DE20011745U1 - Honeycomb molding apparatus for the production of a honeycomb panel - Google Patents

Description

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Description

Honeycomb forming apparatus for producing a honeycomb panel 5

The invention relates to a honeycomb forming apparatus for producing a honeycomb panel.

With the honeycomb forming machine, endless honeycomb panels with honeycombs of any shape can be produced economically.
The honeycomb panels in question are mainly used as support cores for any type of sandwich production. They are used in load-bearing building elements, fulfil insulation functions and are used in applied process engineering and other areas.

For example, honeycomb structures are used to secure the ground as lawn grid panels.

By choosing different plastics and honeycomb geometries, specific parameters of the panels, such as strength values, heat transfer coefficients, specific surface area, surface effects, etc., can be determined.

Safety-relevant characteristics can be influenced as desired. This opens up a wide range of possible applications.

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When designing sandwich construction elements with load-bearing properties, the production of large, relatively stable honeycomb panels has proven to be problematic. These cannot be produced economically using injection molding due to the machine technology required. For the same reason, other processes, such as extrusion followed by molding, cannot be adopted without further inventive effort.

Overall, there was no technical solution available from the state of the art that would enable continuous honeycomb panels to be manufactured with high productivity.

Efforts were therefore required to provide and, in particular, economically manufacture endless honeycomb panels, if possible in series production, specifying the equipment required for this. The honeycomb panels according to the invention should have a relatively high level of stability and be freely definable in their dimensions, in particular in their surface area and in the shape of the honeycombs; overall, the state of the art in the field in question should be further developed and enriched accordingly.

The object of the invention is therefore to develop the apparatus for producing a honeycomb panel which should in principle be available in an endless variety of predefined shapes and dimensions.

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The honeycomb panel is made up of individual pre-profiled strips, plates or foils. These all have half honeycomb profiles and, when lined up and joined together, form a full honeycomb panel with a defined width, height, honeycomb structure and practically unlimited length.
The aforementioned half-honeycomb profiles are positioned in relation to each other,

that complete honeycombs are formed, which have twice the wall thickness at the point of contact. They are firmly joined by a suitable joining process
connected to each other, advantageously by welding, although other joining methods are also conceivable depending on the material selection.

In addition to the formation of similar honeycomb profiles, different geometries can also be realized.

Thermoplastically deformable plastic is preferably used as honeycomb material. In principle, however, the invention is also applicable when using other suitable raw materials, for example various metals, fleeces or

cellulose-containing substances, functional.

The described structure of the honeycomb panel shows that this
can be produced in several process steps.

In a first process step, half-honeycomb profiles are to be produced or prepared in the form of strips, plates or foils. This process step can precede the subsequent operations at a considerable time interval or immediately, with the latter being preferred.

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For this purpose, preheated flat material is advantageously deformed in advance in a continuous process using deep-drawing or embossing. If necessary, convection follows. Alternatively, pre-convectioned half-honeycomb profiles can also be used.

The half-honeycomb profiles are then lined up in a continuous process while heated and joined using a suitable method, preferably by welding. Immediately after joining is complete, the joints in the honeycomb panel must be fixed using suitable process steps, such as convection, natural or forced cooling.
The process can be repeated practically indefinitely. This creates an endless honeycomb panel that can be further processed according to practical needs, for example, it can be made into pieces or shaped into a flat surface.

As already explained, the honeycomb panel is generated ad libitum by adding half-honeycomb profiles η to an already formed half-honeycomb profile or honeycomb panel. The feed can be longitudinal or transverse to the direction of the process. Here, various variants of generation are seen, each of which can be used alternatively and should be considered equivalent.

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In a preferred variant for generating a honeycomb panel, the half-honeycomb profiles are arranged sequentially on the panel. The individual half-honeycomb profiles are positioned individually across the production direction on the overall panel and attached to it.
In terms of the device, the invention proposes a honeycomb forming apparatus whose essential components are a forming area and a joining area. Both are closely linked in terms of equipment. A magazine is also provided for storing the flat material intended for thermoplastic forming, transport devices, frame parts and separating and heating elements.

The molding area is characterized by a stamping die that can be moved horizontally in the direction of production and to which at least one corresponding die tool is assigned as a counterpart. The workpiece in the form of a preheated plastic strip is positioned between them.

The prerequisites for carrying out the forming process are thus met. The stamping die and, if applicable, the die tool, provided that only one tool is included, are arranged so that they can be moved horizontally across the production direction by a defined amount Δλ, so that the required half-honeycomb strips with different shapes can be produced without the already formed half-honeycomb strips, and thus the entire honeycomb panel, having to be moved in the transverse direction.

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Advantageously, two offset forming tools, which are each brought into contact alternately, are used as the die tool.

Since the joining of the individual half-honeycomb strips is preferably carried out at the same time or close to the molding process, the technical means for this are also directly linked to one another. Welding is the preferred joining method. A corresponding joining device is integrated into the honeycomb forming apparatus in the usual way.

One possible process variant is based on the half-honeycomb profiles being positioned and joined to one another in the longitudinal direction of the panel.

The longitudinal alignment of the half-honeycomb profiles used requires that they be fed parallel to the joining area.

Finally, in a third process variant, the half-honeycomb profiles are not available individually but prefabricated in endless form, preferably as a profiled foil. The half-honeycomb rows run transversely to the manufacturing direction of the entire panel, while the manufacturing direction of the foil is longitudinal.

In principle, the honeycomb forming apparatus according to the invention can also be used for these generation variants, although appropriate adaptations and other standard means are necessary.

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Below, a honeycomb forming machine for producing a honeycomb panel with sequential positioning of the half-honeycomb profiles and honeycomb joining transversely to the direction of the process is presented in more detail using drawings. The figures used show the following: Figure 1: Parallel positioning of the half-honeycomb profiles with honeycomb joining

towards litigation;
Figure 2: Sequential positioning of the half-honeycomb profiles during honeycomb assembly

transverse to the direction of the process;

Figure 3: Production of half-honeycomb profiles from a profiled foil with

subsequent joining to form an open honeycomb

Figure 4: Honeycomb forming machine: Schematic diagram of the forming area, situation before

the first forming process;
Figure 5: Honeycomb forming machine: Schematic diagram of the forming area, situation before

the second forming process;

Figure 6: Honeycomb forming apparatus in front view;

Figure 7: Honeycomb forming apparatus in side view;

Figure 8: Honeycomb forming apparatus in top view

The reference symbols used mean:
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1 ϕ ϕ ϕ
φ φ φ φ φ
ϕ ϕ ϕ
ϕ ϕ ϕ honeycomb panel, 2 Half honeycomb profile, 3 Direction of the process control for the production of the honeycomb panels, &phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr; φ φ φφφ φφφ φ·φ
&phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr; φ φ φ &phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr; φ φφφ
&phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr; φ φ φ φ &phgr;&phgr;&phgr;&phgr;

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10

12

14

&Dgr;&Igr;

Feeding of the half-honeycomb profiles, positioning of the half-honeycomb profiles, joining of the half-honeycomb profiles, producing the half-honeycomb profiles, buckling of the half-honeycomb profiles, joining point, forming tool, forming tool, embossing stamp, magazine, flat material, offset dimension.

In Figures 1 to 3, the feeding 4, positioning 5 and joining 6 of half honeycomb profiles 2 to form a honeycomb panel 1 are shown in principle.

The selected examples each involve a honeycomb panel 1 with hexagonal honeycombs, whereby the individual half-honeycomb profiles 2 are connected to one another at the contact points between two adjacent half-honeycomb profiles 2, where the wall thickness is twice as high, using suitable joining methods, preferably welding. All of the contact points, or preferably only those required for a stable bond, are used as joining points 9.

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According to Figure 1, a honeycomb panel 1 is manufactured from half-honeycomb profiles 2 on the basis of individual plastic strips that are initially flat and then deformed or already pre-convected.

A flat strip available as a semi-finished product is formed into the desired profile in a separate process step by embossing or deep drawing and then fed into the processing process.

When using a pre-convection half-honeycomb profile, this step can be omitted and the feed 4 can take place directly. The profiled strips are then positioned towards each other in the direction of the process guide 3 and joined together in this position.

In addition to the usual joining processes based on ultrasound, heat pulse or heat contact, adhesive processes using hot melts and other adhesive systems as well as other joining processes are also possible. The necessary process optimizations to ensure the required strength of the joints 9, for example surface activation, must be carried out.

According to Figure 2, in contrast to the process variant already described, the half-honeycombs 2 are positioned and joined transversely to the direction of the process 3. Here too, the use of flat material in the form of plastic strips η is provided, which, as already described, are formed into half-honeycombs 2 by appropriate deformation steps or are already available as such.

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Characteristic of this process variant is the sequential arrangement of half honeycomb strips 2 on the honeycomb panel 1. The remaining process steps are basically the same as those described at the beginning.

Figure 3 shows a further variant of the generation of a honeycomb panel 1. In principle, this variant enables the production of a honeycomb panel 1 with the special feature that the half-honeycomb profiles 2 are not individual plastic strips, but rather profiled films in half-honeycomb form that are first produced by processing and shaping and then joined.

For this purpose, the half-honeycomb profile 2 is produced in the desired width, for example by extrusion, provided with appropriate perforations and then folded. To produce the desired fold, a suitable pre-treatment of the folds, for example by local heating, must be carried out alternately with the perforations in order to avoid the plastic material breaking during folding. The subsequent joining of the half-honeycomb profiles takes place according to the features already described.

The process variant is characterized by the sequential construction of the half-honeycomb rows from a continuously provided film, wherein the individual half-honeycomb profiles 2 are oriented transversely and the production direction of the film is oriented longitudinally to the process control direction 3 for the production of the honeycomb panel 1.

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A possible design variant for a honeycomb forming apparatus for producing a honeycomb panel 1 according to the features of the process variant shown in Figure 2 is shown in Figures 4 to 8.

The honeycomb forming machine has a forming area and a joining area as essential components. Both areas are closely linked to each other in terms of equipment.

In the periphery of these central production areas, a magazine 13 for storing the flat material 14 intended for thermoplastic deformation, transport devices, frame parts as well as separating and heating elements are arranged in the usual manner.

In the example, the magazine 13 is designed as a drum on which the flat material 14 is rolled up.

With the interposition of a cutting device and corresponding transport elements, this is available in the form of plastic strips as individual workpieces of defined length for deformation.

The molding area is characterized by a stamping die 12 that can be moved horizontally in the direction of production and to which at least one corresponding die tool is assigned as a counterpart. The flat material 14 is positioned between them.

In the example, two forming tools 10 and 11 arranged offset by the dimension &Dgr;&Igr; are used as matrix tools. These can be sunk individually and are brought into contact alternately.

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The stamping die 12 must necessarily follow the position of the forming tools 10 or 11. Ei; is thus also arranged to be transversely displaceable to the production direction by the offset dimension &Dgr;1.

The flat material 14 is formed into strip-shaped half-honeycomb profiles 2, alternating between the stamping die 12 and one of the forming tools 10 or 11. The last formed half-honeycomb strip must advantageously be attached to the previously completed half-honeycomb profile 2 immediately after forming and firmly connected to it. For this purpose, standard technical procedures are to be applied using the appropriate joining technology, for example in the form of a welding apparatus designed for the intended purpose.

Claims (3)

1. Honeycomb forming apparatus for producing a honeycomb panel, characterized in that the functions of producing ( 7 ) half-honeycomb profiles ( 2 ), feeding ( 4 ) and positioning ( 5 ) them relative to one another and subsequent joining ( 6 ) thereof are implemented in the apparatus, whereby the production ( 7 ) of half-honeycomb profiles ( 2 ) can be outsourced, and which for this purpose consists of a forming and joining area, optionally further technical means for storing, cutting and transporting the flat material ( 14 ), furthermore corresponding handling devices for the half-honeycomb profiles ( 2 ) and for the finished honeycomb panel ( 1 ), furthermore of frame parts, separating and finishing devices, heating elements and other peripheral devices. 2. Honeycomb forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the forming area is formed by an embossing stamp ( 12 ) which is horizontally movable in the production direction and which is opposed by at least one corresponding die tool, the workpiece in the form of a preheated plastic strip being positioned between them, that the embossing stamp ( 22 ) is arranged horizontally by a defined offset dimension (ΔI) transversely displaceable to the conveying direction ( 3 ) and the die tool can be positioned accordingly to the embossing stamp ( 12 ), wherein several die tools can also be used. 3. Honeycomb forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that two forming tools ( 10 and 11 ) are used as matrix tools, which are arranged offset by the dimension (ΔI), whereby these can be sunk individually and can each be brought into contact alternately with the embossing stamp ( 12 ) in such a way that the embossing stamp ( 12 ) moves to the position of the forming tool ( 10 ) or the forming tool ( 11 ).