Patent Application
20120136083
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for stabilizing an article of phylon. In particular, aspects of the invention include stabilizing a phylon midsole that has be expanded upon activation by a foaming agent incorporated therein.
One skilled in the art of footwear manufacturing and design will realize that a midsole component of a shoe may primarily serve as a focus of the shoe's cushioning system. Generally, midsoles are manufactured from foam and provide a consistent firmness throughout. Midsoles constructed of phylon must be “stabilized” to is final size prior to being incorporated into the rest of a shoe. Phylon stabilization involves cooling the phylon, often in an oven in which the temperature is gradually reduced.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Generally, embodiments of the invention relate to a modularized manufacturing that is configured to implement a manufacturing method for stabilizing a phylon article that is produced utilizing a heat press. Initially, the method includes immersing a phylon article in a first tank, with a fluid disposed therein, and withdrawing the phylon article from exposure with the fluid. Typically, the midsole is heated from its production with the heat press when it is placed into the first tank. The immersion in the first tank acts to cool the phylon article via conduction, thereby stabilizing the heated phylon. In some embodiments, the phylon article may be next placed in a second tank, with a fluid disposed therein, and withdrawn from exposure with the fluid. In an exemplary embodiment, the fluid of the first tank resides at range of temperatures that are higher than a range of temperatures at which the fluid of the second tank resides. In other embodiments, the fluid of the first tank resides at range of temperatures that are substantially equivalent to a range of temperatures at which the fluid of the second tank resides. As a result of recursively exposing the heated phylon article to the fluid of the first tank and the fluid of the second tank, the phylon article exhibits an incremental decrease in volume, and possibly deformation, after being bathed in each tank. In other embodiments, the method may include placing the phylon article in a third tank and a fourth tank each with a fluid disposed therein. Typically, the fluid of the second tank resides at range of temperatures that are comparable to or higher than a range of temperatures at which the fluid of the third tank resides, and the fluid of the third tank resides at range of temperatures that are comparable to or higher than a range of temperatures at which the fluid of the fourth tank resides.
The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies.
Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of a modularized manufacturing environment for generating an article of footwear from basic, unprocessed materials. In particular, the modularized manufacturing environment is responsive to direct sales orders and enables the production of personalized footwear that meet the specifications of the orders. This environment may be flexible allowing for various customizations and/or models of a type of footwear (e.g., track-style versus cross-country-style running shoes), and is adaptable to produce various types of footwear (e.g., running shoes versus basketball shoes).
In one configuration, the modularized manufacturing environment is adapted to execute a manufacturing process of single flow customization. This single flow manufacturing process employs a production model that includes micro-manufacturing building blocks referred to herein as molecules. The concept of “molecules” should not be construed as limiting and may encompass any portion of a manufacturing process or device that facilitates a piece of a manufacturing processes. It should be understood and appreciated that the designation of “molecules” is not meant to be limiting, and should be interpreted broadly to include one or a plurality of manufacturing tasks (e.g., fabrication and assembly) that may be performed by independent-functioning processing areas, as well as the devices and personnel that implement the manufacturing tasks designated to a particular molecule.
These separate molecules may be interconnected via a process flow. In one instance, several stages of the manufacturing process are performed within a molecule on a partially-complete footwear article. Upon, performing the last of these stages, the partially-completed footwear article is passed to another molecule as indicated by the production model created for that subject footwear article. In another instance, the last stage of a manufacturing process implemented at one molecule may encompass placing a partially-complete footwear article in a marketplace that feeds into another molecule. This marketplace may include a temporary storage area that holds a plurality of partially-complete footwear articles (e.g., various styles, types, and sizes of shoes) such that they are easily accessible by an operator of the other molecule. Upon removing a partially-complete footwear article from the marketplace, this exemplary temporary storage area may indicate to an operator at the initial molecule to perform a manufacturing process that fills the particular void of the temporary storage area. That is, the marketplace may function as a signaling system to trigger actions (e.g., production or supply of a unit) at the molecules that feed thereto.
Accordingly, the marketplace is an effective tool to accomplish the following goals of the modularized manufacturing environment: maintaining optimized, but lean, inventory levels; providing a signal to replenish (i.e., produce and deliver) a new partially-complete footwear article as a similar article is consumed. Further, the interaction between the molecules reflects a pull system that determines the supply, or production, according to the actual demand of the direct sales orders. Further yet, the manufacturing processes implemented at the various molecules may be performed concurrently, thereby continuously filling and drawing from the marketplaces.
In embodiments, these molecules may be quickly updated to perform various manufacturing processes according to the production model of a particular footwear article. By updating the molecules individually and concurrently, greater flexibility may be achieved by the modularized manufacturing environment, as opposed to a conventional manufacturing system. In addition, molecules may be added or reduced based on the production model of a particular footwear article. For instance, for a complex footwear article, one or more molecules may be incorporated into the modularized manufacturing environment, typically linked to one or more of the established marketplaces. Accordingly, the modularized manufacturing environment is scalable based, in part, on the type of footwear article to be produced, and/or the rate of production desired.
In a particular exemplary utilization of molecules in a manufacturing process, a running-shoe construction process may divided in to various molecules that are assigned individual or shared operations related to fabrication and assembly of the running shoe, in accordance with the production model of the running shoe. By way of example, one molecule may be individually responsible for cutting and printing a design on a section of synthetic leather, while sharing the responsibility of assembling an upper portion of the running shoe with another module. In another example, one molecule may be responsible for manufacturing portion(s) of the running shoe from raw grey goods, such as pelletized rubber for outsoles or phylon for midsoles.
Although various embodiments for practicing the invention with the modularized manufacturing environment, which comprises interlinked molecules, have been described, it should be understood and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other types of suitable production designs for implementing manufacturing processes may be used, and that the embodiments of the invention are not limited to those configurations described herein. Further, the present invention considers utilizing any number of molecules to produce a footwear article, or any other good, and should not be construed as limited to the production of shoes.
One particular module, of the modularized manufacturing environment, may be allocated for implement a manufacturing process that generates an midsole. Generally, a sole comprises the bottom of a shoe. The sole is made up of an midsole and an outsole. The outsole is the layer in direct contact with the ground and may comprise a single piece, or may comprise separate pieces, of material (e.g., dress shoes have leather outsoles while casual or sports-oriented shoes have outsoles made of natural rubber or a synthetic imitations thereof). In contrast, the midsole comprises an interior bottom of a shoe, which sits directly beneath the foot of a user. Many shoes have removable and replaceable midsoles. Further, midsoles are often added for comfort or health reasons, such as to control the shape of the foot or to eliminate moisture.
The systems and methods of the present invention produce a phylon article (e.g., midsole) utilizing a heat press and to stabilize the article upon removal from the heat press. However, people familiar with the field of the invention will realize that manufacturing process related to producing the midsole may be practiced, and divided, by various stages/steps which are different from the specific illustrated procedures. Therefore it is emphasized that the invention is not limited only to the two discrete procedures but is embraces a wide variety of discrete and combined procedures that comprises the midsole manufacturing process.
Initially, embodiments of the procedure for generating the midsole in a heat press from “biscuits,” and the midsole achieved thereby, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the present invention and not to limit the scope thereof. Reference in the specification to an “embodiment” is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least an embodiment of the invention. Further, the appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Referring to the drawings in general, and initially to
Generally, the injection station 125 is configured to generate phylon biscuits 135 from pelletized phylon 120. The pelletized phylon 120 (e.g., ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam pellets) may be stored in an inventory location 115, such as a storage bay. The inventory location 115 may be located within the boundaries of the midsole production molecule 110, removed from the midsole production molecule 110 but within the same facility, or at a remote facility. The inventory location 115 may be organized in such a way that the earliest pelletized phylon 120 stocked to the inventory location 115 may used before later-stocked pelletized phylon 120 (i.e., utilizing a first-in-first-out (FIFO) scheme). Retrieval of the pelletized phylon 120 from the inventory location 120 may based according to a particular time schedule, such as shelf-life of the pelletized phylon 120 or direct sales orders to be satisfied.
Upon conveyance from the inventory location 115 to the injection station 125, the pelletized phylon 120 is heated until molten, but not reaching the point where the foaming agent is activated. In one particular example, a threshold temperature is established (e.g., 100 degrees Celsius) to which the molten phylon is heated. This threshold temperature is typically set below a temperature at which a foaming agent, incorporated within the pelletized phylon 120, is activated. The molten phylon may be injected into one or more pre-forms, or molding cavities, via runners through an injection mold. This injection process is complete upon cooling the molten phylon within the pre-forms such that a plurality of phylon biscuits 135 are generated. The phylon biscuits 135 assume the general shape of the pre-forms and remain substantially hard and inflexible. Accordingly, the pre-forms precisely control the volume of molten phylon injected therein, and the size and shape of the generated phylon biscuits 135. Further, based on the configuration of the cavity of the pre-forms within the infection mold, the phylon biscuits may be generated in a variety of shapes. By way of example only, the phylon biscuits 135 may be formed into a general shape of a marshmallow or may be formed into the complex shape of interlocking pieces.
The finished phylon biscuits 135 are moved from the injection station 125 to the marketplace I 145 for temporary storage. The excess phylon that is captured and cooled in the runners of the injection mold, as well as any other overflow phylon, may be passed to a recycling station 140. Generally, the recycling station 140 is responsible for grinding this excess phylon into pelletized phylon 120 that may be stored in the inventory location 115 and reused at a later time. This process of reusing the excess phylon is made possible because the molten phylon is not heated above the threshold temperature, where the foaming agent is activated. Thus, the molten phylon is not expanded, or “blown,” thereby maintaining the chemical properties of the phylon in tact and allowing it to be reused. In this way, the recycling station 120, in tandem with the injection process of the injection station 125, reduces wasting phylon and the expenses associated therewith.
A selection of the phylon biscuits 135 may be extracted from the marketplace I 145 to be utilized for as the starting materials for forming the phylon article. In other embodiments, the pelletized phylon 120 may be moved from the inventory location 115 and held in the marketplace I 145. This pelletized phylon 120 may then be extracted to be utilized for as the starting materials for forming the phylon article, either individually or in tandem with the selection of the phylon biscuits 135. In an exemplary embodiment, the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are advanced to a pre-heat process prior to placement into, and expansion within, the heat presses 150. In general, the pre-heat process serves to introduce heat internally to the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 such that a consistent expansion is achieved upon heating the preheated phylon biscuits with the heat presses 150. In other words, the pre-heat process generates heat at the inside of the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120, while the heat presses 150 initially heat the surface of the phylon biscuits; thus, uniformly melting the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 via consistent activation of the foaming agent. Further, pre-heating one or more of the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 may offer the advantage of significantly reducing the time it takes to properly expand the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 with the heat presses 180.
In one instance, a microwave 180 is provided to introduce the heat internally to the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120. The microwave 180, as is understood by those of ordinary skill in the relevant field, may be any device that can internally heat an object before or concurrently with heating its outside, such as, but not limited to a food-service microwave (e.g., Magic Chef model # MCB780W that operates at 1.2 kilowatts), an industrial/commercial microwave, an apparatus that is capable of introducing microwaves, or any other form of radiation, into an object, or an oven that heats the inside and outside of an object evenly.
In certain preferred embodiments hereof, the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are heated in the microwave 180 until a threshold temperature at a core location is reached. In another embodiment, the pre-heat process includes introducing heat internally to the phylon biscuit 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 based on a time scale. By way of example only, the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120—either individually or in any combination—may be pre-heated for 65 seconds on a high setting of the Magic Chef style of the microwave 180. However, it should be understood that any method for gauging the amount of heat introduced to the phylon biscuits and/or the pelletized phylon 120 during the pre-heat process may be used, and is contemplated by the present invention.
Upon, completion of the pre-heat process, the pre-heated phylon biscuits and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are passed from the microwave 180 to one or more of the heat presses 150 for placement therein. The heat presses 150 are generally configured to integrate a plurality of the phylon biscuits 135 to form the midsole upon activation. In an exemplary embodiment, integrating includes, at least, raising the selected phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 above a threshold temperature. This threshold temperature of the heat press 150 is greater than the threshold temperature of the injection station 125. In one instance, the threshold temperature of the heat press 150 is established at a temperature high enough to activate the foaming agent incorporated within the pylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120. By way of example only, the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are heated to a threshold temperature set at 160-172 degrees Celsius for a duration of 8-13 minutes. This heat initiates the blowing process that causes the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 to expand to generally twice the size that they were received. In another instance, a target expansion rate may be 160%. In exemplary embodiments, the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are blown at similar expansion rates regardless of their individual density or level of firmness.
As discussed above, the foaming agent incorporated into the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 is responsible for invoking the expansion thereof. The foaming agent is incorporated into the phylon as an ingredient when received in pellet form. Although conventionally referred to in several different manners, such as blowing agent, the ingredient incorporated into the phylon that assists, or is responsible for, causing expansion upon heat activation is referred to herein as the foaming agent.
The foaming agent may be any substance which alone or in combination with other substances is capable of producing a cellular structure in a plastic. Foaming agents may include compressed gases that expand when pressure is released, soluble solids that leave pores when leached out, liquids that develop cells when they change to gases, and chemical agents that decompose or react under the influence of heat to form a gas. By way of example, chemical foaming agents range from simple salts, such as ammonium or sodium bicarbonate, to complex nitrogen releasing agents. In operation, once the heat press 150 arrives at the activation temperature of the foaming agent, a polymer chain of the phylon biscuits begins to break down causing the phylon to attain elastomeric properties such as softness and flexibility. Accordingly, the phylon, once cooled assumes shock absorption characteristics.
In addition, the process of integrating includes, at least, causing the heated phylon biscuits 135 to expand such that each of the phylon biscuits 135 couples with another of the phylon biscuits 135. Or, in other embodiments, the process of integrating includes causing the heated phylon biscuits 135 and the pelletized phylon 120 to expand such that each of the phylon biscuits 135 couples with individual particles of the pelletized phylon 120. In still other embodiments, the process of integrating includes causing the heated pelletized phylon 120 to expand such that each of the individual particles of the pelletized phylon 120 couples with each other. Accordingly, the heat press 150 melds the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 together to form a flexible heated midsole 175. However, persons familiar with the field of the invention will realize that the heat press 150 may be implemented to generate other flexible phylon articles which are different from the specific illustrated embodiment. Therefore, it is emphasized that the invention is not limited only to midsoles, but is embracing of a wide variety of components which fall within the spirit of the following claims.
In an exemplary embodiment, melding the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 together to form the heated midsole 175, includes melting the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 to a viscous material (e.g., a tacky liquid), and maintaining the temperature of the viscous phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 such that they fuse together and cross link to form boundaries. That is, the viscous phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are heated such that they flow to the extend where each interferes with another or a wall of a mold cavity of the heat press 150. Accordingly, although the phylon biscuits 135 and/or the pelletized phylon 120 are expanded and interlink to form the heated midsole 175, there remains a defined separation of the phylon biscuits 135 or the compartmentalization of the pelletized phylon 120.
The heated midsole 175 is then passed to the stabilization station 155 for stabilizing. The process of stabilizing the midsole, when heated from the heat press, will now be discussed with reference to
Initially, the heated midsoles 175 are removed from the molding cavity of the heat press 150, and passed to the stabilization station 155. The stabilization station 155 may comprise a plurality of tanks, such as tank A 210, tank B 220, and tank N 230, that each hold a fluid at a particular temperature. In other embodiments of the stabilization station 155, using a single tank, such as only tank A 210, is considered. The tanks 210, 220, and 230 are referred to hereinafter as baths. The number of baths may vary and may comprise one or more tank. In an exemplary embodiment, three or four baths are used; however, the exact number of baths is determined by, in part, the geometry or composition of the heated midsoles 175. In addition, each of the baths is held a particular temperature. In one instance, a progression of baths is established such the heated midsole 170 is iteratively placed into the baths that each are held at comparable temperatures to one another. In another instance, a progression of baths is established such the heated midsole 170 is initially placed into the bath with the hottest particular temperature (e.g., tank A 210) and finally placed in the bath with the coolest particular temperature (e.g., tank N 230) to render the stabilized midsole 185 in a tiered cooling method. The method utilized for placing the midsole into each of the baths, and withdrawing them therefrom, may be manual (e.g., by gloved hand) or automatic (e.g., by a conveyor mechanism). By way of example only, the stabilization station 155 may include a progression of four baths held at approximately 75, 65, 55, and 45 degrees Celsius. The heated midsole 175 may be stabilized by being submerged by a conveyor into the first bath of 75 degrees, and then into the next incrementally hottest bath until the stabilized midsole 185 is withdraw from the bath held at approximately 54 degrees Celsius.
In operation, placing the midsole in incrementally cooler baths gradually, and controllably, ramps down the temperature of the midsole, thereby reducing the size of the midsole to meet the dimensional criteria of a type and size of footwear. Generally, a water-based fluid may be used in each of the baths. Advantageously, water serves as an efficient conductor of heat, as opposed to the conventional air stabilization systems. That is, water provides many times the conductivity of air; thus, water is capable of drawing heat from the heated midsole 175 at a much faster rate than air. By way of example, a phylon article that took forty-five minutes to stabilize using an air-convection cooling process would take about eight minutes to stabilize in a water-conduction cooling process. Accordingly, the stabilization using water baths is a rapid process for transferring heat away from the heated midsole 175 that results in more consistent parts and less material waste (i.e., eco-friendly).
Further, additional types of fluids may be used in the stabilization station 155 besides simply water. In one embodiment, a water-based fluid may include a cleaning solution that performs a cleaning operation on the heated midsole 175 (i.e., removing dust and allergens), particularly when an ultrasonic washer device (not shown) is incorporated into the stabilization station 155. By way of example, the cleaning solution may be soap or cleaning agent. In another embodiment, a water-based fluid in one or more of the tanks 210, 220, and 230 may include additives that are capable of priming the heated midsole 175 for subsequent application of an adhesive. By way of example, the additive may include a UV-activated chloride salt that penetrates or attaches to the surface of the heated midsole 175 when the heated midsole 175 is immersed in one or more of the tanks 210, 220, and 230 with the priming additives added thereto. Because the progression of baths in the stabilization station 155 inherently cleans the heated midsole 175, and may provide other benefits as discussed above, a bagging procedure may be performed to the stabilized midsole 185 upon its exit from the stabilization station 155. The bagging procedure, in one instance, involves placing the stabilized midsole 185 in a container (e.g., plastic bag) and sealing the container to preserve the cleanliness of and/or the primer attached to the stabilized midsole 185.
Although two different type of additives (cleaning solution and primer additives) have been described, it should be understood and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other types of suitable additives that provide other benefits may be used, and that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to additives described herein. By way of example, a solvent to enhance the conductive properties of the fluids in the baths may be used.
In an exemplary embodiment, there exists three or four baths in the stabilization station 155. In the three-bath configuration, the temperatures of the baths may range from 90 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius. By way of example, the temperature of the first bath may be held at, or around, 90 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the second bath may be held at, or around, 75 degrees Celsius, while the temperature of the third bath may be held at, or around, 45 degrees Celsius. In the four-bath configuration, the temperatures of the baths may range from 90 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius, or even broader, as more baths allow for gradual stabilization over a greater temperature range. By way of example, the temperature of the first bath may be held at, or around, 90 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the second bath may be held at, or around, 75 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the third bath may be held at, or around, 60 degrees Celsius, while the temperature of the fourth bath may be held at, or around, 45 degrees Celsius. Although two different bath configurations of the stabilization station 155 have been described, it should be understood and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other types of suitable configurations of the baths (e.g., sizes, volume of fluid, and number) and temperatures thereof that facilitate stabilization may be used, and that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those configurations described herein. For example, the one or more of the baths may have a substantially similar temperature, or may have a varied temperature within a single bath, based on a location of a heat-exchange element. Heating and/or cooling elements of any type may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Although water-based formulations of the fluid in the baths of the stabilization station 155 have been described, it should be understood and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other types of suitable fluids that provide cooling and stabilization of the heated midsole may be used, and that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to water-based fluids described herein. For instance, an oil-based or alcohol-based fluid may be used. In yet another instance, one or more baths may contain one type of fluid, while other may contain another type of fluid, or various types of fluid. As such, the type of fluid used to in the baths of stabilization station 155 should not be construed as limiting.
In other embodiments, upon stabilizing the midsoles 160 in the baths, the stabilization station may include one or more fans, blowers (e.g., air knife centrifugal blower), and the like, for drying and further cooling/stabilization of the midsoles 160. In one instance, a plurality of blowers is used to further stabilize the midsoles 160 and each blower may be configured to blow air at a particular temperature. By way of example, the temperatures of the air propelled by the blowers may be set incrementally cooler from a first blower to encounter the midsole 160 to the last, over a temperature range. The temperature of the air may be adjustable and may be established by a heat exchanger, a restriction in the air flow, or any other means of generating heat within transient air.
With reference to
In operation of the present system, the midsole 321 is loaded on the conveyor on one of the holders 345 and is carried to, and immersed within, the fluid of bath I 341. The fluid may be heated by the heat exchanger 340, which is located in proximity with the bath I 341, attached to the bath I 341, or submerged therein. Next, the midsole 322 is removed from the bath I 341 an placed in the bath II 342 that may be held at a separate temperature.
Insulation 315 may be provided between the baths 341, 342, 343, and 344 to facilitate maintaining each bath a consistent pre-established temperature, or spacing 335 may be employed to achieve these aspects. Then the conveyer transports the midsole to the next baths 343 and 344 and then to the blower system 310. The midsole 324, upon being further dried and stabilized by the heated air 330, may be unloaded from the handle 345 of the conveyor 320 for storage or further processing. As can be seen, the loading and unloading zones are in relative proximity with each other.
Persons familiar with the field of the invention will realize that the apparatus 300 may be practiced by various devices which are different from the specific illustrated embodiment. Therefore it is emphasized that the invention is not limited only to its embodiment but is embracing of a wide variety of mechanisms that stabilize heated phylon with one or more baths and, optionally, a blower system.
Referring now to
Turning to
With reference to
In operation of the present system, the phylon article 520 (illustrated as a midsole) is loaded on the conveyor 320 on one of the containers 510 and is carried to, and immersed within, the fluid of the bath 580 at stage 502. The fluid may be heated by the heat exchanger, which is located in proximity with or submerged within the fluid. Next, the phylon article 520 drawn through the fluid for a predetermined amount of time until it reaches stage 503, where the phylon article 520 is withdrawn from the fluid. The phylon article 520 is then carried to the loading/unloading station 510, while being further dried and convention-stabilized by air. At this point, the phylon article may be unloaded from the conveyor 320 for bagging, storage, or further processing.
Turning to
As discussed above, the phylon article is generally heated from a fabrication process, such as blowing the phylon article in a heat press. The immersion of the phylon article in a fluid (conduction cooling) promotes cooling of the phylon article at a much faster rate than exposure to air (convention cooling). Accordingly, the process of stabilizing the phylon article is expedited, thus, saving manufacturing time.
However, this faster rate of transferring heat away from the phylon article may cause a shape of the phylon article to deform. For instance, the phylon article may assume a first shape upon being released from the heat press, while assuming a second shape upon achieving stabilization. Accordingly, the first shape of the phylon article, which is controlled by the dimensions of a cavity in a mold, may be designed and fabricated to account for the inherent deformation. Also, other attributes of the phylon article, such as chemical composition, geometry, and size, may be adjusted to account for the deformation. Further, the temperature of the fluid and/or predetermined period of time in which the phylon article is exposed to the fluid in the tank(s) may be manipulated to account for the deformation. Thus, the second shape of the stabilized phylon article can be managed so that the second shape is acceptable for being assembled to corresponding components.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to the system and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/194,471, filed Sep. 26, 2008, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR STABILIZATION OF A PHYLON ARTICLE, herein incorporated by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US09/58616 | 9/28/2009 | WO | 00 | 6/21/2011 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61194471 | Sep 2008 | US |
