Process for fabricating foam resin panel with integral reinforcement
First Claim
1. A foam resin panel comprising:
- a major section formed by foaming a resin material; and
a reinforcing section integral with said major section and of the same material as said major section, said reinforcing section having a higher density that said major section and defining a predetermined pattern suitable for reinforcing the panel, and said reinforcing section being formed by compressing parts of a foam resin panel in said predetermied pattern.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A foam resin panel is formed with one or more high-density reinforcing sections which are of higher density than the rest of the panel and which, therefore, are more stiff. The reinforcing section is densified by compression during fabrication. The reinforcing section is compressed until the outer faces of the reinforcing section lie flush to the panel surface. Fabrication of an invention foam resin panel includes a compression step for fabricating the high-density reinforcing section following a prefabricating step in which a resin precursor is induced to foam and expand to a desired extent within a mold. The resulting uniform foam resin element has a number of projections at the points at which the reinforcing sections of the finished panel will lie. The projections are then compressed into conformity with the rest of the panel and cured. The extent of the projections determines the density of finished reinforcing sections.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A foam resin panel comprising:
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a major section formed by foaming a resin material; and a reinforcing section integral with said major section and of the same material as said major section, said reinforcing section having a higher density that said major section and defining a predetermined pattern suitable for reinforcing the panel, and said reinforcing section being formed by compressing parts of a foam resin panel in said predetermied pattern. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A process for fabricating a foam resin panel comprising steps of:
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providing a mold defining an internal space conforming to the shape of the desired panel, said space having extensions arranged in a predetermined pattern across one surface; loading a foaming resin material into said internal space; heating said material in said mold to induce foaming to predetermined extent by which the foam material fills said internal space and said extensions; compressing said foam material filling said extensions at least part way back into said internal space, thereby fabricating a high-density reinforcing section in said panel in said predetermined pattern; cooling the panel so formed within said mold; and removing the finished panel from said mold. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification