Method for the manufacture of a plastics product and a product made by the method

• US 10,427,063 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Original Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Inventors: Licht Botcher, Rene, Hansen, Christina
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Eugene L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hylinski, Alyssa M
• Application Number:
  US14/411,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20150190724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,283 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/04 Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/68 by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or layers , e.g. foam blocks mould constructions therefor B29C33/12; joining preformed parts by moulding B29C65/70
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/78 Moulding material on one side only of the preformed part
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2250/02 2 layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/30 characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/18 Handling of layers or the laminate

Abstract

A method for the manufacture of a plastics product (1) and a plastics product (1), which plastics product (1) comprises a first (2) and a second (3) component that are both manufactured completely or partially from molding plastics, and which first component (2) is manufactured by molding in a mold, such as by injection molding, and which second component (3) is made by a process in which it is built in a layer-by-layer fashion, such as by 3D-printing, and having a mounting surface (7); and wherein the first component (2) is ready-molded and ejected from the mold prior to it being joined with the second component (3) to form the plastics product (1). By the first layer of material formed in the 3D-printing process of manufacturing the second component (3) being formed on a surface having the same shape as the mounting surface (7) of the first component (2), it is enabled to manufacture a product with a high degree of design individuality, while simultaneously parts of the product can be made with very fine tolerances.

Claims

1. A method for the manufacture of a plastics product:

wherein the plastics product comprises a first and a second component that are both manufactured completely or partially from moulding plastics, and in which the first component is manufactured by injection moulding in a mould and includes a first mounting surface, and in which the second component is made by a 3D-printing process in which it is built in a layer-by-layer fashion and includes a second mounting surface; and

wherein the first component is ready-moulded and ejected from the mould and then subsequently configured to be permanently joined to the second component to form the plastics product wherein the first component is manufactured first, following which the second component is manufactured by 3D-printing a first layer of material formed in the 3D-printing process of manufacturing the second component directly on the first mounting surface of the ready-moulded first component such that the second mounting surface is shaped to conform to the first mounting surface of the first component;

such that the first component and the second component are secured to each other in such a way that the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface directly abut one another, and wherein the first mounting surface of the first component is configured on a plate-shaped part of the first component; and

wherein one or more flanges extend at an angle from the plate-shaped part on a side of the first mounting surface opposite the plate-shaped part, said flanges extending beyond an outer periphery of the plate-shaped part of the first component.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that one or more further moulded components is/are made in addition to the first component;

and wherein the second component is subsequently joined with one or more from among the further components.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterised in that the further moulded components are, during joining with the second component, arranged in a fixture which is configured such that the first and the further components are retained in a specific position relative to each other.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the plate-shaped part, where the mounting surface extends, is essentially plane.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterised in that each of the one or more of the flanges is configured as an uninterrupted round-going flange.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that one or more of the flanges extend essentially at right angles to the plate-shaped part.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the first component constitutes a building element for use in a toy building set comprising a plurality of building elements;

and wherein the first component includes a number of coupling studs extending from the first mounting surface that correspond to coupling studs of the other building elements of the toy building set, and wherein the one or more flanges of the first component are configured as coupling flanges for interconnecting with the coupling studs of the other building elements.