This patent relates to an article molded from a mixture of waste wood and binder. More particularly, this patent relates to reel components and a method of making reel components by hot compression molding a mixture of waste wood and a resin binder.
A number of references disclose methods of making articles from waste material and a resin binder. For example, Weyerhaeuser U.S. Pat. No. 2,583,618 discloses a process for hot compression molding articles from a mixture of wood sawdust and resin. A bottom platen is wetted with water prior to molding. Heat is provided by heating the platens. Patton U.S. Pat. No. 2,719,328 discloses a process for hot compression molding articles from a mixture of wood sawdust and resin. Munk U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,897 discloses a tool and process for hot compression molding articles from a mixture of shredded organic matter and resin.
Pringle U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,541 discloses a reel made of 40-70% wood filler, 30-60% scrap thermoplastic and a resin binder. Jacobsen U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,588 discloses a reel made by cold molding a mixture of wood and thermoplastic.
Wooden reels commonly are used to hold wire and cable. The wooden reels serving the marketplace today typically are made of solid wood produced from virgin timber. A common quality complaint with the current wood reels (constructed out of virgin timbers) is breakage; splintering; cracking; etc. Wood reels also utilize a significant number of nails that can become exposed and puncture the wire or cable product.
The present disclosure addresses these needs and concerns by providing a molded reel having improved strength performance(s), smoother surfaces and no nails.
The present disclosure relates to a composition for making a molded article such as a reel flange, and a method making the same.
In one aspect, a composition is provided comprising or consisting essentially of about 75-90 wt % dry waste wood (waste wood dried to a moisture content of about 3 to 6%) and about 10-25 wt % binder, wherein the binder is a melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin or a PMUF resin. The waste wood may be recycled wood fiber from pine or other hardwoods, sawdust and wood chips.
In another aspect, a molded reel flange is provided. The reel flange may comprise a first inner facing surface, a second, outer facing surface spaced axially apart from the inner facing surface, a groove configured to fixedly engage a drum, and a rim radially distant the hub. The reel flange may be made of a mixture of 75-90 wt % dry waste wood and 10-25 wt % resin binder. The flange body may vary in thickness or density.
In another aspect, a method of making a molded wooden article is provided. The method may comprise the following steps:
(a) Drying waste wood and/or wood fiber;
(b) Mixing about 75-90 wt % dry waste wood with about 10-25 wt % MUF resin or PMUF resin binder to make a wood/resin mixture;
(c) Compressing the wood/resin mixture at a pressure while heating the mixture to form a formed product having a desired size and shape.
The molded product may be coated with a moisture barrier compound.
The present disclosure relates to a molded article and a method of making the molded article. It should be understood that, although the description that follows addresses molded reel components such as reel flanges and how to make them, other articles besides reel flanges can be made according to the teachings of this disclosure.
While the invention described herein may be embodied in many forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one or more embodiments with the understanding that this disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the illustrated embodiments.
Reels of the type used to carry heavy wire, cable or the like are commonly made of wood produced from virgin timber. But wood reels are subject to breakage; splintering and cracking. Wood reels also utilize a significant number of nails that can become exposed and puncture the wire or cable.
To address these problems, the present disclosure relates to a molded reel having improved strength performance, smoother surfaces and no nails, and a method of making molded reel components, particularly but not exclusively reel flanges
Each flange 14 may comprise a flange body 23 having a first, inner or drum facing, surface 16 and a second, outer facing surface 18 spaced axially apart from the inner facing surface 16. As noted above, each flange body 23 may define an annular groove 25 on its drum facing surface 16 to receive an end 15, 17 of the drum 12. Each flange body 23 may define a central opening 22. Each flange 14 may comprise a rim or outer perimeter 20 radially distant the central opening 22. The flanges 14 may have any suitable diameter, with 40 to 50 inches being typical.
The flange 14 may be molded to any suitable configuration (shape), including one that varies in thickness or density to save material while maintaining sufficient strength and durability.
Of course, the drum 12 and flange 14 illustrated in
The body 37 has an inner surface 36 (which faces the drum in an assembled reel) and an outer surface 38 spaced axially apart from the inner surface 36. The body 37 may define a central opening 42. The body 37 may have an axis (A) about which it can rotate that corresponds with the axis (A) in the assembled reel.
The rim 40 extends axially away from the body 37 in the outward direction—away from the drum in the assembled reel—and terminates in a substantially circular edge 41. The circular edge 41 defines a outer plane (OP) (
The outer surface 38 of the body 37 may comprise a central hub 39, a (preferably circular) boss 46 located between the hub 39 and the rim 40, and spindles or ribs 44 extending radially between the boss 46 and the rim 40. The boss 46 may be centered around the axis (A) and extends axially outward from the outer surface 38 of the flange body 37. The spindles 44 may be concave when viewed from the outer surface 38 as in
The body 57 has an inner, or drum facing, surface 56 and an outer surface 58 (obscured in
The rim 60 is substantially annular and extends axially away from the body 57 in the outward direction and terminates in a substantially circular edge 61. The circular edge 61 defines a outer plane (OP) (
The outer surface 58 of the body 57 may comprise a central hub 59 and spindles or ribs 64 extending radially outward between the central hub 59 and the rim 60. Each spindle 64 defines a notch 65 for receiving a portion of the male flange boss 46. The notches 65 may be equidistant from the axis (A) and may be located in a circular array about the axis (A). The notches 65 may form a circle having a radius equal to the radius of the boss 46. As is apparent in
The male flange 34 is designed to eliminate the need for a pallet. That is, when the reel 80 is placed on a surface 87 with the male flange 34 down, the male flange 34 provides enough clearance above the surface 87 to allow forklift forks 85 to enter under male flange 34 for handling. Referring to
The male flange 34 and the female flange 54 are designed to enhance reel stackability for improved shipping and handling.
Alternatively, the male and female flanges 34, 54 may be positioned with their inner surfaces facing each other. The annular ring 48 of the male flange 34 functions like a stacking boss by engaging a slightly larger (or smaller) diameter annular ring 68 on the female flange 54 to register the two flanges 34, 54 for better handling and shipping.
The composition of the flanges 34, 54 may comprise or consist essentially of wood waste and a binder. More specifically, the flange composition may comprise about 75-90 wt % (dry) wood waste and about 10-25% binder. The composition does not include any thermoplastic.
The wood waste may be any suitable wood product or mixture of wood products, such as recycled wood or wood fiber from pine or other hardwoods possibly sourced from the wood chip market, sawdust and wood chips. Preferably the waste wood is dried to a moisture content of about 3 to 6%.
The binder may be any suitable binder, and preferably is melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin or a PMUF resin (an MUF resin with a small proportion of phenol).
In one possible variation the flange or other molded article is coated so that the article is waterproof. Any suitable waterproofing coating may be used. For example and without limitation, after conducting water soak tests with various compounds, it has been found that the following coatings may be useful for waterproofing purposes:
1. Flex Seal™ liquid rubber flexible coating available commercially from Swift IP, LLC of Weston, Fla.
2. Barrier Pro 4545™ general purpose latex available commercially from Mallard Creek Polymers of Charlotte, N.C.
3. Wax or wax compositions. Waterproofing an article with wax may be accomplished by submerging the molded article in molten wax for a period of time, such as thirty minutes.
The method 100 may comprise the following steps:
Step 102: Drying waste wood byproduct to a desired dryness. A mixture of recycled wood fiber from pine or other hardwoods may be sized and reduced through a Hammer mill screen, then dried to a pre-determined moisture content, preferably between 3 and 6% or 4.5 and 5%.
Step 104: Mixing about 75 to 90% dried waste wood byproduct with about 10 to 25% binder. Preferably the binder is melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin or a PMUF resin. As noted above, each flange body 23 may define an annular groove 25 on its drum facing surface 16 to receive an end 15, 17 of the drum 12.
Step 106: Compressing the wood/resin mixture in a mold cavity under heated conditions to form a product having the desired geometry (size and shape). Preferably the compression step is done at a pressure of at least 500 psi and perhaps substantially higher.
Heating the mold/mixture activates the binder to form the product. The mold temperature may be about 250 to about 350 F. The mold/platens may be heated to provide the heat of binder activation. Alternatively or additionally, steam may be injected into the mixture prior to compression to speed the core heating.
The cycle time, i.e., time that the wood/resin product resides in the mold can vary, and may be between 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the density of the various parts of the product being formed, the moisture content of the wood/resin, and the heating method used.
Step 108: Removing the formed product from the mold cavity.
Step 110: Sanding, deburring or otherwise finishing the formed product as needed. For example, flashing created by the mold seams may be sanded off during this step.
Step 112: Optionally, coating the formed product with a moisture barrier compound and allowing the coated product to dry to provide a waterproof product.
In a variation on the method described above, prior to the compression step 106 the wood/resin mixture may be pre-pressed to create a preform. This step may comprise cold pressing a weighted charge with a cold press ram to create the preform. Then the preform is transferred to the mold cavity for the compression step.
Thus there has been described a molded wooden reel for use in the wire and cable reel markets and other markets. The reel is constructed is such a manner to meet or exceed all current common specifications of the solid wood reels that dominate the market today.
The molded waste wood reel components are sustainable (since the components are reusable and made from recycled wood) and may exhibit superior strength characteristics—molded wood flanges may be up to 2 to 3 times stronger pound-for-pound compared to two-ply wood flanges. Molded waste wood reel components may also have smooth surfaces and an absence of nails and splinters typically found in conventional wood reels. Also, molded waste wood products of the kind described herein can offset the current virgin timber consumption with waste products from other wood working operations.
In addition to those described herein, examples of reel components that could be manufactured according to this disclosure can be found in co-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,164,588; 8,567,037 and 9,278,827, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Other articles that could be molded according to the disclosure include those disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,397 (pallet) and U.S. Pat. No. 8,317,150 (shipping base).
It is understood that the embodiments of the invention described above are only particular examples which serve to illustrate the principles of the invention. Modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention are contemplated which do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the foregoing teachings and appended claims. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments that fall within their scope.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62358936 | Jul 2016 | US |