Seat element moulded from expandable and retriculable polyolefin material

• US 20110277909A1
• Filed: 02/09/2010
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Finproject S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Finproject S.p.A.
• Inventors: Vecchiola, Maurizio
• Application Number:
  US13/138,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20110277909A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/77
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/185 with a stiff, rigid support
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/20 with reinforcement in the foam layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/027 the foaming continuing or beginning when the mould is opened
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/569 Shaping and joining components with different densities or hardness
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/582 for making undercut articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/665 using shrinking during cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/0342 Cooling, e.g. transporting through welding and cooling zone
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• 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 66/727 being porous, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73715 heat-shrinkable
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/742 to metals or their alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/00 Use of polyalkenes or derivatives thereof as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/06 PVC, i.e. polyvinylchloride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2077/00 Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/04 cellular or porous
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/771 Seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/7017 characterised by the manufacturing process; manufacturing upholstery or upholstery springs not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A manufacturing method of a seat element (1; 101) is disclosed, comprising a body (2) obtained from moulding polyolefin plastic materials of expandable and reticulable type, and a template (3; 103) made of rigid material, which is coupled with the body (2) when it is still hot, in such a way to control the shrinking of the material of the body during cooling.

Claims

1. Manufacturing method of a seat element (1;

101) comprising the following phases;

injection into a mould of expandable and reticulable polyolefin material,

reticulation and expansion of said polyolefin material inside the mould, in such a way to obtain a body (2) having the shape of the mould,

release of the body (2) from the mould due to expansion,

prosecution of expansion of the body (2) outside the mould until expansion is completed, and

coupling of said body (2) with a template (3;

103) made of rigid material, when the body (2) has completed expansion and before the material of the body shrinks during cooling, and

cooling and thermoretraction of the body (2) controlled by the template (3;

103), in such a way that the body complies with the original specifications of the template, wherein the template (3) acts as stiffening element of the body (2), and fixing means (33;

133) are provided on the template (3;

103) and the template is fixed to a support frame (4;

104), so that the template (3) acts as fixing means with the frame (4;

104) to anchor the seat (1) to the frame (4;

104).

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cavity of mould is smaller than seat to be obtained.

3. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cavity of mould is 50% smaller than seat to be obtained.

4. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mould is shaped in such a way that the body (2) is provided on the back surface with a recessed seat (21) with slightly smaller area than the surface of the body and said template (3;

103) is inserted in the recessed seat.

5. Method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mould is shaped in such a way that the body (2) has a perimeter frame (20) that defines the recessed seat (21), housings in undercut (22) are obtained in the internal borders of the perimeter frame (20), and the borders of the template (3;

103) are inserted in the housings in undercut (22).

6. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the template is fixed to the frame with screw means (40) of the frame that cross the through holes (33) obtained on the template.

7. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the template is fixed to the frame with screw means (133) of the template that are inserted in holes (140) of the frame.