CN1216733C - Reinforced artical and method of making - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet of material which is made two dimensional which inlcudes portions that are removed that allows the sheet to be folded to create a three dimensional structure without the need for cutting and darting.

Description

Items and how to make them

technical field

The present invention relates to a substrate capable of forming three-dimensional objects.

Background technique

Fiber-reinforced composite structures are lightweight and possess good mechanical properties such as strength. However, in many applications molded plastic, wood or iron structures are often preferred due to cost considerations as they are easier to fabricate. However, items, such as packages or crates, are easily damaged due to inadvertent handling, or their stackability is limited due to weight and strength. Fiber-reinforced composites are an excellent option, however the cost of fabricating fairly complex three-dimensional (3D) structures will be a factor worth considering.

This is because composite structures usually start with a flat fiber fabric substrate. The substrate is then formed into the form of an article, which is then coated with a resin and thermoformed or cured into the desired shape. This is easier to do with relatively flat and smooth surfaces. However, angular surfaces such as edge joins, corners and the bottom of boxes or packages require cutting or stamping. This treatment is relatively labor intensive and increases production costs. Items that are generally considered invaluable, such as packing boxes, have additional costs that outweigh the benefits of their reinforcement.

While fabric 3D structures can be woven by specialized machines, the associated costs are considerable, and making a simple structure with a sewing machine is rarely a feasible solution.

In addition to making 3D structures with reinforced fibers, 3D structures can also be made from 2D sheet materials such as metal sheets, plastics, cloth, paper, and cardboard.

Accordingly, while reinforced or otherwise treated three-dimensional articles may have many applications, there is a need to reduce costs in production methods. Only in this way can relatively large-scale production and wide application be obtained.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore a main object of the present invention to reduce or eliminate the need for cutting and stamping of sheets of material for making 3D structures.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and reduce the labor required for the manufacture of such structures.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the present invention.

To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a planar sheet for forming a structure having a three-dimensional shape, said sheet comprising: a material forming a first portion of the sheet; a second portion of said sheet, a second portion of said sheet material constituting the sheet is removed in a portion, the second portion has a first edge and a second edge perpendicular to each other; and wherein the sheet can be folded in a first direction parallel to the first edge to create The first fold line is then folded in a second direction parallel to the second edge to create a second fold line whereby the first and second edges are brought into alignment with each other such that they are parallel to each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a structure having a three-dimensional shape from a sheet, comprising the steps of: forming the sheet to produce a first portion of the sheet having a sheet material; removing a portion of the sheet to produce a different having a second portion of the sheet of sheet material having first and second edges perpendicular to each other; folding the sheet along a first fold line parallel to the first edge, and then folding the sheet along a Folding the sheet in a second direction of the second edge to form a second fold line whereby the first edge and the second edge are brought into alignment with each other such that they are parallel to each other.

The present invention aims to provide a sheet of material tailored for 3D structures. It starts with a 2D structure and then forms a 3D structure, especially a 3D structure with a deep-drawn structure. To this end, a sheet of material is formed in such a way that it has regions capable of gathering and twisting the edges of the 3D structure formed by folding the sheet. The edges of the remainder of the sheet forming the borders of the removed areas are left as is or may be joined by means such as welding, thermal bonding or gluing.

Description of drawings

The objects and advantages of the present invention can be achieved by describing in detail the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. in:

Figure 1 shows a planar 2D sheet containing material based on the teachings of the present invention;

Figures 2A-2D illustrate the process of folding a sheet to obtain a deep-drawn structure;

Figure 3 shows a 2D sheet with multiple areas removed and a complex structure made by folding or stretching; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a 3D structure fabricated from the sheet shown in FIG. 3 .

Detailed ways

Reference is now made in detail to the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements. A planar 2D sheet of material 10 illustrating the invention is shown in FIG. 1 . Sheet 10 may be metal foil, plastic, cloth, paper, cardboard, etc., which will serve the purpose.

Referring to Fig. 1, sheet 10 is divided into regions or areas 12-28 along fold lines 30-36. Either the sheet material is removed, or a sheet is formed here without openings.

Once the structure of the sheet 10 is formed, it can be formed into the desired shape.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2D , FIG. 2A is a planar 2D sheet 10 . Sheet 10 is then folded along fold lines 30 and 32 . Sheet 10 is then folded along fold lines 34 and 36 perpendicular to fold lines 30 and 32 as shown in FIG. 2C. During this process, as shown in Figure 2D, since there is no material at region 20, adjacent regions are allowed to fold into an abutting relationship. Edges or corners 38 may remain naturally, or may be joined by welding, heat bonding, gluing, or other desirable means. It can be folded automatically or by other suitable means to achieve the purpose.

The above advantages avoid cutting or punching, which reduces the amount of labor required and the final cost of the article. The invention accelerates the automation of fabrication, and further expands the application of this structure.

FIG. 3 shows a planar 2D lamella 110 . Sheet 110 shows a plurality of hollowed-out regions 120 of material. Such a sheet 120 can be folded and formed into a complex structure 130 as shown in FIG. 4 . Of course, other shapes can also be obtained by changing the size and position of the removed material area.

In this way, the objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved, and although preferred embodiments are disclosed and described herein, the scope of protection is not limited thereto, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims.

Claims (13)

1. plane lamina that is used to form structure with 3D shape, described thin slice comprises:

Form the material of first in the thin slice;

The second portion of described thin slice, the material that constitutes described thin slice in the second portion of described thin slice is removed, and described second portion has orthogonal first edge and second edge; With

Wherein said thin slice can be folded to set up first fold line along the first direction that is parallel to described first edge, be folded to set up second fold line along the second direction that is parallel to described second edge then, make described first edge and second edge form the relation that is in alignment with each other thus, thereby it is parallel to each other.

2. thin slice as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that: described second portion is centered on by described first.

3. thin slice as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that: described thin slice comprises a plurality of firsts and second portion.

4. thin slice as claimed in claim 3 is characterized in that: described a plurality of second portions are centered on by described a plurality of firsts.

5. thin slice as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that:

After folding, the described first that forms syntople is engaged.

6. thin slice as claimed in claim 5 is characterized in that:

Described joint forms by welding, thermal or bonding mode.

7. thin slice as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described thin slice can be folded at the joint that is formed between described first and the described second portion.

8. method of utilizing thin slice to form to have the structure of 3D shape comprises step:

Form described thin slice has the thin slice of sheeting with generation first;

A part of removing described thin slice is to produce the second portion of the described thin slice that does not have sheeting, and described second portion has orthogonal first edge and second edge;

Along the folding described thin slice of first fold line that is parallel to described first edge, fold described thin slice to form second fold line along the second direction that is parallel to described second edge then, make described first edge and described second edge form the relation that is in alignment with each other thus, thereby it is parallel to each other.

9. method as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, comprises that also described second portion is centered on to form the step of thin slice by described first.

10. method as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, also comprises by a plurality of firsts and a plurality of second portion to form the step of thin slice.

11. method as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that:

Joint between first and second portion folds.

12. method as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, also comprises the step of the adjacent part that joint is formed by described folding step.

13. method as claimed in claim 12 is characterized in that: described engagement step forms by welding, thermal or bonding mode.

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