutting element such as indicated at  20 , provided with an upper edge  21 . Die plate  18  is suitably mounted above a support structure  22 , which in turn supports a substrate, such as a sheet of fabric material, indicated at  24 . While not specifically shown in  FIG. 1 , the support structure may include heating elements, such as a plurality of electrodes for suitably heating fabric material  24  (see  FIG. 13 ). 
       The Method of Fabrication 
       [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , foam material  14  has been positioned against die plate  18  and is held securely thereagainst by means of clamp plate  16 .  FIGS. 2-6  follow in sequence the punching action, which will now be described. Initially, a sheet of foam material  14  of selected composition is suitably indexed into position so that it lies on the upper surface of die plate  18 , and clamp plate  16  is displaced downwardly to secure the foam material onto the die plate.  FIGS. 1-6  show foam material  14  as being of a single, as opposed to a composite of foam material, but it should be remembered that a composite construction could be readily employed, i.e., a sheet of EVA, superimposed onto a sheet of different foam material, such as PE. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the press has been actuated to move upper platen  10  and punch  12  downwardly, to extend through aperture  16   a  of clamp plate  16  to a position where the end of punch  12  engages the top surface of foam material  14 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , further displacement downwardly of upper platen  10  forces punch  12  through foam material  14  so that the foam material is severed by upper edge  21  of the cutting element  20  to create a foam element, such as indicated at  28 , with a thickness the same as that of the foam sheet. Any desired thickness can be achieved by appropriate selection of the thickness of the sheet material. For most applications, the thickness may be in the range of ⅛″-½″, but this can vary widely. As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , as upper platen  10  is moved downwardly further, foam element  28  is pushed downwardly onto and compressed slightly against the top of fabric material  24  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0020]    The press is operated to hold the foam element against fabric material  24  for a selected duration, for example, approximately 3-10 seconds, a time sufficient for heat transfer to fabric material  24  to heat foam element  28  and create a heat bond between it and the fabric material. The amount of heat is determined by that sufficient to cause heat bonding between the foam element and the sheet. Then, as shown in  FIG. 6 , as upper platen  10  is retracted upwardly, punch  12  is also moved upwardly. Clamp plate  16  is then released and foam sheet  14  is indexed to present a new, unbroken surface beneath punch  12 , and the fabric sheet, with the foam elements now attached, is indexed downstream as well. The process then repeats with clamp plate  16  being actuated to hold the foam material against die plate  18  and actuation of upper platen  10  again is completed to cut or sever another foam element away from the foam sheet for being deposited and adhered to fabric sheet  24 . 
         [0021]    The present invention, as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-6 , contemplates the use of a single clamp plate  16 , which is apertured, but another embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 7-12 . That embodiment contemplates that there are two clamp plates, one shown at  16  and the other shown at  18 . The operation for cutting and depositing a plurality of discrete, foam elements is essentially the same, except that the provision of a second clamp plate, which serves as a surface for holding foam element  14 , is disposed beneath clamp plate  16 . Otherwise, the operation is essentially the same as described. 
         [0022]    The description of the invention with respect to  FIGS. 1-12  has been with schematic diagrams, showing operation of a single punch. With respect to  FIGS. 13-15 , views are shown with a multiplicity of punches, which are arranged in rows and other features are delineated. For example, in  FIG. 13 , which shows the apparatus with the hydraulic press removed, it can be seen that the upper platen is positioned with a plurality of punches extending downwardly therethrough. The foam material is not shown, nor is the fabric material. However, it will be noted that at opposite ends of the bottom support there are provided upright posts, upon which the upper platen can move upwardly and downwardly. 
         [0023]    Cylindrical sleeves are mounted around each of the posts, and provided with a plurality of ball bearings, for receiving an upper sleeve. The posts are provided with springs to normally bias the upper platen upwardly. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the bottom plate is provided with a plurality of heating elements, such as electrodes, so that when fabric material is placed on the bottom plate, it will be heated. As shown in  FIG. 14 , again with the hydraulic press removed, it will be noted that the foam material, indicated at  14 , has now been positioned on the upper surface of the die plate and clamped in place beneath the clamp plate. The fabric sheet material, indicated at  24 , is shown extending beneath the die plate, and on the support plate, which is, as mentioned, provided with the heating elements. 
         [0024]    The entire assembly, with the hydraulic press in position, is shown in  FIG. 15 , prior to a run for producing a plurality of foam elements for bonding to a fabric sheet. Depending on the size of the apparatus which is to be used, a series of rows of apertures are provided in the die plate, as well as the clamp plate, and upon sequential operation, a plurality of discrete foam elements are deposited and adhered to the sheet material. As shown in  FIG. 16 , two rows of foam elements have been cut and bonded to foam sheet  24 . After a requisite number of foam elements are deposited upon the sheet material, that sheet may be removed and in a subsequent operation an upper layer of fabric material or foam, or plastic or other material may be adhered to the upper surface of the individual foam elements. In that manner, a composite construction can be manufactured. Suitable trimming and sizing for the particular end use of the product can then be carried out to create the desired form and shape. The overall simplicity of the present invention resides in its construction for enabling a sheet of foam material to be readily punched out into a plurality of foam elements which may be readily adhered to a sheet of fabric material or other type of backing member, as desired. 
         [0025]    The foam elements as shown in the drawing figures are cylindrical, but other forms could readily be utilized. Hexagons are one example, others could be round, square, rectangular, octagonal, or combinations thereof, all in a single protective product. Again, by “protective product” we are referring to a shin guard liner, sock/shoe liners, helmet liners, chest protectors, etc. As yet another example is a special pad that a baseball player uses for the hand which fits inside of a baseball glove, fabricated from the flexible, composite foam/fabric material manufactured utilizing the method and apparatus of the present invention. The apparatus may be thought of as a hydraulic heat press for cutting discrete foam cells and pushing them onto a fabric so that the foam cells are heat-bonded onto the fabric. 
         [0026]    Moreover, by suitably configuring the punches and associated aligned dies, foam elements of various configurations may be created for placement adjacent one another in any selected pattern on the fabric sheet.