Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/GB2259883A/en
Timestamp: 2019-07-20 08:43:16
Document Index: 174567134

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 10', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'arts 10', 'arts 10', 'arts 10', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12']

GB2259883A - Moulding against a shape or surface imparting film liner - Google Patents
Moulding against a shape or surface imparting film liner Download PDF
GB2259883A
GB2259883A GB9120609A GB9120609A GB2259883A GB 2259883 A GB2259883 A GB 2259883A GB 9120609 A GB9120609 A GB 9120609A GB 9120609 A GB9120609 A GB 9120609A GB 2259883 A GB2259883 A GB 2259883A
GB9120609A
GB9120609D0 (en
Ronald Arthur Easterlow
1991-09-28 Application filed by MG Rover Group Ltd filed Critical MG Rover Group Ltd
1991-09-28 Priority to GB9120609A priority Critical patent/GB2259883A/en
1991-11-06 Publication of GB9120609D0 publication Critical patent/GB9120609D0/en
1993-03-31 Publication of GB2259883A publication Critical patent/GB2259883A/en
A film-like layer (216) is held between the mould parts (10, 12) and plastics material is injected thermoformed, or compressed in the mould against the film, causing the film to be urged against an adjacent surface 19 of the mould which is of different shape or surface texture to that of the film, to impart to the moulded plastics material a surface of the form of the film which differs from that which would be otherwise imparted by the adjacent mould surface (219). The film may be removed from, or remain as part of the moulded article, and may be a smooth surface, or may be pre-painted if remaining en the article. <IMAGE>
A METHOD OF MOULDING,A MOULD FOR USE IN SUCH A METHOD AND A COMPONENT MADE BY SUCH A METHOD The invention relates to a method of moulding to a mould for use in such a method and to a component made by such a method. The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with injection moulding.
Injection moulding of thermoplastics components is well known and components formed in that way can have an excellent surface finish. The surface finish itself is dictated by the mould surface against which the thermoplastics material is moulded. Where, for example, a fine surface pattern comprising closely spaced surface irregularities is required, it is necessary for the appropriate surface of the mould to be engraved in order to impart the necessary texture to the surface of the component and such engraving is expensive. Clearly, where many different types of surface texture are required, production of respective moulds can be extremely expensive.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method of moulding which can improve the versatility of a mould and, in particular, which will enable a single mould to be used to provide a plurality of different surface finishes. Another object of the present invention is to provide a mould for use in such a method.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of moulding comprising providing a mould, inserting into the mould a film-like layer of material and introducing mouldable material under pressure into the mould against the film-like layer so as to urge the film-like layer against an adjacent surface of the mould, the surface of the film-like layer against which the mouldable material is moulded and the adjacent surface of the mould being of different surface form whereby the film-like layer imparts to the material a surface shape which is different from that which would otherwise be imparted by the said adjacent surface of the mould.
By using such a method, a single mould can be used to provide a minimum of two different surface textures to the moulded material, the first being provided by the mould itself and the second being provided by the mould with the film-like layer positioned therein.
If desired, the film-like layer may have an embossed surface formation which will be substantially imparted to the surface of the moulded material. By providing a number of film-like layers having various types of embossed surface patterning, a single mould can be used to produce a large number of components having different surface patterning simply by using the appropriate film-like layer in the mould.
Where an embossed surface formation is provided on the film-like layer, the invention may include providing a mould where the said adjacent surface is substantially smooth.
In another example, the said adjacent surface of the mould may be formed to define a given surface pattern and the method may include inserting into the mould a said film-like layer of material which will impart a substantially smooth surface finish to the mouldable material and not the given surface pattern which would otherwise be imparted by the said adjacent surface of the mould.
In a further example the said adjacent surface of the mould may be formed to define a given surface pattern and the method may include inserting into the mould a film-like layer of material which will impart a surface pattern to the mouldable material which is different from the surface pattern of said adjacent surface.
The method may include injecting the mouldable material into the mould and, in such a case, the mouldable material may conveniently comprise a thermoplastics type. However other moulding methods and appropriate mouldable materials may be used.
The mould may comprise at least two parts and the method may then include introducing the film-like layer into the mould with the two parts separated and closing the two parts together with the film-like layer in place prior to introducing the mouldable material.
The film-like layer may comprise a suitable nylon material.
After moulding the material, a component formed by the mouldable material will be removed from the mould and the method may include leaving the film-like layer in the mould for a subsequent moulding operation or removing the film-like layer from the component taken out of the mould. In the latter case, the removed film-like layer of material can be discarded or inserted into the mould again for a subsequent moulding operation.
Alternatively, the method may include removing from the mould a component formed by the mouldable material and leaving the film-like layer in position on the component to provide a desired finish. In that way the component can be formed with both a desired surface shape and finish, e.g. colour or colours, by the film. The film may have a surface coating which provides the finish, e.g. a paint. The surface finish may be on the outside surface of the film on the component.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a mould for use in a method according to the first aspect of the present invention or any of the consistory clauses relating thereto, the mould having said film-like layer of material therein for imparting to the mouldable material a surface form which is different from that which would otherwise be imparted by the said adjacent surface of the mould.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a component made by a method according to the first aspect of the invention or any of the consistory clauses relating thereto.
A method of moulding, a mould for use in such a method and a component made therewith in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig.1 is a diagrammatic cross section through one form of mould in accordance with the invention shown with two parts of the mould separated, Fig.2 is a diagrammatic cross section of the mould shown in Fig.1 with the mould parts brought together and plastics material injected into a cavity defined by the mould, Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig.1 after moulding has taken place, Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig.2 but showing a modified mould and different type of film-like layer, Fig.5 is a view similar to Fig.1 drawn to a larger scale showing a different type of film-like layer in a mould having a flat adjacent surface, Fig.6 is a view similar to Fig.5 showing a film of the Fig.5 type reversed and positioned in a mould having an adjacent surface formed with a surface pattern and Fig.7 is a cross section through part of a moulded component drawn to a larger scale and having a coated film-like layer thereon.
In Fig.1, a mould comprises first and second parts 10, 12. In the embodiment illustrated, the first part 10 is movable towards the second part 12.
The first mould part 10 defines a recess 13 and an injection port 14. The mould part 12 defines a recess 15.
A layer of film-like material 16, such as nylon film, e.g. of around 0.5mm thickness, is embossed to define a surface pattern 17. The embossing may take the cross-sectional dimension D across the film to around one and a half times the film thickness so as to leave the depth of the embossing around one half of the film thickness. In Figs.1 to 3 dimension D and embossing depth are shown exaggerated for clarity.
The pattern preferably comprises closely spaced surface irregularities and the zig-zag pattern 17 shown is merely for illustrative purposes. If desired the pattern 17 could be of other form and could even be formed so as to mould a trade mark, logo, picture or written matter.
The method of moulding includes placing the film 16 between the mould parts 10, 12 as shown in Fig.1, closing the mould as shown in Fig.2 and then injecting a mouldable thermoplastics material 18 into the mould so as to fill the cavity defined by the recesses 13, 15. When the mould is closed, the film 16 is positioned between surfaces 1ova, 12a of the mould parts 10, 12 to hold the film in place. The injection of the thermoplastics material urges the embossed section 17 against the bottom of the recess 15 which has a flat surface 19. The embossed section 17 traps pockets of air between itself and the surface 19 which prevents the embossed section from flattening against the surface 19 during injection of the thermoplastics material 18.Therefore, the moulded material conforms substantially to the embossed section 17 and when the mould parts are separated as shown in Fig.3, a component 20 formed by the moulding step can be removed from the mould with the desired surface texture 22 formed thereon. When the mould parts 10, 12 are opened, the film 16 may remain in position in the mould for a subsequent moulding step or may be peeled away from the component 20 and discarded or placed in the mould again for subsequent use. For ease of separation of the film 16 from the component 20, the film will be of different material from the material 18 and/or a may be treated with a release agent.
In Fig.4, mould part 10 is identical to that shown in Figs.1 and 2 but mould part 12 has its recess 15 formed with an engraved bottom surface 119 in place of the flat surface 19. Such a surface would normally produce a component somewhat similar to the component 20 shown in Fig.3. However, by placing a non-embossed film 116 in the mould, air pockets will be trapped during the mould step between the film 116 and the engraved surface 119 and the resulting component 120 will either have a substantially flat right hand surface or will at least be smoother than the surface 119. In this case the film may be thicker than that used in Figs.1 to 3 as embossing is not required. If desired the film may have a surface which is formed so as to impart a surface pattern to the component different from that of the engraved surface 119.
In Figs.1 to 3 or Fig.4, the film 16 can be preformed, eg. by vacuum, to fit into a mould of particular shape. That will help to avoid creasing of the film particularly in moulds of complex shape.
Where the film 16 is embossed as in Figs.1 to 3, the vacuum forming step can also be used to produce the pattern 17. Where the film 16 is used in the Fig.4 mould, the vacuum forming of the film leaves the surface of the film to be positioned adjacent mould surface 119 in a flat form.
Therefore, by using a film 16 or 116 in a mould, the mould can be used to produce a variety of components having different textured surfaces. Such surfaces may be of a type which will reproduce a wood-grain, leather-grain or other fine surface texture which, if applied to the surface of an injection moulding tool, would involve engraving.
In Fig.5 a film 216 is formed, e.g., by pressing so as to define a flat surface 217 on one side and an embossed surface 17a on the other side. In that case, the film 216 will normally be thicker than the film 16 in Figs.1 to 4 and may be semi-rigid in nature. The film 216 is vacuum formed so as to be of complementary shape to the mould part 12 which has its bottom surface 19 flat as in Figs.1 to 3. With the film 216 in position in the mould, thermoplastics material can be injected into the mould as described with respect to Figs.1 to 3 to form the component.
After moulding, the component is removed from the mould and separated from the film 216. Instead of utilising a mould part 12 with a flat surface 19 it could have a surface formation 219 different from that of the embossed surface 17a against which the flat surface 217 will lie and remain substantially flat during the moulding step.
In Fig.6 the film 216 is inverted so that moulding takes place against the flat surface 217. Such an arrangement is useful where the mould part 12 has an engraved surface 119 as in Fig.4. The film 216 produces a substantially flat adjacent surface on the moulded component.
In Fig.7, a film 316 has a coating 30 of paint e.g.
thermoplastic paint, on the surface which faces the bottom of the adjacent mould part. The film 316 is made of a material which will bond to the mouldable material during the moulding step so that a finished component 32 will carry the film which provides a desired surface finish. For example, both the injected thermoplastics material 18 and the film 316 may be polypropylene. The film 316 shown in Fig.7 is embossed as in Figs.1 to 3 and is used in a mould of the kind shown in those Figures or in Fig.5 with the flat mould surface 19. Alternatively, the film 316 could be flat and used in a mould as shown in Fig.4.
It is envisaged that instead of providing the coating 30 on the outer surface of the film 216 as shown, it could be provided on the inner surface and would bond to the mouldable material. The coating 30 could provide any required form of decorative surface and could include a trade mark, logo, picture or written matter. Again the film can be pre-formed, eg. by vacuum, to fit into the mould to avoid creasing of the film. Where the film is to bond to the component it is desirable to use a thin film to improve bonding and reduce distortion of the component on cooling.
Whilst specific reference has been made to injecting the mouldable material into the mould, it will be understood that the mouldable material could be introduced in other ways, e.g. by thermoforming, cold press moulding or compression moulding.
The terms "bond" and "bonding" as used herein embrace cases where the bonded materials are joined homogeneously, e.g. as by welding.
1. A method of moulding comprising providing a mould, inserting into the mould a film-like layer of material, and introducing mouldable material under pressure into the mould against the film-like layer so as to urge the film-like layer against an adjacent surface of the mould, the surface of the film-like layer against which the mouldable material is moulded and the adjacent surface being of different surface shape whereby the film imparts to the mouldable material a surface shape which is different from that which would otherwise be imparted by the said adjacent surface of the mould.
2. A method according to Claim 1 including providing the film-like layer with an embossed surface formation which is substantially imparted to the mouldable material.
3. A method according to Claim 2 including providing said embossed surface formation as closely spaced surface irregularities.
4. A method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 including providing the adjacent surface of the mould as a substantially smooth surface.
5. A method according to Claim 1 including forming said adjacent surface of the mould so as to define a given surface shape and inserting into the mould a film-like layer of material which will impart a substantially smooth surface finish to the mouldable material and not the given surface shape which would otherwise be imparted by the said adjacent surface of the mould.
6. A method of moulding according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 including forming said adjacent surface of the mould to define a given surface pattern and inserting into the mould a said film-like layer of material which will impart a surface pattern to the mouldable material which is different from the surface pattern of said adjacent surface.
7. A method according to any preceding Claim including introducing the mouldable material by injection into the mould.
8. A method according to any preceding Claim in which the mould comprises at least two parts and the method includes introducing the film-like layer into the mould with the two parts separated and closing the two parts together to hold the film-like layer in position prior to introducing the mouldable material.
9. A method according to any preceding Claim in which the mouldable material is plastics.
10. A method according to any preceding Claim in which the film-like layer is of a polyamide material.
11. A method according to any preceding Claim including removing from the mould a component formed by the mouldable material and leaving the film-like layer in the mould for a subsequent moulding operation.
12. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 10 including removing from the mould a component formed by the mouldable material with the film-like layer thereon and removing the film-like layer from the component.
13. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 10 including removing from the mould a component formed by the mouldable material and leaving the film-like layer in position on the component to provide a desired finish.
14. A method according to Claim 13 including providing the film-like layer with a surface coating which provides the desired finish.
15. A method according to Claim 14 in which the surface coating is provided on the outer surface of the film.
16. A method according to Claim 15 in which the coating is formed by paint.
17. A method according to any preceding claim including pre-forming the film-like layer so as to conform substantially to the shape of at least part of the mould.
18. A method of moulding substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 3, Fig.4, Fig.5, Fig.6 or Fig.7 of the accompanying drawings.
19. A mould for use in a method according to any preceding Claim, the mould having said film-like layer of material therein for imparting to the moulded material a surface form which is different from that which would otherwise be imparted by the said adjacent surface of the mould.
20. A mould constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to Figs.1 to 3, Fig.4, Fig.5 or Fig.6 of the accompanying drawings.
21. A moulded component made by a method according to any of Claims 1 to 18.
GB9120609A 1991-09-28 1991-09-28 Moulding against a shape or surface imparting film liner Withdrawn GB2259883A (en)
GB9120609A GB2259883A (en) 1991-09-28 1991-09-28 Moulding against a shape or surface imparting film liner
PCT/GB1992/001750 WO1993006983A1 (en) 1991-09-28 1992-09-23 A method of injection moulding, a mould for use in such a method and a component made by such a method
GB9120609D0 GB9120609D0 (en) 1991-11-06
GB2259883A true GB2259883A (en) 1993-03-31
ID=10702099
GB9120609A Withdrawn GB2259883A (en) 1991-09-28 1991-09-28 Moulding against a shape or surface imparting film liner
GB (1) GB2259883A (en)
WO (1) WO1993006983A1 (en)
EP0630667A2 (en) * 1993-06-09 1994-12-28 BLIZZARD Ges.m.b.H Method of manufacturing a ski and device to carry out this method
GB2315038A (en) * 1996-07-10 1998-01-21 Jpe Canada Inc Process and apparatus for the manufacture of film-coated moulded pieces
FR2815000A1 (en) * 2000-10-06 2002-04-12 Plastic Omnium Cie Motor vehicle plastic body component has central decorative section produced by over-molded film layer
WO2013049478A1 (en) * 2011-09-29 2013-04-04 3M Innovative Properties Company Method of manufacturing a molded article
US9005381B2 (en) 2010-05-20 2015-04-14 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Method of moulding a wind turbine blade
GB482913A (en) * 1936-12-15 1938-04-07 Max Alexander Roemmele Improvements relating to linings for moulds for moulding concrete
GB642913A (en) * 1947-07-03 1950-09-13 William Henry Smith Improvements in and relating to the manufacture of glazed tiles
GB1140368A (en) * 1966-04-13 1969-01-15 Stanley Ronald Barnette Manufacture of synthetic resin mouldings from liquid synthetic resins
GB1193681A (en) * 1966-04-18 1970-06-03 Fmc Corp Improvements in or relating to a Method of Forming an Article at least a surface portion of which comprises a Synthetic Resin
GB1197727A (en) * 1966-08-20 1970-07-08 British United Shoe Machinery Improvements in or relating to Moulding.
GB1315482A (en) * 1969-07-15 1973-05-02 British Industrial Plastics Method of moulding articles having patterned or textured surfaces
GB2087784A (en) * 1980-11-18 1982-06-03 Redifon Simulation Ltd Moulding optically smooth articles having large surface areas
EP0094268A1 (en) * 1982-04-14 1983-11-16 SO-GE-MA-P Société Anonyme dite: Method for the injection production of pieces of plastics covered by a fabric or another flexible coating material, and apparatus for carrying out this method
GB2138734A (en) * 1983-03-08 1984-10-31 Dow Chemical Co Moulding Composite Building Panels
EP0412493A2 (en) * 1989-08-11 1991-02-13 LEONHARD KURZ GMBH &amp; CO. Method for manufacturing cards
JPH0565331B2 (en) * 1984-07-02 1993-09-17 Asahi Chemical Ind
JPH046528B2 (en) * 1985-07-30 1992-02-06 Hokoku Jushi Kogyo
JPH02150323A (en) * 1988-11-30 1990-06-08 Sunstar Eng Inc Manufacture of uneven transferred molded object
JPH0494910A (en) * 1990-08-10 1992-03-27 Toppan Printing Co Ltd Manufacture of synthetic resin molded product with recessed and projected pattern on its surface
1991-09-28 GB GB9120609A patent/GB2259883A/en not_active Withdrawn
1992-09-23 WO PCT/GB1992/001750 patent/WO1993006983A1/en active Application Filing
EP0630667A3 (en) * 1993-06-09 1995-01-18 Blizzard Gmbh
GB9120609D0 (en) 1991-11-06
WO1993006983A1 (en) 1993-04-15
US6887572B2 (en) 2005-05-03 Decorative sheet and sheet-decorated molding containing (meth) acrylate polymers
CA2037542C (en) 1996-05-07 Backlit button by thermoformed cap process