A METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF A PLASTICS PRODUCT AND A PRODUCT MADE BY THE METHOD

• US 20150190724A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 07/09/2015
• 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 Btcher, Rene, Hansen, Christina
• Granted Patent: US 10,427,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 moulding plastics, and which first component (2) is manufactured by moulding in a mould, such as by injection moulding, 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-moulded and ejected from the mould 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, which plastics product comprises a first and a second component that are both manufactured completely or partially from moulding plastics, and which first component is manufactured by moulding in a mould, such as by injection moulding, and which second component 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;

and wherein the first component and the second component are permanently joined to form the plastics product, the first component being ready-moulded and ejected from the mould prior to it being permanently joined with the second component, characterised in that the first component is manufactured first, following which the second component is manufactured by 3D-printing the first layer of material formed in the 3D-printing process of manufacturing the second component directly on the mounting surface of the ready-welded first component.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the mounting surface of the first component abuts on a correspondingly configured mounting surface of the second component when the second component has been manufactured and joined with the first component.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the second component is manufactured as a separate element relative to the first component which is subsequently joined with the first component by gluing, welding, soldering or other joining method.

5. A 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 more from among the first and the further components.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterised in that the 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.

7. A plastics product comprising a first component and a second component that both have a mounting surface;

and wherein the two components are secured to each other in such a way that the mounting surfaces on the first and second components are joined and abut on each other; and

wherein the first component is moulded, and the second component is built in a layer-by-layer fashion from a plastics material, such as by 3D-printing;

characterised in that it is manufactured by the method according to claim 1.

8. A plastics product according to claim 7, characterised in that the mounting surface of the first component is configured on a plate-shaped part of the first component;

and in that, from the plate-shaped part, on the opposite side of the mounting surface, one or more flanges (8) extend at an angle to the plate-shaped part.

9. A plastics product according to claim 8, characterised in that the plate-shaped part, where the mounting surface extends, is essentially plane.

10. A plastics product according to claim 9, characterised in that each of one or more of the flanges is configured as an uninterrupted round-going flange.

11. A plastics product according to claim 10, characterised in that the plate-shaped part has an outer periphery;

and wherein one of the round-going flanges extends from the outer periphery of the plate-shaped part.

12. A plastics product according to claim 11, characterised in that one or more of the flanges extend(s) essentially at right angles to the plate-shaped part.

13. A toy building set comprising a plastics product according to claim 12, characterised in that the first component constitutes a building element of the toy building set comprising a number of building elements;

and wherein the building elements comprise building elements having a body part with a surface on which a number of coupling studs are provided, and building elements that are, on the opposite side, configured with a number of flanges that extend from the side of the body part which is opposite to the surface; and

wherein the flanges are configured such that they form coupling flanges that can be interconnected with the coupling studs on another building element; and

wherein the surface of the body part on the first component comprises the mounting surface for permanent joining with the second component.

4. (canceled)