APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INTERLEAVING POLYMERIC ROLL FOR GAS IMPREGNATION AND SOLID-STATE FOAM PROCESSING

• US 20100112301A1
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dart Container Corporation (Robert Charles Dart)
• Original Assignee: MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc. (Robert Charles Dart)
• Inventors: Powers, Steven Ray
• Granted Patent: US 8,827,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/174
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/3446 Feeding the blowing agent
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/3453 Feeding the blowing agent to solid plastic material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/348 by regulating the temperature and/or the pressure, e.g. suppression of foaming until the pressure is rapidly decreased
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 1/08 Tubular products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2270/00 Resin or rubber layer containing a blend of at least two different polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/704 Crystalline
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/724 Permeability to gases, adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/10 of paper or cardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/12 next to a fibrous or filamentary layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/281 comprising polyimides
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/285 comprising polyethers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/286 comprising polysulphones; polysulfides
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/30 comprising vinyl (co)polymers; comprising acrylic (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/32 comprising polyolefins comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/40 comprising polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/00 Methods or apparatus for laminating, e.g. by curing or by ultrasonic bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/022 Non-woven fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/3251 vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2401/11 : Polymer compositions
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2401/242 : Porosity
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1752 : Polymer film
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/16 : Associating two or more webs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 : Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1712 : Indefinite or running length work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24628 : Nonplanar uniform thickness material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24636 : Embodying mechanically interengaged strand[s], strand-portion[s] or strand-like strip[s] [e.g., weave, knit, etc.]

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for making interleaved cylindrical rolls from a polymer roll and a porous roll. The interleaved rolls disclosed herein are useful for subsequent high pressure gas impregnation and solid-state foam processing. In one embodiment, an interleaving apparatus comprises: a first rotatable platform for unwinding a first cylindrical roll of a first sheet material, the first rotatable platform being rotatable about a first central axis; a second rotatable platform for unwinding a second cylindrical roll of a second sheet material, the second rotatable platform being rotatable about a second central axis; and a third rotatable platform for winding, while the first and second materials are unwinding, the first sheet material together with the second sheet material to yield the interleaved cylindrical roll, the third rotatable platform being rotatable about a third axis and proximate to the first and second rotatable platforms.

Claims

1. An interleaving apparatus for making an interleaved cylindrical roll, comprising:

a first rotatable platform for unwinding a first cylindrical roll of a first sheet material, the first rotatable platform being rotatable about a first central axis;

a second rotatable platform for unwinding a second cylindrical roll of a second sheet material, the second rotatable platform being rotatable about a second central axis; and

a third rotatable platform for winding, while the first and second sheet materials are unwinding, the first sheet material together with the second sheet material to yield the interleaved cylindrical roll, the third rotatable platform being rotatable about a third vertically-oriented axis and proximate to the first and second rotatable platforms.

2. The interleaving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first cylindrical roll is movable back and forth along the first central axis.

3. The interleaving apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the second cylindrical roll is movable back and forth along the second central axis.

4. The interleaving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first rotatable platform and central axis are positionable at or between a horizontal orientation and a vertical orientation.

5. The interleaving apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the second rotatable platform and central axis are positionable at or between a horizontal orientation and a vertical orientation.

6. The interleaving apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a pair of nip rollers for guiding under zero or near zero tension the first and second sheet materials about the third vertically-oriented axis of the third rotatable platform, the pair of nip rollers being proximate and adjacent to the third rotatable platform.

7. The interleaving apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of web steering rollers for aligning the edges of the first and second sheet materials, the plurality of web steering rollers being proximate and adjacent to the pair of nip rollers.

8. A method for making an interleaved cylindrical roll, comprising at least the steps of:

unwinding a first cylindrical roll of a first polymer film material;

unwinding a second cylindrical roll of a second porous gas permeable sheet material; and

interleaving together the first polymer film material with the second porous gas permeable sheet material under zero or near tension, while the first and second sheet materials are unwinding, to yield the interleaved cylindrical roll.

9. The method for making an interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 8 wherein the step of interleaving is carried out in a vertical orientation.

10. The method for making an interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 9 wherein the first cylindrical roll is moved back and forth along a first central axis while unwinding.

11. The method for making an interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 9 wherein the second cylindrical roll is moved back along a second central axis while unwinding.

12. The method for making an interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 9 the interleaved cylindrical roll has at least 25 turns.

13. An interleaved cylindrical roll, comprising:

a first polymer film evenly wound about a central axis defining a first Archimedean spiral having a plurality of first spiral turns; and

a second porous gas permeable material sheet evenly wound about the central axis and interleaved with the first polymer film thereby defining a second Archimedean spiral having a plurality of second spiral turns;

characterized in that the spacing between each of the plurality of first and second turns is essentially constant across all diameters of the interleaved cylindrical roll.

14. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the second porous gas permeable material sheet is substantially uncompressed across all diameters of the interleaved cylindrical roll.

15. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of first and second turns is greater than about 25.

16. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the first polymer film comprises a semi-crystalline polymer.

17. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the first polymer film comprises PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol), PLA (polyactide), PC (polycarbonate), TPU (thermoplastic urethane), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), polystyrene (PS), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), PEN (polyethylene napthalate), PEI (polyether imide), PEMA (poly ethyl methacrylate), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), PI (polyimide), COC (cyclic olefin copolymer), or a combination thereof.

18. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the second porous gas permeable material sheet comprises nonwoven polymer filaments.

19. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the first solid polymer film is uniformly impregnated with a plasticizing gas.

20. The interleaved cylindrical roll according to claim 13 wherein the second porous gas permeable material sheet is at least about 3 times thicker than the first solid polymer film.