U.S. patent application number 13/899975 was filed with the patent office on 2013-11-28 for laminated foam product and methods for making laminated foam products.
This patent application is currently assigned to Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC. Invention is credited to Nikoi Annan, John F. Budinscak, JR., Rodger D. Lightle, Roland R. Loh, Jeffrey J. Van Sloun.
Application Number | 20130316143 13/899975 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49621833 |
Filed Date | 2013-11-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130316143 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Budinscak, JR.; John F. ; et
al. |
November 28, 2013 |
LAMINATED FOAM PRODUCT AND METHODS FOR MAKING LAMINATED FOAM
PRODUCTS
Abstract
Thermally laminated foam boards, methods for making thermally
laminated foam boards, apparatus for making thermally laminated
foam boards, smaller foam pieces made from thermally laminated foam
boards, methods for making smaller foam pieces from thermally
laminated foam boards, parts made from thermally laminated foam
boards, methods for making parts from thermally laminated foam
boards, and tools for making parts from thermally laminated foam
boards are disclosed. The thermally laminated foam boards are made
by thermally bonding at least two polystyrene boards together.
Inventors: |
Budinscak, JR.; John F.;
(Wadsworth, OH) ; Van Sloun; Jeffrey J.;
(Perrysburg, OH) ; Annan; Nikoi; (Newark, OH)
; Loh; Roland R.; (Coppell, TX) ; Lightle; Rodger
D.; (Canton, OH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Owens Corning Intellectual Capital, LLC |
Toledo |
OH |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Owens Corning Intellectual Capital,
LLC
Toledo
OH
|
Family ID: |
49621833 |
Appl. No.: |
13/899975 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61650248 |
May 22, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/159 ;
156/154 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23C 5/10 20130101; B29C
65/26 20130101; B32B 38/10 20130101; B29C 66/1142 20130101; B21D
22/14 20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101; B29C 65/1454 20130101; B29C
66/919 20130101; B29K 2105/26 20130101; B32B 37/1054 20130101; B32B
2419/00 20130101; B23C 2226/62 20130101; B29C 65/1432 20130101;
B29C 66/45 20130101; B29C 66/73921 20130101; B29C 66/91921
20130101; B29C 2793/009 20130101; B32B 2309/10 20130101; B29C
69/001 20130101; B32B 3/263 20130101; B32B 37/06 20130101; B29C
66/0222 20130101; Y10T 428/24504 20150115; B29C 66/91645 20130101;
B29C 66/954 20130101; B32B 38/1833 20130101; B32B 2309/105
20130101; B29C 53/18 20130101; B29C 65/02 20130101; B32B 37/04
20130101; B29C 66/723 20130101; B29C 66/91411 20130101; B23C
2240/08 20130101; B26D 2001/002 20130101; B26D 2001/0033 20130101;
B29C 66/91431 20130101; B29K 2025/06 20130101; B29C 65/20 20130101;
B32B 2305/022 20130101; B29C 66/92611 20130101; B29K 2105/043
20130101; B32B 2272/00 20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101; B32B 5/145
20130101; B32B 2307/304 20130101; B29C 66/9241 20130101; B29C
65/203 20130101; B32B 27/302 20130101; B29C 66/929 20130101; B32B
5/32 20130101; B29C 66/727 20130101; B29C 66/91931 20130101; B26D
1/14 20130101; B29K 2025/06 20130101; B32B 2266/0228 20130101; B32B
3/30 20130101; B29K 2995/0015 20130101; B29C 66/1122 20130101; B29C
65/1464 20130101; B29C 66/83413 20130101; B29C 66/8416 20130101;
B26D 3/006 20130101; B29C 66/435 20130101; B29C 66/91421 20130101;
B23P 15/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
428/159 ;
156/154 |
International
Class: |
B32B 3/26 20060101
B32B003/26; B32B 5/32 20060101 B32B005/32; B29C 65/02 20060101
B29C065/02 |
Claims
1. A method of making a foam product comprising: thermally bonding
at least two polystyrene boards together two make a thick laminated
board; machining the thick laminated board to remove a portion of
the polystyrene and thereby form the foam product; recycling the
removed portion.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the removed portion is recycled to
make polystyrene boards.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the thick laminated board consists
of material of the at least two polystyrene boards.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the removed portion consists of
material of the at least two polystyrene boards.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to said thermal bonding of
the at least two polystyrene boards together a flatness variation
of face surfaces that are bonded together is greater than 0.020
inches.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the flatness variation is measured
across the face surfaces of a two foot by two foot sample of
polystyrene boards.
7. (canceled)
8. The method of claim 5 further comprising flattening the face
surfaces that are to be bonded together to a flatness variation of
less than 0.020 inches.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising flattening face
surfaces that are to be bonded together by a factor of at least
two.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said flattening comprises heating
and applying pressure to the face surfaces with rollers.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising heating the face
surfaces with heating elements that are positioned between and
spaced apart from the face surfaces downstream of the rollers.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein a flatness variation where the
thick laminated board is cut across a bond line between polystyrene
boards is less than or equal to 0.005 inches from one side of the
bond line to the other.
13. A foam product comprising: at least two polystyrene boards
bonded together two make a thick laminated board; wherein a portion
of the polystyrene board is removed to form a shape of the foam
product; wherein the formed foam product consists of material of
the polystyrene boards.
14. The foam product of claim 13 wherein the removed portion
consists of material of the polystyrene boards.
15. The foam product of claim 13 wherein a bond area between each
of the polystyrene boards is substantially planar and has a bond
thickness variation of less than 0.020 inches.
16. The foam product of claim 13 wherein a flatness variation where
the thick laminated board is cut across a bond line between
polystyrene boards are bonded together is less than or equal to
0.005 inches from one side of the bond line to the other.
17. A method of making a foam product comprising: applying heat and
pressure to facing surfaces of a pair of opposed polystyrene boards
to flatten the facing surfaces by a factor of at least 2; thermally
bonding at least said pair of polystyrene boards together two make
a thick laminated board; and machining the thick laminated board to
remove a portion of the polystyrene and thereby form the foam
product.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein prior to said applying heat and
pressure a flatness variation of said facing surfaces is greater
than 0.020 inches.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the flatness is measured across
the face surfaces of a two foot by two foot samples of polystyrene
boards.
20. (canceled)
21. The method of claim 18 further comprising flattening the face
surfaces that are to be bonded together to a flatness of less than
0.020 inches.
22. The method of claim 9 wherein said applying heat and pressure
is by heated rollers.
23. The method of claim 22 further comprising heating the face
surfaces with heating elements that are positioned between and
spaced apart from the face surfaces downstream of the rollers.
24. The method of claim 17 wherein a flatness variation where the
thick laminated board is cut across a bond line between polystyrene
boards is less than or equal to 0.005 inches.
25. A laminated foam board comprising: first and second polystyrene
boards each having an outer skin that is formed during extrusion of
the polystyrene boards; wherein the polystyrene boards are
laminated together without removing the outer skin of faces that
are bonded together; wherein a bond area between each of the
polystyrene boards is substantially planar and has a bond thickness
variation of less than 0.020 inches.
26. A method of making a foam product comprising: thermally bonding
at least two polystyrene boards together two make a thick laminated
board; cutting the thick laminated board into smaller foam pieces:
machining the smaller foam pieces to remove a portion of the
polystyrene and thereby form the foam product; wherein a profile
tolerance where the smaller foam piece is machined across a thermal
bond line between polystyrene boards is less than or equal to 0.015
inches from one side of the bond line to the other.
27. The method of claim 26 wherein prior to said thermal bonding of
the at least two polystyrene boards together flatness of face
surfaces that are bonded together are greater than 0.020
inches.
28. The method of claim 27 further comprising flattening the face
surfaces that are to be bonded together to a flatness of less than
0.020 inches.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein said flattening comprises
heating and applying pressure to the face surfaces with
rollers.
30. The method of claim 29 further comprising heating the face
surfaces with heating elements that are positioned between and
spaced apart from the face surfaces downstream of the rollers.
31. A foam product comprising: at least two polystyrene boards
thermally bonded together two make a thick laminated board; wherein
a portion of the polystyrene board is removed across a bond line
where two polystyrene boards are thermally bonded together to form
a shape of the foam product; wherein a profile tolerance where the
smaller foam piece is machined across a thermal bond line between
polystyrene boards is less than or equal to 0.015 inches from one
side of the bond line to the other.
32. The foam product of claim 31 wherein a bond area between each
of the polystyrene boards is substantially planar and has a bond
thickness variation of less than 0.020.
33. (canceled)
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of provisional
patent application No. 61/650,248, filed May 22, 2012, titled "Foam
Board Laminator and Method for Laminating Foam Boards" which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to polymeric rigid foam
boards. It finds particular application in conjunction with
polymeric rigid foam boards having a broad thickness range produced
using a thermo-laminating process and will be described with
particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that
the invention is also amenable to other applications.
[0003] Engineered extruded polystyrene (XPS) foams have been proven
useful in building insulation, and many construction applications.
For example, XPS pipe fabrication foam billets are relatively dust
free and provide thermal and moisture resistance as well as large
format foam to operators for low-temperature cold processes. These
engineered XPS applications usually need large format foam to be
fabricated, however the extruded foam boards are limited in the
thickness in conventional processes, such as less than 300 mm
(.about.12''), or more likely less than 120 mm (.about.5''). It is
difficult to extrude thicker products due to many engineering and
operational obstacles (e.g., large die lip gaps that are needed in
operation, which make it difficult to hold die pressure).
[0004] The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus
and method for making relatively thicker XPS foam boards and foam
products made from the thicker XPS foam boards.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present application discloses several different
embodiments of thermally laminated foam boards, methods for making
thermally laminated foam boards, apparatus for making thermally
laminated foam boards, smaller foam pieces made from thermally
laminated foam boards, methods for making smaller foam pieces from
thermally laminated foam boards, parts made from thermally
laminated foam boards, methods for making parts from thermally
laminated foam boards, and tools for making parts from thermally
laminated foam boards. In one exemplary embodiment, a foam product
is made by thermally bonding at least two extruded polystyrene
boards together to make a thick laminated board. The thick
laminated board is machined to remove a portion of the extruded
polystyrene and thereby form the foam product. The removed
polystyrene is recycled.
[0006] In one exemplary embodiment, a foam product includes at
least two extruded polystyrene boards bonded together two make a
thick laminated board. A portion of the extruded polystyrene board
is removed to form a shape of the foam product. The formed foam
product consists of material of the polystyrene boards.
[0007] In one exemplary method of making a foam product, heat and
pressure are applied to facing surfaces of a pair of opposed
extruded polystyrene boards to flatten the facing surfaces by a
factor of at least 2. The pair of extruded polystyrene boards are
thermally bonded together to make a thick laminated board. The
thick laminated board is machined to remove a portion of the
extruded polystyrene and thereby form the foam product.
[0008] In one exemplary embodiment, a laminated foam board includes
first and second extruded polystyrene boards each having an outer
skin that is formed during extrusion of the polystyrene boards. The
polystyrene boards are laminated together without removing the
outer skin of faces that are bonded together. A bond area between
each of the polystyrene boards is substantially planar and has a
bond thickness variation of less than 0.020 inches.
[0009] In one exemplary method of making a foam product comprising
at least two extruded polystyrene boards are bonded together to
make a thick laminated board. The thick laminated boards are cut
into smaller foam pieces. The smaller foam pieces are machined to
remove a portion of the extruded polystyrene and thereby form the
foam product. A profile tolerance where the smaller foam piece is
machined across a thermal bond line between extruded polystyrene
boards is less than or equal to 0.015 inches from one side of the
bond line to the other.
[0010] In one exemplary embodiment, a rotary cutting tool for
shaping foam products includes an annular support, cutting
elements, and a base. The annular support is formed from
sheetmetal. Cutting elements are secured to the sheetmetal annular
support. A base is secured to the sheetmetal annular support for
rotating the sheetmetal annular support and attached cutting
elements.
[0011] In one embodiment, a system for laminating foam boards
includes a waiting frame, a foam board laminator, and a receiving
frame. The foam board laminator includes a heating frame and an
adhering frame. The heating frame includes a heating element for
heating a plurality of foam boards. The adhering frame includes a
mechanism for applying pressure to the heated foam boards for
laminating the foam boards together. The waiting frame positions
the boards at an entrance of the heating frame, and the receiving
frame receives the boards from an exit of the adhering frame.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] In the accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the specification, embodiments of the
invention are illustrated, which, together with a general
description of the invention given above, and the detailed
description given below, serve to exemplify the embodiments of this
invention.
[0013] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of an
extruded polystyrene board;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the extruded polystyrene board
taken along the plane indicated lines 2-2 in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 2A illustrates that the thickness range may be
determined by measuring the thickness of the board at various
points along the surface of the board;
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a first polystyrene board stacked on top
of a second polystyrene board;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a Figure taken from U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103;
[0018] FIG. 4A is a Figure taken from U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103;
[0019] FIG. 4B is a Figure taken from U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an individual foam
board that has been separated from a laminated foam board according
to the method illustrated by FIGS. 4, 4A, and 4B;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated
by lines 6-6 in FIG. 5;
[0022] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for flattening a major surface of a foam
board;
[0023] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of a foam board having a flattened major surface;
[0024] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a first foam
board stacked on top of a second foam board with flattened major
facing surfaces;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates an exemplary
embodiment of a method of making a laminated foam board.
[0026] FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for simultaneously flattening a opposing
major surfaces of a pair of foam boards;
[0027] FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for pressing the foam boards illustrated
by FIG. 11 together to form a laminated foam board;
[0028] FIG. 13 is a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a
laminated foam board made by the apparatuses illustrated by FIGS.
11 and 12;
[0029] FIG. 14 is an enlarged portion of an exemplary embodiment of
a bond line of the laminated foam board as indicated by reference
FIG. 14 in FIG. 13;
[0030] FIG. 14A is a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a
laminated foam board illustrating a method of measuring variations
of a bond area;
[0031] FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for simultaneously flattening a opposing
major surfaces of a foam board and a laminated foam board;
[0032] FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for pressing the foam board and the
laminated foam board illustrated by FIG. 16 together to form a
three layer laminated foam board;
[0033] FIG. 17 is a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a
laminated foam board made by the apparatuses illustrated by FIGS.
15 and 16;
[0034] FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for flattening opposing surfaces of a
pair of foam boards and pressing the foam boards together;
[0035] FIG. 19 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for making laminated foam boards;
[0036] FIG. 20 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for making laminated foam boards;
[0037] FIG. 21 is an exemplary methodology for laminating foam
boards in accordance with one embodiment illustrating principles of
the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 22 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of
an alternate means for passing foam boards through a heating frame
in accordance with one embodiment illustrating principles of the
present invention;
[0039] FIG. 23 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
embodiment of an apparatus for making laminated foam boards;
[0040] FIG. 23A is a schematic illustration of foam boards passing
by heating rods in accordance with one embodiment of an apparatus
illustrating principles of the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 23B is a schematic representation of foam boards
passing by heating rods in accordance with another embodiment of an
apparatus illustrating principles of the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a billet made
from a laminated board made in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0043] FIG. 25A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a tool for
making foam products out of foam;
[0044] FIG. 25B illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a tool for
making foam products out of foam;
[0045] FIG. 26 is a schematic illustration of tools positioned
relative to a laminated foam piece;
[0046] FIG. 27 is a schematic illustration of a laminated foam
piece after a first cutting operation with a tool;
[0047] FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of a laminated foam
piece after a second cutting operation with a tool;
[0048] FIG. 29 is a schematic illustration of a foam product that
is formed after a third cutting operation with a tool;
[0049] FIG. 30 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of
a foam product formed from a laminated foam piece;
[0050] FIG. 31 schematically illustrates forming a foam product and
recycling foam material that is removed during forming of the foam
product to make a new foam board;
[0051] FIG. 32 is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a piece
of flat sheetmetal;
[0052] FIG. 33 is a side view of the flat piece of sheetmetal
illustrated by FIG. 32;
[0053] FIG. 34 is a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a
sheetmetal annular support of a foam cutting tool;
[0054] FIG. 35 is a sectional view that illustrates the sheetmetal
annular support assembled with an exemplary embodiment of a
base;
[0055] FIG. 36 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a
plurality of cutting elements adhered to a bonding material
strip;
[0056] FIG. 37 is a side view of the plurality of cutting elements
adhered to the bonding material strip illustrated by FIG. 36;
and
[0057] FIG. 38 is a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a
rotary cutting tool for shaping foam products.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
[0058] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a foam board
110, such as an extruded polystyrene board. The foam board may be
made from a wide variety of different materials. For example, the
foam boards 110 can be made from a wide variety of different
thermoplastic materials. In one exemplary embodiment, the foam
board 110 is a polystyrene foam board, such as an extruded
polystyrene foam board or an expanded polystyrene foam board. The
illustrated foam board 110 is rectangular with first and second
major face surfaces 112, 114, spaced apart by a thickness t. The
foam board 110 has side edges 116, 118, 120, 122 that extend
between the first and second major surfaces 112, 114. Both of the
major surfaces 112, 114 may comprise a skin 124 that is formed
during the extrusion process. The extrusion skin 124 is a stratum
of polystyrene material that is denser than the interior foamed
portion 126 of the board. That is, the thin extrusion skin is
substantially solid whereas the foamed portion 126 comprises
expanded foam cells. Examples of suitable foam boards 110 include
the FOAMULAR.RTM. Extruded Polystyrene Insulation products that are
available from Owens Corning.
[0059] In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the foam boards
110 are engineered extruded polystyrene (XPS) foams having a
molecular weight of between about 100,000 to about 350,000. In one
embodiment, the foam boards 110 have a molecular weight of between
about 120,000 and about 150,000 from recycled expanded polystyrene.
However, other foams are also contemplated in other embodiments. It
is also contemplated that the foam boards 110 are sized to between
about 600 mm to about 1524 mm wide x about 1200 mm to about 2769 mm
long. The boards are also contemplated to be any sheet stock made
of any thermoplastic polymer material.
[0060] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the foam board 110. In one
exemplary embodiment, the section lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 are normal to
the direction in which the board 110 is extruded. That is, in this
exemplary embodiment, the section 2-2 is across the width of the
extruded foam board. FIG. 2 illustrates that there are typically
surface variations 200 in the first and second major surfaces 112,
114 across the width of extruded polystyrene foam boards 110. The
surface variations are exaggerated in FIG. 2 to make it clear that
surface variations 200 are present.
[0061] In this application, flatness is the condition of a surface
having all elements in one plane. In general, a flatness variation
specifies a variation zone defined by two parallel planes within
which the surface lies. In the example illustrated by FIG. 2, the
flatness variation F1 is the distance between two parallel planes
202, 204 that the surface 114 lies between. In one exemplary
embodiment, the flatness variation of the major surface 112 and/or
the major surface 114 of a piece of a board 110 that is 2 feet wide
by 2 feet long is greater than 0.020 inches, such as greater than
0.050 inches, such as between 0.050 and 0.10 inches, such as
between 0.050 inches and 0.08 inches. The original board can be any
size. In one exemplary embodiment, the flatness variation of the
major surface 112 and/or the major surface 114 of a piece of a two
inch thick board 110 that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is greater
than 0.020 inches, such as greater than 0.050 inches, such as
between 0.050 and 0.10 inches, such as between 0.050 inches and
0.08 inches. However, the board may have any width, thickness or
length.
[0062] In another exemplary embodiment, the flatness variation F1
is estimated by measuring a thickness variation or range. Referring
to FIG. 2A, the thickness range may be determined by measuring the
thickness of the board 110 at various points along the surface of
the board, indicated by arrows 250 in FIG. 2. The thickness
variation is the difference between the maximum and minimum
measured thickness. In one exemplary embodiment, the thickness
range of a piece of a board that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is
greater than 0.078, such as between 0.078 and 0.15 inches, such as
about 0.125 inches. In one exemplary embodiment, the thickness
range of a piece of a 2 inch thick board 110 that is 2 feet wide by
2 feet long is greater than 0.078, such as between 0.078 and 0.15
inches, such as about 0.125 inches. However, the board may have any
width, thickness or length. In one exemplary embodiment, the
initial flatness variation F1 of a board 110, that has not been
flattened as will be described in more detail below, is estimated
by dividing the thickness variation by two. This is based on the
assumption that the flatnesses of the major surfaces are initially
similar.
[0063] FIG. 3 illustrates a first polystyrene board 110 stacked on
top of a second polystyrene board 110. As is illustrated by FIG. 3,
the abutment between the major surface 114 of the top board with
the major surface 112 of the bottom board is not flush due to
flatness variations of the major surfaces. As such, when
polystyrene boards 110 having large flatness variations are heat
laminated together using existing techniques, voids 302 would be
expected to form between the two boards in the bond area 304. The
two boards 110 would not be bonded together in the area of the
voids 302. These voids/unbounded areas 302 would make heat
laminated boards made using existing techniques unsuitable for some
applications. For example, smaller foam pieces 2400 (See FIG. 24)
used to make machined foam parts need to be void free, or the
machined part will have unacceptable surface imperfections.
[0064] FIGS. 4, 4A, and 4B are taken from U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103,
which discloses an example of an existing technique for heat
laminating two foam boards together. Referring to FIG. 4, the foam
board 110 is fed into the apparatus on a platform defined by a
series of rollers 426 which support the board 110 in a horizontal
plane.
[0065] In the prior art FIG. 4 example, the forward end of the
bottom or lower board is positioned under an elongated flat
stainless steel heating strip or blade 430 which extends
horizontally across the width of the foam board 110 and has
opposite end portions attached to a pair of horizontal support
plates 432. The plates 432 also support a spreader member or bar
436 which is spaced with the heating blade 30 above the support
rollers 426 by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of
the foam board 110.
[0066] In the prior art FIG. 4 example, each of the plates 432 is
supported by a pair of machine screws 439 which are threaded into
corresponding nuts secured to an angle member 442. Another pair of
nuts are threaded onto the screws 439 for vertical adjustment and
support the corresponding plate 432 so that it may move or float
vertically by a predetermined distance according to the position of
the nuts below the heads of the screws 439. The vertical spacing of
the blade 430 and the bar 436 above the rollers 426 may be
adjustably selected according to the thickness of the lower foam
board 416, by means of the machine screws 439.
[0067] In the prior art FIG. 4 example, the spreader bar 436 forms
a support for the upper foam board when the board is inserted into
the apparatus and positioned directly above the lower foam board in
vertical alignment. The spreader bar 436 is positioned slightly
above the level of the heating blade 430 so that the forward end of
the upper foam board does not contact the heating blade 430 when
the foam board is first positioned within the apparatus directly
above the lower foam board. A pair of vertically spaced pressure
members or rolls 450 are positioned above and below the heating
blade 430, and are driven in opposite directions. The drive system
or mechanism for the rolls 450 provides for adjusting the upper
rolls 450 in a vertical plane in order to vary the spacing or gap
defined between the rolls 450. The speed of the motor 452 is
selected according to the desired processing rate, and a controller
456 is connected by conductors to a temperature sensing element or
thermocouple recessed within the leading edge of the heating blade
430.
[0068] In operation of the prior art apparatus illustrated by FIG.
4, for heat-fusing or welding the lower side surface of the upper
foam board to the upper side surface of the lower foam board, the
rolls 450 are adjusted to define a gap 454 which is slightly less
than the combined thicknesses of the foam boards. The heating blade
430 is energized to a predetermined temperature, for example,
500.degree. F. The foam boards are then advanced forwardly until
the leading ends of the boards enter the gap 454 which causes the
opposing side surfaces of the foam boards to contact the upper and
lower sides of the heating blade 430. The temperature of the blade
430 is selected to soften the skin or surface portions of the foam
boards after which the softened surfaces are pressed together by
the rolls 450.
[0069] As the driven rolls 450 feed the foam boards through the gap
454, the opposing side surfaces of the boards are uniformly heated
by the blade 430 along the full length of the boards and are then
fused together to form the interface or bond area 304. Since the
thickness of each foam board varies somewhat along its length, for
example, by plus or minus 1/16 inch, the heating element or blade
430 is permitted to shift or float vertically as a result of the
movement of the support plates 432 on the screws 439.
[0070] Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103 alleges that a uniform
pressure contact is made against the heating blade 430 by each of
the foam boards. Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103 also alleges
that this provides for a uniform and dependable weld at the
interface 304 by assuring uniform heating and softening of the
opposing side surfaces of the foam boards. Applicant believe that
the arrangement disclosed by prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103
cannot provide a uniform pressure contact along the entire width of
two foam boards that each have substantial flatness variations,
since the heating blade 430 can only follow the contour of one of
the foam boards, not both. As such, the single heating blade 430
arrangement disclosed by Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,103 cannot
provide for a void-free weld between foam boards that have
substantial flatness variations, such as the boards illustrated by
FIG. 3 and described above.
[0071] Applicant has found that in arrangements where foam boards
pass against a stationary heating element (Similar to the heating
blade illustrated by FIGS. 4, 4A, and 4B), melted foam material 600
(See FIGS. 4, 4B and 6) has a tendency to accumulate on the heating
stationary heating element. Once an excessive amount of material
600 accumulates on the stationary heating element, the material 600
drips off of the heating element and drips onto the lower of the
two boards 110 that are being laminated together. This hot material
600 melts trenches 602 that resemble "worm hole" into the foam
material of the lower of the two boards 110. The hot material 600
cools and forms an area 610 of material that is much harder and
much denser than the other foam material at the same depth.
[0072] In addition to the voids/unbonded areas 302, the trenches
602 and areas 610 of harder and denser material make heat laminated
boards made using existing techniques unsuitable for some
applications. For example, as will be described in more detail
below, smaller foam pieces 2400 (See FIG. 24) used to make machined
foam parts need to be void free or the machined part will have
unacceptable surface imperfections. In addition, the location of
higher density material of laminated foam pieces must be known and
accounted for, or cutting operations will result in unacceptable
surface imperfections. The location and depth of the trenches 602
and areas 610 of harder/denser material is random and therefore
unpredictable. As such, the areas 610 of harder/denser material
cannot be accounted for in a cutting operation, When a saw blade or
other cutting tool unexpectedly hits one of the areas 610 of
harder/denser material, a surface imperfection occurs and/or the
part is otherwise damaged.
[0073] FIG. 7 is illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an
apparatus 700 for flattening a major surface 112 or 114 of a foam
board 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 700
flattens only one major surface 114 of the foam board 110. In
another exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 700 flattens both major
surfaces 112, 114 of the foam board 110. In the illustrated
embodiment, the apparatus 700 applies heat (indicated by arrows
702) and pressure (indicated by arrows 704) to the foam board 110
to flatten the major surface 114.
[0074] The pressure may be applied to the foam board 110 in a wide
variety of different ways. In the example illustrated by FIG. 7,
the pressure is applied to the foam board 110 by a clamping device
710. The illustrated clamping device includes an upper clamp member
712 and a lower clamping member 714. The upper clamp member 712
applies pressure to the major surface 112 and the lower clamp
member 714 applies pressure to the major surface 114. The upper and
lower clamp members can take a wide variety of different forms. For
example, when the board is moved through the apparatus 700 during
the flattening, the upper and lower clamp members 712, 714 may
comprise rollers and/or belts, which may be driven by a motor. If
the board is stationary during the flattening operation, the clamp
members 712, 714 may comprise plates that are sized to engage the
entirety of the major surfaces 112, 114.
[0075] The heat may be applied to the major surface 114 in a wide
variety of different ways. The heat may be applied to the major
surface 114 before the application of pressure, during the
application of pressure, and/or after the application of pressure.
In one exemplary embodiment, the heat is applied to the major
surface 114 by one or more heating elements that are contained in
the lower clamp member 714. The heating elements can take a wide
variety of different forms. The heating element can utilize
electricity, a heated fluid, such as oil, water, or other liquids
that are provided to the heating element and/or a fuel to provide
the heat to the major surface 114. If both sides of the board 110
are to be flattened, the same heating type of heating element can
be provided on both sides of the board 110 by the apparatus
700.
[0076] FIG. 8 illustrates the foam board 110 shown in FIG. 2 that
has been flattened in accordance with the teachings of the present
application to provide a flattened major surface 814. As can be
seen by comparing FIG. 8 with FIG. 2, the flattened major surface
814 has a much smaller flatness variation than the unprocessed
major surface 114. For example, the major surface 814 may be
flatter that the major surface 114 by a factor of two, a factor of
4, a factor of 10, or even more comparatively flatter than an
unprocessed extruded polystyrene board. In one exemplary
embodiment, the flatness variation of the major surface 112 and/or
the major surface 114 of a piece of a board 110 that is 2 feet wide
by 2 feet long is less than 0.040 inches, such as less than 0.030
inches, such as less than 0.020 inches, such as less than 0.010
inches, such as less than 0.050 inches. In one exemplary
embodiment, the flatness variation of the major surface 112 and/or
the major surface 114 of a piece of a board 110 that was originally
2 inches thick, that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is less than
0.040 inches, such as less than 0.030 inches, such as less than
0.020 inches, such as less than 0.010 inches, such as less than
0.005 inches. However, the board may have any width, thickness or
length.
[0077] Referring again to FIGS. 8 and 2, in one exemplary
embodiment the flattened board has a much smaller thickness
variation than the unprocessed board. The thickness variation in
FIG. 8 can be measured in the same manner as in FIG. 2A. In one
exemplary embodiment, the thickness range of a piece of a board
(flattened on one side) that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is less
than 0.078, such as less than 0.062 inches, such as less than 0.031
inches. In one exemplary embodiment, the thickness range of a piece
of a 2 inch thick board that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is less
than 0.078, such as less than 0.062 inches, such as less than 0.031
inches. However, the board may have any width, thickness or
length.
[0078] In one exemplary embodiment, the processed flatness
variation F2 of a flattened major surface of a board that has been
flattened on one side is calculated by the following equation:
F2=(T1/2)-T2 where:
[0079] F2 is the processed flatness variation;
[0080] T2 is the processed thickness variation; and
[0081] T1 is the original thickness variation.
[0082] For example, if a board 110 has an initial thickness
variation of 0.126 inches and a thickness variation of 0.059 after
processing as described with respect to FIG. 8, the flatness
variation F2 is 0.004 inches (0.126/2-0.059). This calculation of
the flatness variation assumes that the initial surface
imperfections are of the same size on the top and bottom major
surfaces and therefore contribute equally to the initial thickness
variations of the board. That is, the initial flatness variation F1
is the same on the top major surface as the bottom major
surface.
[0083] Referring to FIG. 8, the heating and application of pressure
produces a layer 800 of molten material (temporarily, until the
material cools and solidifies). This layer 800 of molten material
on the flattened major surface 814 allows the boards to be heat
laminated together without using an external adhesive and such that
the adhesion of the boards is uniform across over the entirety of
the facing major surfaces. FIG. 9 illustrates a first polystyrene
board 110 having a flattened major surface 814 stacked on top of a
second polystyrene board 110 having a flattened major surface 814.
As is illustrated by FIG. 9, the abutment between the flattened
major surface 814 of the top board with the flattened major surface
814 of the bottom board is substantially flush due to the abutting
major surfaces 814 being substantially flat. As such, when
polystyrene boards 110 are heat laminated together, the voids 302
(See FIG. 3) are eliminated between the two boards in the bond area
304 (See FIG. 13). The elimination of the voids/unbounded areas 302
makes heat laminated foam boards suitable for some applications,
such as foam pieces 2400 (See FIG. 24) used to make machined foam
parts.
[0084] FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates an exemplary
embodiment of a method 1000 of making a heat laminated foam board
1300 (See FIG. 13). FIGS. 11, 12 and 18 illustrate examples of
apparatus that can be used to perform the method and make a heat
laminated foam board 1300. According to the method, first and
second boards 110a, 110b are positioned (steps 1002, 1004) relative
to one another such that the major surface surfaces of the boards
are substantially aligned. In the examples illustrated by FIGS. 11
and 18, a first foam board 110a is positioned above a second foam
board 110b.
[0085] Referring to FIG. 10, a major surface 112 or 114 of each
board is independently flattened 1006. That is, the flattening of
the major surface 114 of the first board 110a is separate and
independent from the flattening of the major surface 112 of the
second board 110b. In the example illustrated by FIG. 11, an
independent flattening arrangement 1100 comprises two of the
apparatuses 700 illustrated by FIG. 7. An upper flattening
apparatus 700a flattens the bottom major surface 114 of the first
board 110a. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower flattening
apparatus 700b is the same as the upper flattening apparatus 700b,
except it is flipped over (i.e. the heated member 714 is on the top
and the non-heated member is on the bottom. The lower flattening
apparatus 700b flattens a major surface 112 or 114 of the second
board 110b.
[0086] In the example illustrated by FIG. 18, each of the upper and
lower flattening apparatuses 700a, 700b, comprise a heated clamping
member 714, in the form of a roller, and a clamping roller 712 that
is not heated. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated by FIG. 18,
the apparatus 1100 includes optional downstream heating elements
770. The rollers 714, 712 clamp against the boards 110a, 110b to
flatten the major surface 114 of the board 110a and the major
surface 114 of the board 110b. In the illustrated exemplary
embodiments, the flattening of each of the two board is achieved
using heat and pressure. The optional downstream heating elements
770 are positioned between the flattened surfaces 814. The heating
elements 770 apply heat to control the temperature of the layer 800
of molten material. The heating elements 770 can take a wide
variety of different faints. The optional heating elements 770 can
take any form that allows the temperature of the layer 800 of
molten material to be controlled and kept in a melted state until
the boards 110a, 110b reach the pressing apparatus 1210. In the
illustrated embodiment, the heating elements 770 are elongated rods
that are spaced apart from the flattened surfaces 814, downstream
from the rollers 714. However, the heating elements can have other
shapes, such as plates. In one exemplary embodiment, the heating
elements 770 span the width of the boards 110, 110b. In one
exemplary embodiment, the heating elements 770 are individually
controllable.
[0087] In one exemplary embodiment, the flattened surfaces 814 of
the boards produced according to the method 1000 are flattened by a
factor of two, a factor of four, a factor of 10, or even more
comparatively flatter than an unprocessed extruded polystyrene
board. In one exemplary embodiment, the flatness variation of the
major surface 814 of a piece of a board 110 that is 2 feet wide by
2 feet long is less than 0.040 inches, such as less than 0.030
inches, such as less than 0.020 inches, such as less than 0.010
inches, such as less than 0.050 inches. In one exemplary
embodiment, the thickness variation range of a piece of a board
(flattened on one side) that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is less
than 0.078, such as less than 0.062 inches, such as less than 0.031
inches.
[0088] In an exemplary embodiment, the outer skin 124 is not
removed during the independent flattening step 1006. In an
exemplary embodiment, a layer of molten material 800 is formed on
the flattened surfaces 814. In the example illustrated by FIG. 18,
the heated rollers 714 becomes coated with the molten board
material 800. After an initial, start-up or priming of the heated
roller 714, the heated roller 714 attains a steady state. That is,
the rate at which molten board material 800 is deposited on the
roller 714 equals the amount of molten material that leaves the
heated roller 1114 and is deposited on the flattened surface 814.
As such, the trenches 602 and areas 610 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 do
not form.
[0089] Referring to FIGS. 10, 12, and 18, the boards 110a, 110b are
pressed together 1010 to form the thicker laminated board 1300. In
the examples illustrated by FIGS. 12 and 18, the flattened surfaces
814 are pressed together. The molten material 800 fills any
remaining flatness variations in the board surfaces 812. When the
molten material 800 cools, the material solidifies to uniformly
bond the two boards 110a, 110b together across the flattened
surfaces 814. FIG. 13 illustrates the formed laminated board
1300.
[0090] The boards 110a, 110b may be pressed together in a wide
variety of different ways. In the example illustrated by FIG. 12,
the pressure is applied to the boards 110a, 110b by a clamping
device 1210. The illustrated clamping device includes an upper
clamp member 1212 and a lower clamping member 1214. The upper clamp
member 1212 applies pressure to the board 110a and the lower clamp
member 1214 applies pressure to the board 110b. The upper and lower
clamp members can take a wide variety of different forms. For
example, when the board is moved through the clamping device 1210,
the upper and lower clamp members 1212, 1214 may comprise rollers,
flat plates, belts or a combination thereof. If the board is
stationary during pressing operation, the clamp members 1212, 1214
may comprise plates that are sized to press the entirety of the
boards 110a, 110b together. In the example illustrated by FIG. 18,
the clamping device 1210 comprises rollers. The clamp members 1212,
1214 clamp against the boards 110a, 110b together to form the
thicker laminated foam board 1300.
[0091] FIG. 13 illustrates the formed laminated board 1300 and FIG.
14 illustrates and enlarged portion of FIG. 13 that illustrates a
bond area 304 between the polystyrene boards. In FIG. 14, the
variations in thickness of the bond area are highly exaggerated to
illustrate the variation. In an exemplary embodiment, the
combination of the independent flattening of the surfaces 814 and
the uniform distribution of the molten material 800 by the rollers
714 across the surfaces 814 results in a very small bond thickness
variation. That is, the thickness of the denser material 1302 that
forms the bond between the two boards varies by only a small
amount. The bond thickness variation is shown in FIG. 14 as the
difference between the minimum thickness T.sub.MIN and the maximum
thickness T.sub.MAX of the bond material. In one exemplary
embodiment, the bond area between each of the polystyrene boards is
substantially planar and the bond thickness variation is less than
0.020 inches, or less than 0.015 inches. In one exemplary
embodiment, the average bond thickness is between 0.015 and 0.045
inches, such as between 0.020 and 0.040 inches, such as between
0.025 and 0.035, such as about 0.030 inches, with a corresponding
bond thickness variation of less than 0.020 inches, or less than
0.015 inches.
[0092] FIG. 14A illustrates another method for measuring variations
in the bond area. In the example illustrated by FIG. 14A, the
laminated board 1300 is cut to expose the plane illustrated by FIG.
14A. Points 1410 and 1412 on the bottom of the bond area 304 at the
edges 122, 120 of the board are identified. Points 1420 and 1422
are marked a fixed distance below the points 1410 and 1412. A
reference line 1424 is drawn between the points 1420 and 1422. The
sample may be cut along the line 1422. Distances indicated by pairs
of arrows 1430 are measured. In one exemplary embodiment, the
variation (i.e. the difference between the maximum distance and the
minimum distance) between the distances 1430 is less than 0.100
inches, less than 0.075 inches, less than 0.050 inches, or less
than 0.020 inches.
[0093] FIGS. 15-17 illustrate that a multi-layer the laminated
board 1700 (See FIG. 17) may be formed from three or more boards
110. In one exemplary embodiment, the flattening arrangement 1100
and the clamping device 1210 may be adjustable to accommodate
laminating of multiple boards together and to accommodate
laminating of boards having different thicknesses. FIGS. 15 and 16
illustrate that use of the flattening arrangement 1100 and the
clamping device 1210 to add boards 110 to add layers and form a
multiple layer heat laminated foam board 1700. In the example
illustrated by FIG. 15, a single board 110 is added. However, in
other embodiments, laminated boards 1300 and/or 1700 can be
laminated together to add more than one layer at a time.
[0094] FIG. 15 illustrates that a foam board 110 is positioned
relative to a laminated foam board 1300 such that the major surface
surfaces of the boards are substantially aligned. In the example
illustrated by FIG. 15 a foam board 110 is positioned below a
laminated foam board 1300. However, in other embodiments, the
laminated board 1300 can be positioned on the bottom. In the
example illustrated by FIG. 15, the upper flattening apparatus 700a
is adjustable to accept the laminated foam board 1300. In another
embodiment, the lower flattening apparatus 700b is adjustable to
accept a laminated foam board or different sized boards. In one
exemplary embodiment, the upper flattening apparatus 700a is
adjusted by vertically adjusting the position of the upper clamp
member 712, while the lower clamp member 714 remains in a fixed
position. As such, the vertical position of the surface 1314 being
laminated is not changed by the adjustment. In one exemplary
embodiment, if the lower flattening apparatus 700b is adjustable,
it is adjusted by vertically adjusting the position of the lower
clamp member 714, while the upper clamp member 714 remains in a
fixed position. As such, the vertical position of the surface 1314
being laminated is not changed by the adjustment.
[0095] Referring to FIG. 15, a major surface 1314 of the laminated
board 1300 and a major surface 112 or 114 of the board 110 is
independently flattened. That is, the flattening of the major
surface 1314 is separate and independent from the flattening of the
major surface 112 of the board 110 being added. In the illustrated
exemplary embodiments, the flattening of each of the two board is
achieved using heat and pressure. In one exemplary embodiment, the
flattened surfaces 814, 1314 of the board 110 and the laminated
board 1300 are flattened by a factor at least two, a factor of
four, a factor of 10, or even more comparatively flatter than an
unprocessed extruded polystyrene board or the unprocessed outer
surfaces of the laminated board 1300. In one exemplary embodiment,
the flatness variation of the major surface 814 and the major
surface 1314 a piece of a board that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long
is less than 0.040 inches, such as less than 0.030 inches, such as
less than 0.020 inches, such as less than 0.010 inches, such as
less than 0.050 inches. In one exemplary embodiment, the thickness
variation range of a piece of aboard 110 and 1300 (each flattened
on one side) that is 2 feet wide by 2 feet long is less than 0.078,
such as less than 0.062 inches, such as less than 0.031 inches.
[0096] In an exemplary embodiment, outer skins 124 (See FIGS. 1 and
2) of the board 110 and the boards of the laminated board 1300 are
not removed during the independent flattening. In an exemplary
embodiment, a layer of molten material 800 is formed on the
flattened surfaces 812, 1314. Referring to FIG. 18, in an exemplary
embodiment the heated rollers 714 becomes coated with the molten
board material 800. After an initial, start-up or priming of the
heated roller 714, the heated roller 714 attains a steady state.
That is, the rate at which molten board material 800 is deposited
on the roller 714 equals the amount of molten material that leaves
the heated roller 714 and is deposited on the flattened surface
814, 1314. As such, the trenches 602 and areas 610 shown in FIGS. 5
and 6 do not form between any of the layers of the multiple layer
laminated board 1700.
[0097] Referring to FIG. 16, the laminated board 1300 and the board
110 are pressed together 1010 to form the thicker, multi-layer,
laminated board. In the example illustrated by FIGS. 16, the
flattened surfaces 814, 1314 are pressed together. The molten
material 800 fills any remaining flatness variations in the board
surfaces 814, 1314. When the molten material 880 cools, the
material solidifies to uniformly bond the laminated board 1300 to
the board 110 together across the flattened surfaces 814, 1314.
FIG. 17 illustrates the formed multi-layer laminated board
1700.
[0098] The laminated board 1300 may be pressed together with the
board 110 in a wide variety of different ways. The clamping device
1210 illustrated by FIG. 12 may be adjusted to accept the increased
thickness of the laminated board. In one exemplary embodiment, the
upper clamping member 1212 is vertically adjusted to accept the
laminated board 1300 and the lower clamping member 1214 is not
adjusted. This configuration corresponds to the embodiment where
the upper flattening apparatus 700a is adjusted to accommodate the
thicker laminated board 1300 and the lower flattening apparatus is
not adjusted and flattens single thickness boards. In another
embodiment the lower clamping member 1214 is vertically adjusted
and the upper clamping member is fixed. This embodiment corresponds
to the laminated board being flattened with the lower flattening
apparatus. In another embodiment, the position of both the upper
clamping member 1214 and the lower clamping member 1214 are
adjustable. This embodiment corresponds to an embodiment where both
the upper and lower flattening apparatuses 700a, 700b are
vertically adjustable to accommodate different thickness boards
and/or laminated boards.
[0099] Referring to FIG. 16, pressure is applied to the laminated
board 1300 and the board 110 by the clamping device 1210. In the
illustrated embodiment, the upper clamp member 1212 applies
pressure to the laminated board 300 and the lower clamp member 1214
applies pressure to the board 110.
[0100] FIG. 17 illustrates the formed multi-layer laminated board
1700. In an exemplary embodiment, the combination of the
independent flattening of the surfaces 1314, 814 and the uniform
distribution of the molten material 800 by the rollers 714 across
the surfaces 1314, 814 results in a very small bond thickness
variation. That is, the thickness of the denser material 1314 that
forms the bond between the two boards varies by only a small
amount. In an exemplary embodiment, in addition to the bond
thickness variation of a single board being very small, the bond
thickness variation between all of the bonds of a multi-layer
laminated board is also very small. That is each of the bonds may
be substantially the same thickness and the bond thickness varies
only a small amount. In one exemplary embodiment, the bond areas
304 between each of the polystyrene boards is substantially planar
and a bond thickness variation between two bonds that laminate
three boards together is less than 0.020 inches, or less than 0.015
inches. In one exemplary embodiment, the average bond thickness is
between 0.015 and 0.045 inches, such as between 0.020 and 0.040
inches, such as between 0.025 and 0.035, such as about 0.030
inches, with a corresponding bond thickness variation of less than
0.020 inches, or less than 0.015 inches.
[0101] In one exemplary embodiment, the bond areas 304 between each
of the polystyrene boards have variations as measured in the manner
described with respect to FIG. 14A are each less than 0.100 inches,
less than 0.075 inches, less than 0.050 inches, or less than 0.020
inches.
[0102] FIGS. 19, 20 and 23 illustrate simplified component diagrams
of exemplary systems 1910, 2010, and 23, respectively, for
laminating a plurality of foam boards is illustrated in accordance
with the method described above. With reference to FIG. 19, for
purposes of illustration, the system 1910 is described with
reference to laminating two (2) boards 110a, 110b (e.g., foam
boards) together to form a laminated foam board 1300 or 1700. In
addition, it is contemplated that each of the two foam boards 110a,
110b is between about 1/2'' to about 8'' thick so that the
laminated foam board 1300 is between about 7/8'' to about 16''
thick. It is also contemplated, as discussed in more detail below,
that each of the two (2) foam boards 110a, 110b may be comprised of
multiple layers of foam that have been thermally laminated
together, so that the laminated foam board 1300 is between about
13/4'' and 32'' thick. In one embodiment, each of the two foam
boards 110a, 110b is between about 1 15/16'' and about 1 31/32''
thick and the resulting laminated foam board is between about
33/4'' and about 3 15/16'' thick. The thickness of the laminated
board 1300 is less than the total thickness of the original foam
boards 110a, 110b due to a bond area or thermo weld portion 304
created at the interface between faces of the original foam boards
110a, 110b. As discussed in more detail below, the bond area or
thermal weld portion 304 is relatively denser foam, which is
illustrated as a relatively heavier line as opposed to cells in the
remainder of the laminated board 1300 or 1700 and the original foam
boards 110a, 110b. The relatively denser foam results in a reduced
thickness of the laminated foam board 1300 or 1700. In the
illustrated embodiment, the bond area or thermal weld portion 304
is contemplated to be between about 1/64'' and about 1/8''
thick.
[0103] The system 1910 illustrated by FIG. 1910 includes a waiting
frame 1924 (e.g., a waiting station), a heating and flattening
station 1926, a pressing station 1930, and a receiving station
1932. The heating frame and flattening station 1926 and the
pressing station 1930 are referred to as a foam board laminator.
Each of the waiting frame 1924, the heating and flattening station
1926, the pressing station 1930, and the receiving frame 1932
includes a respective transport system for moving the foam boards
110a, 110b through the frame. As illustrated, the waiting frame
1924, the heating and flattening station 1926, the pressing station
1930, and the receiving frame 1932 are positioned sequentially so
that the foam boards 110a, 110a are passed from the waiting frame
1924 to the heating and flattening frame 1926, passed from the
heating and flattening frame 1926 to the pressing frame 1930, and
then passed from the pressing frame 1930 to the receiving frame
1932.
[0104] The waiting frame 1924 is used for preparing and aligning
the foam boards 110a, 110b to be laminated together. In an
exemplary method illustrated by FIG. 21, in a step 2100, the first
foam board 110a is positioned on the waiting frame 1924. In a step
2120, the second foam board 110b is positioned above, and spaced
from, the first foam board 110a so that a face 114 of the first
foam board 110a is adjacent and opposes (e.g., faces) a face 114 of
the second foam board 110b.
[0105] Respective leading edges 116 of the first and second foam
boards 110a, 110b are aligned, in a step 2140, in the waiting frame
1924. Aligning the leading edges 116 helps ensure an even and
smooth leading edge 1950 (See FIG. 18) of the laminated foam board
1300 or 1700.
[0106] Referring to FIG. 19, in one embodiment the first foam board
110a is set on an upper rail 1952 of the waiting frame 1924. The
upper rail 1952 is movable between a closed position and an open
position. The upper rail 1952 is in the closed position when the
first foam board 110a is set on the upper rail 1952. An optional
sensor (e.g., a photoelectric cell sensor) senses the presence of
the first foam board 110a on the upper rail 1952 and transmits a
signal to a control circuit (not shown) to switch the upper rail
1952 to the open position. When the upper rail 1952 moves to the
open position, the first foam board 110a drops onto a lower rail
1956. After the first foam board 110a is on the lower rail 1956,
the sensor senses the absence of the first foam board 110a on the
upper rail 1952, and transmits a signal to the control circuit (not
shown) to switch the upper rail 1952 back to the closed position.
Once the upper rail 1952 is again in the closed position, the
second foam board 110b is set on the upper rail 1952. The upper and
lower rails 1952, 1956, respectively, act as a spacer to create and
maintain an initial space between the faces 114 of the first and
second foam boards 110a, 110b (See FIG. 23). In one embodiment, it
is contemplated that the initial space between the first faces 114
of the first and second foam boards 110a, 110 is determined by a
height setting of the lower rail 1956, which is adjustable to suit
various board thicknesses. For example, the lower rail 1956 may be
lowered to accommodate thicker boards and raised to accommodate
thinner boards.
[0107] Once the first foam board 110a is positioned on the lower
rail 1956 and the second foam board 110b is positioned on the upper
rail 1952, a pusher plate 1960 (e.g., a pusher) is activated.
Referring to FIG. 23, the pusher plate 1960 aligns the foam boards
110a, 110b by pushing trailing edges 118 of the foam boards 110a,
110b so that the leading edges 116 of the foam boards 110a, 110b
contact an optional stop. The pusher plate 1960 pushes the foam
boards 110a, 110b toward an entrance 1970 of the heating and
flattening frame 1926.
[0108] Referring to FIG. 19, an exemplary space of 250 mm is
between the waiting frame 1924 and the heating frame 1926. An
exemplary space of 150 mm is between the heating and flattening
frame 1926 and the receiving frame 1932. Although specific spaces
of 250 mm and 150 mm are illustrated between the waiting frame 1924
and the heating frame 1926 and between the heating frame 1926 and
the receiving frame 1932, respectively, it is to be understood that
the spaces between the waiting frame 1924 and the heating frame
1926 and between the heating frame 1926 and the receiving frame
1932 are adjustable. For example, the space between the heating
frame 1926 and the receiving frame 1932 may be increased for
thicker foam boards.
[0109] In a step 2160, the foam boards 110a, 110b are received at
the entrance 1970 of the heating and flattening frame 1926. As the
foam boards 110a, 110b are pushed into the heating frame 1926 by
the pusher plate 1960, the foam boards 110a, 110b engage a means
for passing 1972 the foam boards 110a, 110b from the entrance 1970
of the heating and flattening frame 1926 to an exit 1974 of the
heating and flattening frame 1926.
[0110] In the exemplary embodiment Illustrated by FIG. 19, the
means for passing 1972 comprises the rollers of the flattening
apparatuses 700a, 700b illustrated by FIG. 18.
[0111] In the example illustrated by FIG. 19, each of the upper and
lower flattening apparatuses 700a, 700b, comprise a heated roller
714 and a roller 712 that is not heated. In addition to the rollers
714, 712, the means for passing 1972 may includes additional drive
rollers 1992. All of the rollers 714, 712, 1992 may be driven by
horizontal shafts. The rollers 714, 712 clamp against the boards
110a, 110b to flatten the bottom major surface 112 or 114 of the
board 110a and the top major surface 112 or 114 of the board 110b.
In the illustrated exemplary embodiments, the flattening of each of
the two boards is achieved using heat and pressure applied by the
rollers 714, 712. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated by FIG.
19, the heating and flattening frame 1926 also includes the
optional downstream heating elements 770.
[0112] In an exemplary embodiment, a layer of molten material 800
is formed on the flattened surfaces 812, 814. Referring to FIG. 19,
in an exemplary embodiment the heated roller 814 becomes coated
with the molten board material 800. After an initial, start-up or
priming of the heated roller 814, the heated roller 814 attains a
steady state. That is, the rate at which molten board material 800
is deposited on the roller 714 equals the amount of molten material
that leaves the heated roller 714 and is deposited on the flattened
surface 812, 814. As such, the trenches 602 and areas 610 shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6 do not form. In an exemplary embodiment, the optional
downstream heating elements 770 keep the layer of molten board
material in a melted state as the boards are fed into the pressing
frame 1930.
[0113] FIG. 20 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a system
2010 for laminating a plurality of foam boards. The system 2010
illustrated by FIG. 20 is substantially similar to the system 1910
illustrated by FIG. 19, except the heating and flattening frame
1926 is replaced with another embodiment of a heating frame 2026.
In the example illustrated by FIG. 20, a means for passing 2072 the
foam boards 110a. 110b through the heating frame 2026 includes at
least one pair of chains 2076, 2080 driven by respective vertical
shafts 2082, which in turn are driven by a motor (not shown)
turning respective sprockets on the vertical shafts 2082. In the
illustrated embodiment, the at least one chain 2076, 2080 is driven
by the sprockets on rollers mounted on the vertical shafts 2082.
However, other methods for driving the at least one chain 2076,
2080 are also contemplated.
[0114] With reference to FIG. 22, a top view of the pair of the
chains 2080 illustrates that the chains 2080 include spikes 2090
that engage (e.g., impale) the foam board 110b as the foam board
110b passes through the heating frame 1926 (see FIG. 20). The
engagement of the spikes 2090 with the foam board 110b moves the
foam board 110b through the heating frame 2026 (see FIG. 20) as the
pair of chains 2080 is driven by the vertical shafts 2082. The
engagement of the spikes 2090 with the foam board 110b also
facilitates keeping the foam board 110b positioned relatively flat,
level, and relatively parallel with respect to the other foam board
110a (see FIG. 20). The engagement of the spikes 1990 with the foam
board 110b facilitates keeping the foam board 110b suspended above
the heating element 2106 so the foam board 110b does not touch the
heating element 2106. Spikes (not shown) on the chains 2076 act to
engage (e.g., impale) the foam board 110a, in a manner similar to
the way the spikes 2090 engage the foam board 110b, to move the
foam board 110a through the heating frame 1926 (see FIG. 20) as the
pair of chains 2076 is driven by the vertical shafts 2082. The
engagement of the spikes (not shown) with the foam board 110a also
facilitates keeping the foam board 110a positioned relatively flat,
level, and relatively parallel with respect to the other foam board
110b (see FIG. 20) and suspended below the heating element 2106 so
the foam board 110a does not touch the heating element 2106.
[0115] FIG. 23 illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a system
2310 for laminating a plurality of foam boards. The system 2310
illustrated by FIG. 23 is substantially similar to the system 2010
illustrated by FIG. 20, except the heating frame 2026 is replaced
with another embodiment of a heating frame 2326. With reference to
FIG. 23, in this embodiment a means for passing 2372 the foam
boards 110a, 110b through the heating frame 2326 includes a
mechanism having rollers 2392 driven by respective vertical shafts
2394, which in turn are driven by a motor (not shown) turning
respective sprockets on the vertical shafts 2394. The rollers 2392
frictionally engage the foam boards 110a, 110b. First and second
roller conveyors 2300, 2302 facilitate maintaining the first and
second foam boards 110a, 110b respectively, positioned relatively
flat, level, and relatively parallel with respect to each other.
Angle gear boxes 2304 permit angular adjustment of the first roller
conveyor 2300 to ensure the first roller conveyor 2300 is
substantially parallel to the first foam board 110a. Angle gear
boxes, although not illustrated, are also contemplated for
similarly permitting angular adjustment of the second roller
conveyor 2302 to ensure the second roller conveyor 2302 is
substantially parallel to the second foam board 110b. Other
embodiments, in which the mechanism is a tapered plate or a Teflon
coated conveyor belt system are also contemplated.
[0116] In the exemplary embodiment illustrated by FIG. 19, the
first and second foam boards are heated and flattened as described
with respect to FIGS. 7, 11, and 18 above. In the exemplary
embodiments illustrated by FIGS. 20 and 23, the first and second
foam boards 110a, 110b are positioned so that the face 114 of the
first board 110a and the face 114 of the second board 110b pass by
a heating element 2106 (e.g., a heating plate) as the first and
second foam boards 110a, 110b pass through the heating frame 2026
or 2326. It is contemplated that the heating element 2106 is about
the same width as the first and second foam boards 110a, 110b. In
addition, it is contemplated that the heating element 2106 is
between about 5 mm and about 50 mm thick and, in one embodiment, is
between about 20 mm and about 30 mm thick. With reference to the
waiting frame 1924, it is contemplated that the initial space
between the first faces 114 of the first foam board 110a (while on
the lower rail 1956) and second foam board 110b (while on the upper
rail 1952) is greater than the thickness of the heating element
2106 (See FIG. 23).
[0117] The heating element 2106 (or the heated rollers 714 in the
FIG. 19 embodiment) is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g.,
a softening point of the polymer foam). In one embodiment, the
predetermined temperature is about 240.degree. F., but may be
adjusted based on board properties, the distance(s) between the
heating element 2106 and the faces 114 of the first and second
boards 110a, 110b, the speed at which the first and second boards
110a, 110b pass by the heating element 2106, etc. In step 2200 of
the method illustrated by FIG. 21, the faces 114 of the first and
second boards 110a, 110b are heated. More specifically, the faces
114 of the first and second boards 110a, 110b are simultaneously
passed by the heating element 2106 (or against the heated rollers
714 in the FIG. 19 embodiment). For example, the face 114 of the
first board 110a passes by a first face 2110 (e.g., bottom face) of
the heating element 2106 and the face 114 of the second board 110b
passes by the a second face 2112 of the heating element 2106. It is
contemplated that the predetermined temperature of the heating
element 2106, the distances between the heating element 2106 and
the faces 114 of the first and second boards 110a, 110b and the
length of time the faces 114 of the first and second boards 110a,
110b are exposed to the heat of the heating element 2106 are set to
appropriately heat the first and second boards 110a, 110b for
lamination to each other. It is understood that the length of time
the faces 114 of the first and second boards 110a, 110b are exposed
to the heat of the heating element 2106 (or the heated rollers 714
in the FIG. 19 embodiment) is determined by the speed at which the
means for passing 1972 the foam boards 110a, 110b through the
heating frame 1926 travels.
[0118] As discussed above, the initial space between the first and
second foam boards 110a, 110b is determined by a height setting of
the lower rail 1956, which is adjustable to suit various board
thicknesses. For example, the lower rail 1956 may be lowered to
accommodate thicker boards and raised to accommodate thinner
boards. It is contemplated that the heating element 2106 and the
upper rail 1952 are also adjustable to different positions
(elevations). Therefore, during operation, an operator may adjust
the position(s) of the lower rail 2156 and/or the heating element
2106 to accommodate the board thickness while maintaining a gap
between the heating element 2106 and the first face 2136 of the
first board 110a. The operator may also adjust the position(s) of
the upper rail 1952 and/or the heating element 2106 to accommodate
the board thickness while maintaining a gap between the heating
element 2106 and the face 114 of the second board 110b (e.g., an
initial gap of between about 1/32'' and 2''). In one embodiment the
gap between the heating element 2106 and the face 114 of the first
board 110a is adjusted to be about the same size as a gap between
the heating element 2106 and the face 114 of the second board 110b
(e.g., an initial gap of between about 1/32'' and 2''). However,
other embodiments, in which the gap between the heating element
2106 and the face 114 of the first board 110a is adjusted to be a
different size gap than between the heating element 2106 and the
face 114 of the second board 110b, are also contemplated. It is
also contemplated that not all of the upper rail 1952, the lower
rail 1956, and the heating element 2106 are adjustable to different
positions For example, if only the lower rail 2156 is adjustable,
the gap between the heating element 2106 and the face 114 of the
second board 110b is not adjustable by moving the upper rail 1952
and/or the heating element 2106 and, instead, is set by the
thickness of the second board 110b.
[0119] In each of the embodiments illustrated by FIGS. 19, 20, and
23, the foam boards 110a, 110b exit the heating frame 1926, 2026,
or 2326 and are received at an entrance 2114 of the pressing frame
1930 (See step 2220 of the method illustrated by FIG. 21). Rollers
1212, 1214 in the pressing frame 1930 frictionally engage and move
the first and second foam boards 110a, 110b from the entrance 2114
of the pressing frame 1930, through the pressing frame 1930, and to
an exit 2121 of the pressing frame 1930. In one embodiment, it is
contemplated that a height of the pressing frame entrance 2114 is
greater than a height of the pressing frame exit 2121. Therefore,
the opening of the pressing frame 1930, which is defined by the
rollers 1212, 1214, tapers from the pressing frame entrance 2114 to
the pressing frame exit 2120. For example, in one embodiment, the
height of the pressing frame entrance 2114 is about 6'', and the
height of the pressing frame exit 2121 is about 4''. As the foam
boards 110a, 110b pass through the pressing frame 1926 toward the
exit 2121, the rollers apply pressure to the faces 114 of the first
and second foam boards 110a, 110b (See step 2240 of the method
illustrated by FIG. 21). Since the opening of the pressing frame
1930 tapers down to the relatively smaller height of the exit 2121,
the rollers 1212, 1214 apply progressively higher pressure to the
first and second foam boards 110a, 110b as the foam boards 110a,
110b move toward the exit 2121. Therefore, the faces 114 are pushed
into contact. Since the faces 114 of the first and second foam
boards 110a, 110b are still warm and include the melted material
800, the faces 114 meld together. In other words, the faces 114
form a densified melt and are welded together to form the bond area
or thermal weld 304. Therefore, the first and second foam boards
110a, 110b are laminated together to form the laminated board 1300
or 1700. The heights of the adhering frame entrance 2114 and the
adhering frame exit 2120 may be adjustable.
[0120] FIG. 23A illustrates a variation of the heating frames
illustrated by FIGS. 20 and 23. In the example illustrated by FIG.
23A, after the first and second foam boards 110a, 110b pass over
the heating element 2106, the face 114 of the first board 110a and
the face 114 of the second board 110b pass over a first heated rod
2301 which extends the width of the foam boards 110a, 110b. The
position of the last roll in the second roller conveyor 2302 forces
the face 114 of the first board 110a to come in contact with the
first heated rod 2301. The position of the last roll in the first
roller conveyor 2300 forces the face 114 of the second board 110b
to also come in contact with the heated rod 2301. The temperature
of the heated rod 2301 combined with the line speed induce
additional molten polystyrene to form on the faces 114 of the foam
boards 110a, 110b. As the first and second foam boards 110a, 110b
continue to move, they then pass over a second heating rod 2302
which in one embodiment is of a smaller diameter than the first
heating rod 2301. The relatively smaller diameter of the second
heating rod 2302 compared with the first heating rod 2301 allows
the foam boards 110a, 110b to bend adequately to enter the pressing
frame 1930. The temperature of the second heating rod 2302 along
with the line speed induces the molten polystyrene on the face 114
of the first board 110a and the face 114 of the second board 110b
to remain molten in preparation for bonding in the pressing frame
1930.
[0121] FIG. 23B illustrates a variation of the heating and
flattening frames illustrated by FIGS. 19, 20, and 23. In the
example illustrated by FIG. 23B, two pairs of heating and
compressing rollers 712, 714 are included. The heating and
compressing rollers 712, 714 may be as described with respect to
FIG. 18. The first and second heated rollers or rods 714 are
substantially the same diameter, but are offset in the horizontal
and vertical planes. Both of the heating rods 714 are free to
rotate or are driven to rotate while melting the foam surface. This
provides a mechanism to prevent the build up of too much molten
polystyrene on the rods 714 and prevents the molten polystyrene
from dripping off the rods and forming the trenches or "worm holes"
described above. The rotating heating rods 714 apply a uniform
coating of molten polystyrene across the entire foam surface.
[0122] Although the embodiments discussed above contemplate both
the heating element 2106 and the first and second heated rods 714,
other embodiments including only the heated rods 714 (either of
different or substantially the same diameters, as discussed in the
above embodiments) or only the heating element 2106 are also
contemplated.
[0123] In another embodiment, it is contemplated that the height of
the adhering frame entrance 2114 is the same as the height of the
adhering frame exit 2120, and the rollers 1212, 1214 are
substantially at the same distance from each other (e.g.,
parallel). In this embodiment, the rollers 1212, 1214 apply
pressure and compress the foam boards 110a, 110b together (as
discussed above) as the foam boards 110a, 110b pass through the
pressing frame 1926. The heights of the adhering frame entrance
2114 and the adhering frame exit 2120 may be adjustable.
[0124] Whether the rollers 1212, 1214 in the adhering frame 1930
are set up in a tapered or parallel arrangement may be determined
as a function of the thickness of the foam boards 110a, 110b and a
thickness of the heater 2106.
[0125] Referring to FIGS. 19, 20, and 23, the laminated board 1300
or 1700 is passed from the exit 2120 of the adhering frame 1930 to
the receiving frame 1932. Since being aligned at the waiting frame
1924, the leading edges 116 of the foam boards 110a, 110b remain
aligned after the foam boards 110a, 110b are laminated into the
laminated board 1300 or 1700.
[0126] A number of extruded polystyrene foam boards were made on an
experimental basis to illustrate the thermo-lamination
effectiveness of the embodiments of the present invention. Four of
the samples were set forth for the laminating bond strength by
tensile strength test according to ASTM D1623 as follows:
TABLE-US-00001 Sample Adhesive Tensile Strength ID Kpa (psi)
Failure Location 1 425 (61.52) Sample/test plate weld 2 527 (76.62)
Sample/test plate weld 3 506 (73.32) Sample/test plate weld 4 402
(58.36) Sample/test plate weld Average 465 (67.5) SD 60.8 (8.9)
[0127] Both polystyrene foam boards to be laminated were in the
thickness around 35 MM (1.4'') each with a density around 27.8
Kg/m.sup.3 (1.73 pcf), and tensile strength around 448 Kpa (65
psi).
[0128] The laminating bond strength, which is evaluated by tensile
strength tests demonstrate that the adhesive strength between the
laminating layer at least as strong as the original foam
strength.
[0129] In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the speeds at
which the foam boards 110a, 110b move through the waiting frame
1924, the heating and flattening frame 1926, and the adhering frame
1930 are consistent. For example, the foam boards 110a, 110b move
through the heating and flattening frame 1926 at a first speed and
move through the adhering frame 1930 at a second speed. In one
embodiment, the first speed is about the same as (e.g., consistent
with) the second speed.
[0130] Although each of the foam boards 110a, 110b discussed above
has been described as respective single boards between about 1/2''
to about 8'' thick, it is to be understood that one or both of the
foam boards is also contemplated to be previously laminated. If
both of the foam boards were previously laminated one time, the
thickness of the respective previously laminated foam boards may be
between about 7/8'' to about 16'' thick. The resulting laminated
board will then be between about 15/8'' to about 32'' thick.
Therefore, it is to be understood that the systems 1910, 2010, 2310
and methodology for laminating foam boards described above may be
used repeatedly for previously laminated foam boards, with the
resulting laminated boards becoming thicker and thicker with each
pass through the system 1910, 2010, 2310.
[0131] Although the systems 1910, 2010, 2310 have been described
with reference to laminating two (2) foam boards 110a, 110b
together, it is to be understood that simple modifications to the
systems 1910, 2010, 2310, such as the adjustability described with
reference to FIGS. 15, 16, and 18, would accommodate laminating any
number of foam boards together. For example, additional heating
elements would be incorporated into the heating and flattening
frame 1926 so additional foam boards may be simultaneously
laminated. In addition, it is contemplated that the systems 1910,
2010, 2310 may accommodate different thicknesses for the respective
boards and that the systems 1910, 2010, 2310 may be designed to
accommodate foam boards of various densities and thicknesses.
[0132] The foam boards may include different surface preparations.
In one embodiment, at least one of the foam boards includes a
relatively smooth surface, which is derived from a process of
manufacturing the foam board. In another embodiment, at least one
of the foam boards includes a planned surface, which is created
using an auxiliary cutting process during which the entire surface
of the foam board is machined flat. In that embodiment, the faces
114 of the first and second foam boards 110a, 110b are planed,
which exposes cells in the foam board. The planing technique makes
a much flatter surface facilitating a more uniform surface
adhesion, which is useful in the embodiments disclosed by FIGS. 20
and 23. It is also possible to that both of the faces of the foam
boards are planned. Foam boards having both faces planned are
contemplated for embodiments including three (3) or more foam
boards adhered together to form a relatively thicker final foam
board.
[0133] It is contemplated that the systems 1910, 2010, 2310
described above may be used either off-line, which is a manual
operation, or on-line, which is a more automated process. For
example, off-line operation involves an operator manually placing
the first and second foam boards 110a, 110b on the waiting frame
1924, as discussed above (from, for example, a transporting
facility). On-line operation involves, for example, a machine
cutting a continuous strip of foam sheet into the desired lengths
to form the foam boards, which are then deposited on the waiting
frame 1924, as discussed above (from, for example, an extruding
line).
[0134] When the boards are laminated using any of the
thermo-processes and/or apparatuses described above, no additional
chemicals (e.g., glue) are required for the lamination. Without any
additional chemicals such as glue, the boards thermo-laminated by
the process described above may be more easily recycled. More
specifically, recycled boards from the process described above
would not include any contaminants (e.g., glue) and, therefore,
result in a "cleaner" recycled product. In addition, boards
laminated using additional chemicals (e.g., glue) are more
difficult to cut using a hot wire, since a hot wire does not melt
through hardened glue as easily as the foam boards. Consequently,
foam boards laminated using chemicals such as glue may need to be
cut using a cutter such as a router.
[0135] FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a smaller
foam piece 2400. The smaller foam piece 2400 is made by cutting a
laminated foam board 1300 or 1700. The laminated foam board 1300 or
1700 may be cut in a wide variety of different ways to make the
smaller foam piece 2400. For example, a laminated foam board 1300
or 1700 may be cut with a hot wire or a saw blade, such as a band
saw blade, a reciprocating saw blade, an abrasive wire or a
circular saw blade to foul a plurality of smaller foam pieces. The
smaller foam pieces 2400 are made in an appropriate size for making
a foam part.
[0136] In one exemplary embodiment, a cut surface 2402 of the
smaller foam piece 2400 is very smooth across the bond lines 2404.
The thermal bonding processes and apparatus described above make
this very smooth cut surface 2402 across the bond lines 2404
possible. The laminated foam boards 1300, 1700 are free of the
cavities or voids 302 (See FIG. 3), channels 602 (See FIG. 6), and
unexpected areas of harder/denser material 600 (See FIG. 6). The
presence of only a consistently located uniform bond line, without
these defects, allows the very smooth cut surface 2402 to be
formed. The very smooth cut surface 2402 allows high quality foam
parts, without surface imperfections to be made from the billets
2400. In one exemplary embodiment, the flatness variation F3 of the
smaller foam piece 2400 across a bond line is less than or equal to
0.005 inches, such as less than 0.004 inches, such as less than
0.003 inches.
[0137] The laminated foam board 1300, 1700 or the smaller foam
piece 2400 can be cut into foam parts 2900 (See FIG. 29) in a wide
variety of different ways. In one exemplary embodiment, the smaller
foam piece 2400 is cut into a foam part 2900 with a rotary cutting
tool 2500 (See FIGS. 25A and 25B). The rotary cutting tool 2500 can
take a wide variety of different forms. In one exemplary
embodiment, the rotary cutting tool 2500 is a router-type tool with
a head 2510 shaped to cut an appropriate shape into the smaller
foam piece 2400 and a shaft 2512 for rotating the head. FIGS. 25A
and 25B illustrate two examples of rotary cutting tools 2500 for
machining the billets 2400 into foam parts 2900. The cutting head
2510a illustrated by FIG. 25A cuts an external curved surface 2710
(See FIG. 27). The cutting head 2510b cuts an internal curved
surface 2910 (See FIG. 29). FIGS. 26-29 illustrate the cutting
heads 2510a, 2510b machining the billet 2400 to form a part 2900.
In the example illustrated by FIGS. 26-30, the foam part 2900 is
one-half of a cylindrical pipe insulation cover (the second half
being a copy of the first). However, the smaller foam piece 2400
and cutting tools 2500 can be configured and used to make a wide
variety of different types of foam parts, such as elbows, T-shaped
pipe covers, etc. Referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, the cutting head
2510a removes foam material along an edge 2610 to provide the part
with a first curved outer surface 2612, such as a radiused surface.
In the example, the cutting head 2510 removes foam material and a
portion of the material of the bond line 2404. Referring to FIGS.
26 and 28, the cutting head 2510a removes foam material along an
edge 2614 to provide the part with a second curved outer surface
2710, such as a radiused surface. In the example, the cutting head
2510 removes foam material and a portion of the material of the
bond line 2404. Referring to FIGS. 26 and 29, the cutting head
2510b removes foam material along a bottom surface 2618 to provide
the part with a curved inner surface 2622, such as a cylindrical
inner surface. In the example, the cutting head 2510b removes foam
material and a portion of the material of the bond lines 2404. FIG.
30 illustrates the finished foam part 2900.
[0138] In one exemplary embodiment, a machined surface 2710, 2910
of the foam part 2900 is very smooth and uniform across the bond
lines 2404. The thermal bonding processes and apparatus described
above make this very smooth and uniform machined surface 2710, 2910
across the bond lines 2404 possible. The laminated foam boards
1300, 1700 are free of the cavities or voids 302 (See FIG. 3),
channels 602 (See FIG. 6), and unexpected areas of harder/denser
material 600 (See FIG. 6). The presence of only a consistently
located uniform bond line, without these defects, allows the very
smooth and uniform machined surface 2710, 2910 to be formed. The
very smooth cut surface 2710, 2910 results in high quality foam
parts 2900, without surface imperfections at the bond line(s) to be
made. In one exemplary embodiment, the profile tolerance PT of the
foam part 2700 across a bond line 2404 is less than or equal to
0.015 inches, such as less than 0.010 inches, such as less than
0.005 inches. The profile tolerance PT is the difference between
the intended or designed shape and the actual shape of the part in
the area of the bond line, such as the bond line and 1/4 inch on
each side of the bond line. For example, the intended shape of the
outer surface of the part 2900 illustrated by FIG. 30 may be a four
inch diameter cylinder. The profile tolerance PT in the area of the
bond line may be 0.010 inches. If a cavity or void 302 (See FIG. 3)
or a channel 602 (See FIG. 6) with a remaining portion (i.e. the
portion that remains after machining) that is deeper than 0.010
inches were in the machined bond line 2404, the part 2900 would be
outside of the profile tolerance.
[0139] FIG. 31 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method of
making a foam product 2900 and recycling the polystyrene foam to
make new polystyrene boards 3100. In the embodiment illustrated by
FIG. 31 a smaller foam piece 2400 is provided that is machined from
one of the laminated polystyrene boards 1300, 1700 described
herein. Since the laminated polystyrene boards 1300, 1700 are made
only from the polystyrene material of the boards, the smaller foam
pieces also only include polystyrene. The billet 2400 is machined
to remove a portion 3102 of the extruded polystyrene to form the
foam product 2900. For example, the billet 2400 may be machined as
illustrated by the embodiment of FIGS. 26-29. The removed
polystyrene material 3102 is recycled to make another polystyrene
product. For example, the polystyrene material 3102 may be recycled
to make a new polystyrene board or be mixed with virgin polystyrene
material that is used to make a new polystyrene board 3100.
[0140] FIG. 38 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a rotary
cutting tool 2500 for shaping foam products, such as the foam
product 2900 illustrated by FIG. 30. The rotary foam cutting tool
2500 can be used to cut a wide variety of different foams
including, but not limited to, single layer foam boards or pieces
and multilayer foam boards and pieces. The rotary cutting tool can
cut multilayer foam boards or pieces that are thermally laminated
together and/or that are bonded together with an adhesive. The
illustrated rotary cutting tool 2500 includes an annular support
3802 made from sheetmetal, such as aluminum or steel, and cutting
elements 3804 secured to the annular sheetmetal support 3802. A
base 3820 is secured to the sheetmetal annular support 3802 for
rotating the sheetmetal annular support 3802 and attached cutting
elements 3804.
[0141] The annular sheetmetal support 3802 can be made in a wide
variety of different ways. For example, the sheetmetal support can
be made by spin-forming, stamping, drawing, deep drawing, or any
other conventional sheetmetal forming technique. FIGS. 32 and 33
illustrate that the annular support 3802 can be formed from a flat,
circular sheetmetal disk 3200. The sheetmetal disk 3200 can be
formed into the annular support 3802 shape illustrated by FIG. 34
by spin-forming, stamping, drawing, deep drawing, or any other
conventional sheetmetal forming technique.
[0142] The cutting elements 3804 can be secured to the annular
sheetmetal support 3802 in a wide variety of different ways. For
example, the cutting elements 3804 can be secured to the annular
sheetmetal support 3802 by brazing, welding, with an adhesive or
any other conventional adhesion technique. The cutting elements can
take a wide variety of different forms. In one exemplary
embodiment, the cutting elements 3804 are made from a material that
wears very slowly when cutting polystyrene foam, such as carbide,
hardened steel, ceramics and other hard materials. In one exemplary
embodiment, the cutting elements 3804 are spaced apart a sufficient
distance that prevents the build up and retention of the
polystyrene foam. This prevention of the accumulation of the foam
material on the tool reduces friction between the tool and the
part, which improves the life expectancy of the tool and provides
for a cleaner cut on the thermoplastic material. Referring to FIGS.
36 and 37, in one exemplary embodiment the cutting elements 3804
are initially provided on a tape 3600, such as a brazing tape or an
adhesive tape. The tape 3600 is provided over the cutting surface
3602 of the sheetmetal support 3802 and then processed to
permanently secure the cutting elements 3804 to the sheetmetal
support 3802. For example the tape 3600 may be heated to braze the
cutting elements 3804 to the sheetmetal support 3802 or cure an
adhesive of the tape to secure the cutting elements to the
sheetmetal support.
[0143] The base 3820 can take a wide variety of different forms. In
the illustrates embodiment, the base 3820 includes a circular plate
3830. However, the base can comprise any structure for supporting
and rotating the sheetmetal support 3802. The resulting cutting
tool 2500 is hollow and lightweight. This hollow and lightweight
configuration allows foam machining tools to be made in sizes that
were not previously possible. The following table, with columns
corresponding to the dimensions on FIG. 38, provides examples of
cutting tools 3800 with the hollow and light weight configuration.
Each row provides a different example. All dimensions in the
following table are in inches. As can be seen from the chart and
FIG. 34, tools 3800 having diameters A over 5 inches, over 10
inches, over 15 inches and over 20 inches can be made with the
hollow sheetmetal design.
TABLE-US-00002 "A" "B" "C" "D" "E" 5.76 1.44 0.25 0.63 0.50 6.38
1.75 0.25 0.63 0.50 6.88 2.00 0.25 0.63 0.50 7.38 2.25 0.25 0.63
0.50 7.88 2.50 0.25 0.63 0.50 8.44 2.78 0.25 0.63 0.50 9.5 3.31
0.25 0.63 0.50 10.5 3.81 0.25 0.63 0.50 11.5 4.31 0.25 0.63 0.50
12.5 4.81 0.25 0.63 0.50 13.63 5.38 0.25 0.63 0.50
[0144] The present application discloses several different
embodiments of thermally laminated foam boards, methods for making
thermally laminated foam boards, apparatus for making thermally
laminated foam boards, smaller foam pieces made from thermally
laminated foam boards, methods for making smaller foam pieces from
thermally laminated foam boards, parts made from thermally
laminated foam boards, methods for making parts from thermally
laminated foam boards, and tools for making parts from thermally
laminated foam boards. Any of the features of any of the
embodiments disclosed in this application can be combined with any
of the features of any of the other embodiments disclosed by this
application. Additional exemplary embodiments of the present
application comprise combinations and subcombinations of the
features of the exemplary embodiments described above.
[0145] While the present invention has been illustrated by the
description of embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have
been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of
the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the
appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and
modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to
the specific details, the representative apparatus, and
illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures
may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or
scope of the applicant's general inventive concept.
* * * * *