METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONNECTING TUBES MADE OUT OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL

• US 20090256349A1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pierre Strubin, Rene Chuat, Yoland Grosjean
• Original Assignee: Pierre Strubin, Rene Chuat, Yoland Grosjean
• Inventors: Strubin, Pierre, Grosjean, Yoland, Chuat, Rene
• Application Number:
  US12/265,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20090256349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 285/21.200
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1459 Coating annular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/2616 having annular mould cavities
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3448 said ribbon, band or strip being perforated
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3476 being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/364 being a woven or non-woven fabric or being a mesh
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3644 being a ribbon, band or strip
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3648 said strip being perforated
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3668 characterised by the means for supplying heat to said heated elements which remain in the join, e.g. special induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3676 being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/56 using mechanical means or mechanical connections, e.g. form-fits
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/72 by combined operations or combined techniques, e.g. welding and stitching
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1222 comprising at least a lapped joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1224 comprising at least a butt joint-segment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/5221 for forming coaxial connections, i.e. the tubular articles to be joined forming a zero angle relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/52292 said stop being internal
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/52295 said socket comprising reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/861 Hand-held tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8618 being battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91221 of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91313 : by measuring the voltage, i.e. the electric potential difference or electric tension
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91315 : by measuring the current intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91411 : of the parts to be joined, e.g. the joining process taking the temperature of the parts to be joined into account
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91443 : following a temperature-time profile B29C65/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91651 : by controlling or regulating the heat generated by Joule heating or induction heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/919 : characterised by specific temperature, heat or thermal flux values or ranges specific electrical resistance values B29C66/81262
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91951 : in explicit relation to time, e.g. temperature-time diagrams
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/949 : characterised by specific time values or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9592 : in explicit relation to another variable, e.g. X-Y diagrams
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/96 : characterised by the method for implementing the controlling of the joining process
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/961 : involving a feedback loop mechanism, e.g. comparison with a desired value
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9672 : involving special data inputs, e.g. involving barcodes, RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 : PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 : PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/18 : Polymers of hydrocarbons having four or more carbon atoms, e.g. polymers of butylene, e.g. PB, i.e. polybutylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/12 : Thermoplastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2305/02 : Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2305/12 : Iron
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0008 : Magnetic or paramagnetic
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 47/03 : Welded joints with an electrical resistance incorporated in the joint
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1352 : Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]

Abstract

The invention is directed to device and a method to establish a Joint connection (17) with a sleeve (12) comprising at least one susceptor (13, 14) by inductive heating by a welding device (1).

Claims

1. Sleeve (12) comprising a carrier (9) made out of injection molded thermoplastic material and at least one susceptor (13, 14) being at least partially embedded in the carrier (9).

2. The sleeve (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one susceptor (13, 14) is arranged equidistant to a contact surface (18) of the carrier (9).

3. The sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the at least one susceptor (13, 14) is ring-shaped.

4. The sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the at least one susceptor (13, 14) consists out of perforated metal sheet with openings (25).

5. The sleeve (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the ratio between cross-section of the openings (25) of the perforation and the adjacent solid susceptor surface is in the range of 40% to 65%.

6. The sleeve according to one of the claims 2 to 5, characterized that the openings (25) of the perforation are at least partially filled with injection molded plastic material suitable to form bridges (27) in a joint connection (17) across the susceptor (13, 14).

7. The sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the at least one susceptor (13, 14) is made out of a non-corrosive material.

8. The sleeve (12) according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one susceptor (13, 14) is made out of stainless steel, or aluminum, or titanium.

9. The sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the at least one susceptor (13, 14) is arranged flush to the contact surface (18).

10. The sleeve (12) according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the at least one susceptor is arranged at a distance up to 1 mm below the contact surface (18) embedded by injection molded material.

11. The sleeve (12) according to claim 10, characterized in that the at least one susceptor comprises protrusions arranged in the direction of a contact surface (18), said protrusions acting as distance means.

12. The sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the sleeve (12) comprises a tag carrying information about the characteristics of the at least one embedded susceptor (13, 14).

13. The sleeve (12) according to claim 12, characterized in that the tag is a one or a two dimensional barcode or a RFI Stag.

14. The sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the sleeve (12) comprises means to determine the temperature of the at least one susceptor (13, 14).

15. The sleeve according to claim 12, characterized in that the means to determine the heat is a RFID-tag.

16. Welding device (1) to establish a joint connection by a sleeve (12) according to one of the previous claims, characterized by a coil (3) to generate an electromagnetic field field, a HF-generator to drive the coil (3), a control means interconnected to the HF-generator and/or the coil (3) to control a welding process and an input means (22, 23) to provide the control means with information about the characteristics of a susceptor embedded in the sleeve (12).

17. The welding device (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that the input means is a barcode reader and/or a keyboard and/or a touch screen and/or a RFID-reading means.

18. The welding device (1) according to one of the previous claims 16 or 17, characterized in that the welding device comprises or is interconnected to a database means wherein information and characteristics about several sleeves (12) and/or susceptors (13, 14) are stored.

19. Method for establishing a joint connection (17) between at least one part (10, 11) and a sleeve (12), comprising at least one susceptor (13, 14) and a carrier (9), according to one of the claims 1 to 15 comprising the following process steps:

a) Positioning the at least one part (10, 11) and the sleeve (12) such that the at least one susceptor (13, 14) is arranged adjacent to a connection surface (26) of the at least one part (10, 11);

b) Arranging the sleeve (12) and the at least one part (10, 11) in the effective range of a coil (3) of a welding device (1);

c) Generating an oscillating electromagnetic field (35) by the coil (3) such that a current (36) is induced in the at least one susceptor (13, 14);

d) Adjusting the level of the electromagnetic field (35) such that the at least one susceptor (13, 14) is heated due to electrical resistance of the material of the at least one susceptor (13, 14);

e) Applying the electromagnetic field (35) for a certain time until the material of the carrier (9) surrounding the at least one susceptor (13, 14) and the material adjacent to the connection surface (26) of the at least one part (10, 11) melt superficially and join each other;

f) Cooling of the melted material until the material of the sleeve and the at least one part cure and form a joint connection.

20. Method according to claim 19 characterized in that the at least one susceptor has a ring-like shape and is arranged in general coaxial to the coil (3).

21. Method according to one of the claims 19 to 20 characterized in that the carrier material surrounding the at least one susceptor is heated to 240°

C. to 300°

C.

22. Method according to one of the claims 19 to 21 characterized in that the temperature of the at least one susceptor is determined in function of the intensity and the time of the electromagnetic field applied and the starting temperature.

23. Method according to claim 22 characterized in that the thermal characteristics of the at least one susceptor is determined by a calorimetric method in that the susceptor is inductively heated in a water quench and/or by a sensor interconnected to the susceptor during heating.

24. Method according to one of the claims 22 to 23 characterized in that information about the characteristics of the at least one susceptor is stored in a database means.

25. Method according to one of the claims 22 to 24 characterized in that information about the characteristics of the at least one susceptor is stored in a tag applied to the at least one susceptor.