Method of making moldings

• US 20040065980A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KAO Corporation
• Original Assignee: KAO Corporation
• Inventors: Osaki, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,141,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/340
• CPC Class Codes: D21J 7/00 Manufacture of hollow articles from fibre suspensions or papier-mâché by deposition of fibres in or on a wire-net mould

Abstract

A method of producing a molded article including the step of inserting an expandable and contractible hollow elastic pressing member (2) inside a hollow molded article placed in a drying mold (8) and feeding a fluid in the elastic pressing member (2) to expand the pressing member (2) thereby to press the molded article toward the inner surface of the drying mold (8), wherein the molded article is pressed onto the inner surface of the drying mold (8) by the elastic member (2) in the expanded state while exchanging the fluid in the elastic pressing member (2).

Claims

1. A method of producing a molded article including the step of inserting an expandable and contractible hollow elastic pressing member inside a hollow molded article placed in a drying mold and feeding a fluid in said elastic pressing member to expand said pressing member thereby to press said molded article toward the inner surface of said drying mold, which is characterized in that said molded article is pressed onto the inner surface of said drying mold by the elastic member in the expanded state while exchanging the fluid in said elastic pressing member.

2. The method of producing a molded article according to claim 1, wherein said molded article is a fiber molded article prepared by wet papermaking.

3. A molding apparatus for producing a molded article comprising an expandable and contractible hollow elastic pressing member, a feed passage for feeding a fluid into said elastic pressing member, and a withdrawal passage for withdrawing said fluid from said elastic pressing member, said withdrawal passage being independent of said feed passage, wherein said withdrawal passage is equipped with a pressure control unit which controls the pressure in said elastic member in accordance with the pressure of said fluid being fed into said elastic pressing member.

4. The molding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said withdrawal passage is equipped with a flow control unit for controlling the flow rate of said fluid being withdrawn through said withdrawal passage.