Method for producing roof drainage element

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a roof drainage element, comprising the following steps: i) providing a digital model of a roof drainage element (1); and ii) manufacturing the roof drainage element (1) by additive manufacturing based on the digital model; wherein the roof drainage element (1) comprises a base plate (2) having upper and lower main surfaces (21, 22) and at least one hollow tubular portion (3) extending outwardly from the upper main surface (21) of the base plate (2), and step ii) comprises: ii1) providing the base plate (2); and H2) manufacturing the tubular portion (3) onto the upper main surface (21) of the substrate (2) by using a 3D printer, preferably using a fuse manufacturing or melt particle manufacturing printer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a roof drain element for sealing rainwater outlets in flat roof structures. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing roof drains and overflows by using additive manufacturing means. Background Art

[0002] In the field of waterproofing of above-ground buildings, various accessories and details are used to seal penetrations that are required, for example, for the installation of pipes, cables and rainwater outlets. In particular, flat roofs require suitable drainage systems to avoid excessive water ingress in case of rain. Rainwater outlets that are located at the level of the roof and extend in the vertical direction are sealed with roof drains, while roof overflow pipes are used to seal rainwater outlets that extend horizontally through the parapet walls.

[0003] Roof drains and overflows are complex three-dimensional articles that are provided as prefabricated detail parts in various sizes and / or colors. Manufacturing these parts by injection molding is usually not efficient, mainly due to the small order quantities of various types of detail parts, which are on the order of 10 to 100. Moreover, the detail parts must be heat weldable to the roof membrane, and they must provide the same weathering properties as the roof membrane, which basically prevents these parts from being provided as a standardized solution.

[0004] Therefore, roof drains and overflow pipes are handmade from die-cut polymer sheets. For polyvinyl chloride (PVC) roofs, the sheet material is unplasticized PVC-u, while for thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofs, polypropylene sheets are used.

[0005] Typically, the base and other parts of a roof drain / overflow are provided by die-cutting and then joined to one another by "extrusion welding", which is a combination of heat welding and the application of a bead of polymer melt. The use of extrusion welding is necessary, otherwise the rigid die-cut parts cannot be joined to form a completely waterproof object. However, the localized heating carried out during extrusion welding produces considerable strains in the material, which can lead to warping or even cracking and ultimately loss of watertightness of the manufactured detail. Hand-made roof drains and overflows are also very sensitive to impact and can easily be damaged by being dropped.

[0006] Therefore, there is a great need for an efficient method to manufacture custom-made roof drainage elements in terms of shape and color, which avoids the use of hot extrusion and the attendant thermal stresses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1A roof drainage element (1) is shown, comprising a base plate (2) having an upper main surface (21) and a lower main surface (22) and a hollow tubular portion (3) extending outwardly from the upper main surface (21) of the base plate (2).

[0008] Figure 2 A roof drainage element (1) is shown, comprising a base plate (2) having an upper main surface (21) and a lower main surface (22) and two hollow tubular portions (31, 32) extending outwardly from the upper main surface (21) of the base plate (2).

[0009] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Photographic representations showing the roof drainage element during and after the 3D printing process.

[0010] In the drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals. Summary of the invention

[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a custom-made roof drainage element for sealing rainwater outlets in flat roofs.

[0012] It has surprisingly been found that this object can be achieved by the features of claim 1 .

[0013] In particular, it has been found that custom-made roof drainage elements having complex three-dimensional shapes can be efficiently manufactured by additive manufacturing using a 3D printer. The method of the invention avoids the use of hot extrusion, so that the roof detail parts are not subjected to thermal stresses during their manufacture. Therefore, the risk of material failure when using such detail parts is significantly lower than when using hand-made parts using the prior art.

[0014] One of the advantages of the method according to the invention is that the production of the roof drainage element by means of an additive manufacturing process allows the production of individual individual items at very low costs. In particular, the cost per component is substantially independent of the batch size. Furthermore, it can be ensured that the roof drainage element provides the same quality as the roof membrane (which is usually used for waterproofing the roof structure).

[0015] Further subject matter of the invention is defined in other independent claims.Preferred embodiments are outlined throughout the description and in the dependent claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The subject of the invention is a method for producing a roof drainage element, comprising the following steps:

[0017] i) providing a digital model of the roof drainage element (1); and

[0018] ii) manufacturing the roof drainage element by additive manufacturing based on the digital model (1),

[0019] The roof drainage element (1) comprises a substrate (2) having an upper main surface (21) and a lower main surface (22) and at least one hollow tubular portion (3) extending outwardly from the upper main surface (21) of the substrate (2).

[0020] And step ii) comprises:

[0021] ii1) providing a substrate (2); and

[0022] ii2) The tubular portion (3) is manufactured on the upper main surface (21) of the substrate (2) by using a 3D printer (preferably a fused filament fabrication printer or a fused particle fabrication printer).

[0023] The abbreviation 3D is used throughout the present disclosure to represent the term “three-dimensional”.

[0024] The term "polymer" refers to a collection of chemically homogeneous macromolecules produced by polymerization reactions (polymerization, polyaddition, polycondensation) of monomers of the same or different types, wherein the macromolecules differ in their degree of polymerization, molecular weight and chain length. The term also includes derivatives of the collection of macromolecules produced by polymerization, that is, compounds obtained by reaction (e.g. addition or substitution) of functional groups in predetermined macromolecules, which compounds may be chemically homogeneous or chemically inhomogeneous.

[0025] The term "melting temperature" refers to the temperature at which a material changes from a solid state to a liquid state. The melting temperature (Tm) is preferably determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) (according to ISO 11357-3 standard, using a 2°C / min heating rate). The measurement can be performed using a Mettler Toledo DSC 3+ device, and the Tm value can be determined from the measured DSC curve with the help of DSC software. In the case where the measured DSC curve shows several peak temperatures, the first peak temperature from the lower temperature side in the thermogram is taken as the melting temperature (Tm).

[0026] The term "glass transition temperature" (Tg) refers to the temperature above which a polymer component becomes soft and flexible and below which it becomes hard and vitrified. The glass transition temperature (Tg) is preferably determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) as the peak of the loss modulus (G") curve using an applied frequency of 1 Hz and a strain level of 0.1%.

[0027] The "amount or content of at least one component X" in a composition (e.g. "amount of at least one polymer P") refers to the sum of the individual amounts of all polymers P contained in the composition. Moreover, in case the composition contains 20% by weight of at least one polymer P, the sum of the amounts of all polymers P contained in the composition is equal to 20% by weight.

[0028] According to the ISO 52900-2015 standard, the term "additive manufacturing (AM)" refers to technologies that use successive layers of material to create 3D objects. In an AM process, material is deposited, applied or cured under computer control based on a digital model of the 3D object to be manufactured in order to create a 3D article.

[0029] Additive manufacturing methods are also referred to using terms such as "generative manufacturing methods" or "3D printing". The term "3D printing" was originally used for AM processes based on inkjet printing that were created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the 1990s. Compared to conventional techniques based on creating objects by molding / casting or subtracting / machining material from an original object, additive manufacturing techniques follow a fundamentally different approach to manufacturing. In particular, the design of individual objects can be changed without increasing manufacturing costs, thereby providing customized manufacturing solutions for a wide range of products.

[0030] Typically, in an AM process, a shapeless material (e.g., liquid, powder, granule, paste, etc.) and / or a shape-neutral material (e.g., tape, wire, filament) that is specifically subjected to chemical and / or physical processing (e.g., melting, polymerization, sintering, curing, or hardening) is used to manufacture a 3D article. The main categories of AM technologies include VAT photopolymerization, material extrusion, material jetting, binder jetting, powder bed fusion, direct energy deposition, and sheet lamination technology.

[0031] According to the present invention, at least one hollow tubular portion is fabricated (ie printed) onto the upper major surface of the substrate by using a fused filament fabrication or fused particle fabrication 3D printer.

[0032] In fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing (also known as fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing), a polymer material in the form of a filament is used to manufacture a 3D article based on a digital model of the 3D article. A "digital model" refers to a digital representation of a real-world object (e.g., a sealing element) that accurately replicates the shape of the object. For example, a digital model can be created by using CAD software or a 3D object scanner. Typically, the digital model is stored in a computer-readable data storage device, particularly in a data file. The data file format can be, for example, a computer-aided design (CAD) file format or a G-code (also known as RS-274) file format.

[0033] Fused particle fabrication (FPF) printing, also known as fused granule fabrication (FGF) printing, differs from FFF printing only in that the polymer material is provided in particulate form, such as pellets or pellets, rather than filaments.

[0034] In FFF and FPF printing, polymer filaments / particles are fed into a moving printer extrusion head, heated above their glass transition or melting temperature, and then deposited in a series of layers in a continuous manner through a heated nozzle of the printer extrusion head. After deposition, the polymer material layer solidifies and fuses with the layers already deposited.

[0035] The printer extrusion head moves under computer control to determine the printed shape based on control data calculated from the digital model of the 3D article. Typically, the digital model of the 3D article is first converted into an STL file to inlay the 3D shape and slice it into digital layers. Custom machine software is then used to transfer the STL file to the 3D printer. A control system (such as a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software package) is used to convert the STL file into control data for controlling the printing process. Typically, the printer extrusion head moves in two dimensions to deposit one horizontal surface or layer at a time. The object being formed and / or the printer extrusion head then moves vertically a small amount to begin depositing a new layer.

[0036] The substrate provided in step ii1) of the method is preferably a sheet-like element having a width, a length and a thickness defined between an upper main surface and a lower main surface.

[0037] Preferably, the base plate and the at least one hollow tubular portion consist of polymeric materials that are heat-weldable to each other. The expression "heat-weldable" should be understood to mean that articles consisting of polymeric materials can be connected to each other by heat welding in order to obtain sufficient interlayer peel strength.

[0038] According to one or more embodiments, the substrate is an injection molded, compression molded or die-cut component, preferably a die-cut component.

[0039] The dimensions of the substrate in terms of length, width and thickness are not particularly limited, and these dimensions depend mainly only on the application requirements.

[0040] According to one or more embodiments, the substrate has:

[0041] -0.05-0.25m 2 The surface area is preferably 0.1-0.2m 2 , and / or

[0042] - A thickness of 0.5-10 mm, preferably 2.5-7.5 mm.

[0043] The substrate may have any conventional shape, such as circular, square, hexagonal, rectangular, polygonal, parallelogram, rhombus or elliptical. According to one or more preferred embodiments, the substrate has a circular or rectangular shape.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate has the shape and size of a DIN A2, DIN A3 or DIN A4 sheet.

[0045] The at least one hollow tubular portion preferably has a first and a second end opening, an inner surface and an outer surface and a fluid channel extending in the longitudinal direction of the hollow tubular portion. In the context of the present invention, the term "hollow" should be understood to mean that the tubular portion encloses a cavity, i.e. a fluid channel. The first end opening is located at the end of the hollow tubular portion closest to the substrate, while the second end opening is located at the opposite end of the hollow tubular portion.

[0046] The fluid passage of each hollow tubular portion preferably extends through the substrate. In other words, the substrate comprises an opening for each hollow tubular portion, wherein the first end opening of the hollow tubular portion coincides with the opening of the substrate.

[0047] The cross-section of the at least one hollow tubular portion may have any conventional shape, such as circular, square, hexagonal, rectangular, polygonal, parallelogram, rhombus or elliptical.

[0048] According to one or more preferred embodiments, at least one hollow tubular portion has a circular or rectangular cross-section.

[0049] In the case of multiple hollow tubular elements, a rectangular shape is generally preferred.

[0050] According to one or more embodiments, the roof drainage element comprises at least two hollow tubular sections with a rectangular cross section, wherein adjacent hollow tubular sections are connected to each other via a common side wall. The expression "connected via a common side wall" should be understood to mean that two hollow tubular sections with a rectangular cross section share one of their four side walls as a common side wall. Examples of roof drainage elements according to these embodiments are described in Figure 2 The right side of .

[0051] According to one or more embodiments, the roof drainage element comprises at least three hollow tubular sections, preferably with a rectangular cross section, wherein adjacent hollow tubular sections are connected to each other by a common side wall.

[0052] The dimensions of the at least one hollow tubular portion are not particularly limited in terms of length and wall thickness, which dimensions depend primarily only on application requirements. Here, the term "wall thickness" refers to the thickness defined between the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow tubular element.

[0053] According to one or more embodiments, at least one hollow tubular element has:

[0054] - a length of 10-100 cm, preferably 20-75 cm, and / or

[0055] - A wall thickness of 0.25 to 10 mm, preferably 1.5 to 7.5 mm.

[0056] According to one or more embodiments, the inner surface of at least one hollow tubular element has a grid structure. Such a grid structure can be used to prevent leaves and other debris accumulated on the roof from passing through the rainwater outlet.

[0057] The substrate or the upper main surface of the substrate and the at least one hollow tubular portion preferably consists of a polymer material comprising at least one polymer P. In particular, the substrate may be a metal plate coated with a polymer material, wherein the upper main surface of the substrate consists of the polymer material.

[0058] The composition of the polymer material depends mainly on the type of substrate to be sealed with the roof drainage element. For example, in the case where the rainwater outlet to be sealed passes through a roof membrane composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the main polymer component of the polymer material is preferably PVC in order to ensure that the substrate can be fastened to the roof membrane by heat welding.

[0059] Furthermore, the polymer material should be suitable for 3D printing. In practice, this means that articles made from the polymer material using 3D printing should show a minimal amount of shrinkage and number of defects.

[0060] According to one or more embodiments, the substrate or the upper main surface of the substrate and / or the at least one hollow tubular portion consists of a polymer material comprising:

[0061] a) at least 35% by weight of at least one polymer P, preferably at least 45% by weight, preferably selected from polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins, halogenated polyolefins, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, rubbers and ethyl ketones, and

[0062] b) at least 0.5% by weight of at least one inorganic filler F, preferably at least 1.5% by weight, all proportions being based on the total weight of the polymer material.

[0063] The term "polyolefin" in the present invention refers to homopolymers and copolymers obtained by (co)polymerization of olefin monomers.

[0064] According to one or more embodiments, the polymer material comprises 35-95 wt % of at least one polymer P, preferably 40-90 wt %, more preferably 45-85 wt %, even more preferably 50-80 wt %, based on the total weight of the polymer material.

[0065] According to one or more preferred embodiments, the at least one polymer P is selected from polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, propylene copolymers, ethylene propylene diene monomers and ethyl ketones.

[0066] The term "copolymer" as used herein refers to a polymer derived from more than one monomer ("structural unit"). The polymerization of monomers into a copolymer is called copolymerization. Copolymers obtained by copolymerization of two monomeric species are called binary copolymers, and copolymers obtained from three and four monomeric species are called terpolymers and tetrapolymers, respectively.

[0067] Suitable polypropylenes for use as at least one polymer P include, for example, isotactic polypropylene (iPP), syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) and homopolymer polypropylene (hPP), preferably having a melting temperature (Tm) equal to or higher than 100°C, preferably equal to or higher than 105°C, more preferably equal to or higher than 110°C, the melting temperature (Tm) being determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) according to ISO 11357-3:2018 standard using a heating rate of 2°C / min.

[0068] Suitable propylene copolymers for use as the at least one polymer P include propylene ethylene random and block copolymers and propylene and one or more C4-C 20 Random and block copolymers of α-olefin monomers, particularly one or more of 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene and 1-hexadecene, preferably contain at least 60 wt% propylene-derived units, more preferably at least 65 wt% (based on the weight of the copolymer).

[0069] Suitable propylene random and block copolymers are commercially available, for example under the trade name and Versify (from Dow Chemical Company) and trade names (From Exxon Mobil).

[0070] Other suitable propylene copolymers for use as at least one polymer P include heterophasic propylene copolymers. These are heterophasic polymer systems comprising a high crystallinity basic polyolefin and a low crystallinity or amorphous polyolefin modifier. The heterophasic phase morphology includes a matrix phase consisting mainly of a basic polyolefin and a dispersed phase consisting mainly of a polyolefin modifier. Suitable commercially available heterophasic propylene copolymers include reactor mixtures of basic polyolefins and polyolefin modifiers, also known as "in-situ TPO" or "reactor TPO" or "impact copolymers (ICP)", which are usually prepared in a sequential polymerization process, wherein the components of the matrix phase are prepared in a first reactor and transferred to a second reactor, and the components of the dispersed phase are prepared in a second reactor and incorporated into the matrix phase as domains. Heterophasic propylene copolymers comprising a polypropylene homopolymer as a base polymer are generally referred to as "heterophasic propylene copolymers (HECO)", while heterophasic propylene copolymers comprising a polypropylene random copolymer as a base polymer are generally referred to as "heterophasic propylene random copolymers (RAHECO)". The term "heterophasic propylene copolymer" includes heterophasic propylene copolymers of the HECO and RAHECO types in the present invention.

[0071] Commercially available heterophasic propylene copolymers are usually characterized as "impact copolymers" (ICP) or "reactor-TPO" or "soft-TPO", depending on the amount of polyolefin modifier. The main difference between these types of heterophasic propylene copolymers is that the amount of polyolefin modifier is usually lower in ICP than in reactor-TPO and soft-TPO, e.g. not more than 40 wt.%, in particular not more than 35 wt.%. Thus, typical ICPs tend to have a lower xylene cold soluble (XCS) content (determined according to ISO 16152 2005 standard) and a higher flexural modulus (determined according to ISO 178:2010 standard) than reactor-TPO and soft-TPO.

[0072] Suitable heterophasic propylene copolymers include reactor TPO and soft TPO made using LyondellBasell's Catalloy process technology, which are available under the trade names and To obtain commercially, for example CA 10A, CA 12A and CA 60A and Hifax CA 212A. Other suitable heterophasic propylene copolymers are available under the trade names (from Borealis Polymers) are commercially available, for example SD233CF.

[0073] According to one or more preferred embodiments, the at least one polymer P is selected from polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and propylene copolymers.

[0074] According to one or more embodiments, at least one polymer P comprises:

[0075] at least one propylene polymer P1 having a flexural modulus of at least 150 MPa, preferably at least 250 MPa, determined according to ISO 178:2019, and / or

[0076] at least one propylene-based elastomer P2 having a flexural modulus determined according to ISO 178:2019 standard of not more than 100 MPa, preferably not more than 75 MPa.

[0077] Generally, the expression "at least one compound X comprises at least one compound XN" (e.g. "at least one polymer P comprises at least one propylene polymer P1") is to be understood in the context of the present invention to mean that the polymeric material comprises one or more propylene polymers P1 as representatives of the at least one polymer P.

[0078] According to one or more embodiments, at least one propylene polymer P1 has:

[0079] - a melting temperature (Tm) of 105°C or higher, preferably 110°C or higher, more preferably 115°C or higher, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) according to ISO 11357-3:2018 using a heating rate of 2°C / min, and / or

[0080] - The xylene cold soluble fraction measured according to ISO 16152 2005 standard is not more than 60% by weight, preferably not more than 50% by weight.

[0081] According to one or more embodiments, at least one propylene polymer P1 is a propylene copolymer, preferably having a propylene content of at least 25 wt%, more preferably at least 35 wt%, even more preferably at least 45 wt%, based on the weight of the propylene copolymer. The monomer / comonomer content of the copolymer refers to the total amount of the corresponding monomer / comonomer given in wt% or mol%. The monomer / comonomer content can be determined by IR spectroscopy or by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement.

[0082] Particularly suitable propylene copolymers include, for example, propylene-α-olefin copolymers and terpolymers and heterophasic propylene copolymers.

[0083] Particularly suitable propylene-α-olefin copolymers are commercially available, for example under the trade name (from Ineos), e.g. P KS 359; Trade name (from Propilco), e.g. 07R87; Product Name (from Total), e.g. 6290; Product name (from LyondellBasell), e.g. PR 310M, PR 320M and PR 220M; and trade name (from LyondellBasell), e.g. RC2472.

[0084] According to one or more embodiments, at least one propylene-based elastomer P2 has:

[0085] - a melting temperature (Tm) of 95°C or lower, preferably 90°C or lower, more preferably 85°C or lower, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) according to ISO 11357-3:2018 using a heating rate of 2°C / min, and / or

[0086] - a xylene cold soluble content of at least 90% by weight, preferably at least 95% by weight, more preferably at least 97.5% by weight, determined according to ISO 16152 2005 standard.

[0087] According to one or more embodiments, at least one propylene-based elastomer P2 is a propylene-ethylene copolymer having: a propylene content of at least 60 wt%, preferably at least 70 wt% (based on the weight of the copolymer); and an ethylene content of 5-20 wt%, preferably 12-18 wt% (based on the weight of the copolymer).

[0088] Particularly suitable propylene-based elastomers are commercially available, for example under the trade name (from Dow Chemicals) and trade name (from Exxon Mobil), e.g. 6102 and 6102.

[0089] According to one or more embodiments, at least one polymer P comprises:

[0090] 5 to 70 wt. % of at least one propylene polymer P1, preferably 10 to 65 wt. %, more preferably 15 to 65 wt. %, even more preferably 20 to 60 wt. %, still more preferably 25 to 60 wt. %, and / or

[0091] 5-75 wt. % of at least one propylene-based elastomer P2, preferably 10-70 wt. %, more preferably 15-65 wt. %, even more preferably 20-65 wt. %, all proportions being based on the total weight of the at least one polymer P.

[0092] Polymer materials also include:

[0093] b) at least 0.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer material, of at least one inorganic filler F, preferably at least 1.5% by weight.

[0094] Suitable compounds for use as the at least one inorganic filler F include, for example, mineral fillers such as sand, granite, calcium carbonate, clay, expanded clay, diatomaceous earth, pumice, mica, kaolin, talc, dolomite, xonotlite, perlite, vermiculite, wollastonite, barite, magnesium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, calcium aluminate, silicon dioxide, fumed silica, fused silica, aerogels, glass beads, hollow glass spheres, ceramic spheres, bauxite, crushed concrete and zeolites.

[0095] Preferably, the at least one inorganic filler F has a water solubility of less than 0.1 g / 100 g water at a temperature of 20° C., more preferably less than 0.05 g / 100 g water, even more preferably less than 0.01 g / 100 g water. The solubility of a compound in water can be measured by the saturation concentration at which the addition of more compound does not increase the concentration of the solution, i.e., the excess material begins to precipitate. The water solubility of a compound in water can be measured using the standard "shake bottle" method defined in OECD Test Guide 105 (adopted on July 27, 1995).

[0096] According to one or more embodiments, the median particle size d of the at least one inorganic filler F is 50 Not more than 150 μm, preferably not more than 100 μm, more preferably not more than 50 μm, even more preferably not more than 35 μm.

[0097] The term "particle size" in the present invention refers to the area equivalent spherical diameter (Xarea) of the particle. The term "median particle size d 50 "In the present invention, it refers to a particle size below which 50% of the volume of all particles is smaller than d 50 The particle size distribution can be determined by sieve analysis according to the method described in the ASTM C136 / C136M-2014 standard ("Standard Test Method for Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse Granular Materials").

[0098] According to one or more embodiments, the median particle size d of the at least one inorganic filler F is 50In the range of 0.1-50 μm, preferably 0.25-35 μm, more preferably 0.5-25 μm, even more preferably 1-15 μm.

[0099] According to one or more embodiments, at least one inorganic filler F is selected from the group consisting of sand, granite, calcium carbonate, clay, expanded clay, diatomaceous earth, pumice, mica, kaolin, talc, dolomite, xonotlite, perlite, vermiculite, wollastonite, barite, magnesium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, calcium aluminate, silica, fumed silica, fused silica, aerogel, glass beads, hollow glass balls, ceramic balls, bauxite, crushed concrete and zeolite, preferably selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, clay, expanded clay, diatomaceous earth, pumice, mica, kaolin, talc, dolomite, xonotlite, perlite, vermiculite, wollastonite, barite, calcium hydroxide, calcium aluminate, silica, fumed silica and fused silica.

[0100] According to one or more embodiments, the at least one inorganic filler F comprises calcium carbonate, wherein the amount of calcium carbonate preferably accounts for at least 15 wt. %, preferably at least 35 wt. %, more preferably at least 50 wt. %, even more preferably at least 75 wt. %, and even more preferably at least 85 wt. % of the total weight of the at least one inorganic filler F.

[0101] The polymer material may also contain one or more additives, such as reinforcing fibers, flame retardants or color pigments.

[0102] According to one or more embodiments, the polymer material further comprises at least one reinforcing fiber material RF, preferably selected from milled glass fibers, aramid fibers, wollastonite fibers and carbon fibers.

[0103] Suitable reinforcing fibers have an average fiber length in the range of 100-500 μm (preferably 150-350 μm) and / or an average fiber diameter in the range of 5-50 μm (preferably 10-35 μm). The term "average fiber length / diameter" refers to the arithmetic mean of the individual lengths / diameters of the fibers in a sample or collection or in a statistically significant and representative random sample drawn from these samples or collections. The term "fiber diameter" in the present invention refers to the equivalent diameter of the fiber determined according to the EN 14889-2:2006 standard.

[0104] The fiber length and diameter can be determined by using a dynamic image analysis method according to ISO 13322-2:2006, for example using a dry dispersion method in which the particles are dispersed in air, preferably by using an air pressure dispersion method. Any type of dynamic image analysis device can be used for the measurement, for example a Camsizer XT device (trademark of Retsch Technology GmbH).

[0105] According to one or more embodiments, the polymer material further comprises at least one flame retardant FR, preferably selected from the group consisting of magnesium hydroxide, aluminum trihydroxide, antimony trioxide, ammonium polyphosphate and melamine-, melamine resin-, melamine derivative-, melamine-formaldehyde-, silane-, siloxane- and polystyrene-coated ammonium polyphosphate.

[0106] Other suitable flame retardants for use as at least one flame retardant include, for example, 1,3,5-triazine compounds such as melamine, melam, melem, melon, ammeline, ammeline, 2-ureidomelamine, acetoguanamine, benzoguanamine, diaminophenyltriazine, melamine salts and adducts, melamine cyanurate, melamine borate, melamine orthophosphate, melamine pyrophosphate, dimelamine pyrophosphate and melamine polyphosphate, oligomeric and polymeric 1,3,5-triazine compounds and polyphosphates of 1,3,5-triazine compounds, guanine, piperazine phosphate, piperazine polyphosphate, ethylenediamine phosphate, pentaerythritol, borophosphate, 1,3,5-trishydroxyethyl isocyanaurate, 1,3,5-triglycidyl isocyanaurate, triallyl isocyanurate and derivatives of the above compounds.

[0107] Suitable flame retardants are commercially available, for example under the trade name and (both from Albemarle) and trade names (from Clariant), (from Phos-Check) and FR (from Budenheim).

[0108] According to one or more embodiments, at least one flame retardant FR (if used) is present in the polymer material in an amount of 1-60 wt %, preferably 1.5-50 wt %, 5-40 wt %, more preferably 10-35 wt %, even more preferably 15-35 wt %, based on the total weight of the polymer material.

[0109] According to one or more embodiments, the polymer material further comprises at least one color pigment CP, preferably selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, zinc sulfide, barium sulfate, iron oxide, mixed metal iron oxide, aluminum powder and graphite.

[0110] Preferably, at least one color pigment CP has a median particle size d of not more than 1000 nm. 50 , more preferably not more than 750 nm, even more preferably not more than 500 nm. According to one or more embodiments, at least one color pigment CP has a median particle size d in the range of 50-1000 nm.50 , preferably 75-750 nm, more preferably 100-650 nm, even more preferably 125-500 μm, still more preferably 150-350 nm, most preferably 200-300 nm.

[0111] According to one or more embodiments, at least one color pigment CP (if used) is present in the polymer material in an amount of 0.1-15 wt %, preferably 0.5-12.5 wt %, 1-10 wt %, more preferably 1.5-7.5 wt %, based on the total weight of the polymer material.

[0112] The polymer material may also contain one or more UV stabilizers, preferably at least one hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS). Typically, these types of compounds are added to polymer mixtures in order to prevent light-induced polymer degradation.

[0113] Suitable hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) include, for example, bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl)-sebacate; bis-5(1,2,2,6,6-pentamethylpiperidinyl)-sebacate; n-butyl-3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzylmalonate bis(1,2,2,6,6,-pentamethylpiperidinyl); condensation products of 1-hydroxyethyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-hydroxy-piperidine and succinic acid; N,N'- Condensation products of (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl)-hexamethylenediamine and 4-tert-octylamino-2,6-dichloro-1,3,5-s-triazine; tris-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl)-nitrilotriacetate; tetrakis-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)-1,2,3,4-butane-tetracarbonic acid; and 1,1'(1,2-ethanediyl)-bis-(3,3,5,5-tetramethylpiperazinone).

[0114] Suitable hindered amine light stabilizers are commercially available, for example under the trade name (from Ciba Specialty Chemicals), e.g. 371, 622 and 770; Product name (from Ciba Specialty Chemicals), e.g. 119. 944, 2020; Product Name (from Cytec Industries), e.g. UV 3346, UV 3529, UV 4801 and UV 4802; and trade name (from Clariant), e.g. Hostavin N 30.

[0115] The polymer material may also contain various auxiliary compounds, such as heat stabilizers, antioxidants, plasticizers, dyes, matting agents, antistatic agents, impact modifiers, bactericides and processing aids, such as lubricants, slip agents, antiblocking agents and anti-adhesion aids. The total amount of these types of other additives is preferably not more than 10 weight %, more preferably not more than 5 weight %, based on the total weight of the polymer material.

[0116] According to one or more preferred embodiments, step ii2) of the method comprises:

[0117] ii21) feeding the polymer material into the 3D printer,

[0118] ii22) heating the polymer material to provide a molten polymer material,

[0119] ii23) depositing molten polymer material in a selected pattern using a printer extrusion head of a 3D printer according to the digital model of the roof drainage element so as to form at least one tubular portion on the first main surface of the substrate.

[0120] The movement of the printer extrusion head in step ii23) is controlled according to control data calculated from the digital model of the roof drainage element. The digital model of the roof drainage element is preferably first converted into an STL file in order to inlay the 3D shape of the object and slice it into digital layers. The STL file is transferred to the 3D printer using custom machine software. A control system such as a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software package can be used to generate control data based on the STL file. The control system can be part of the 3D printer, or it can be part of a separate data processing unit (e.g. a computer system).

[0121] The roof drainage element obtained by using the method as described above is a one-piece component. With a one-piece component, there is no risk of leakage caused by welding lines etc. Therefore, a one-piece component is much more reliable than a component consisting of a plurality of interconnected parts.

[0122] A further subject of the invention is the use of a roof drainage element obtained by using a method according to any one of the preceding claims for sealing rainwater outlets in flat roof structures, preferably for sealing rainwater outlets in roof decks and / or parapet walls.

[0123] Another subject of the invention is a method for installing a roof drainage system, comprising the following steps:

[0124] I) providing a roof drainage element obtained by using the method according to the invention, and

[0125] II) Bonding the roof drainage element to the surface of the roof substrate via the upper main surface and / or the lower main surface of the substrate, preferably by using heat welding.

[0126] Examples

[0127] Manufacturing of pellets for 3D printing

[0128] Particles suitable for use in 3D printing methods are produced according to the following method.

[0129] Part of the raw material of the polymer material for roof drainage elements is premixed in a drum mixer and then fed to a ZSK laboratory twin extruder (L / D 44) via a gravimetric dosing scale. Another part of the raw material is fed directly to the laboratory extruder via a gravimetric dosing trolley. The raw materials are mixed, dispersed, homogenized and discharged through the holes of a perforated extrusion nozzle. The extruded strands are cooled in a water bath and cut into granules of suitable size. The granules are then dried in an oven to remove residual moisture.

[0130] The components of the prepared granules include:

[0131] -25.6% by weight P KS 359,

[0132] -31.9% by weight 6202,

[0133] -6.4% by weight 6102,

[0134] - 3.8 wt. % titanium dioxide; TiO2 content > 92.5 wt. % (DIN EN ISO 591),

[0135] - 0.5% by weight of a mixture of inorganic pigments,

[0136] - 0.1% by weight of heat stabilizer; a mixture of phosphite stabilizer and hindered phenolic stabilizer,

[0137] - 0.5% by weight of an oligomeric hindered amine light stabilizer,

[0138] - 0.5 wt% of a hindered amine light stabilizer, and

[0139] - 30.7% by weight of aluminum trihydroxide (ATH).

[0140] Manufacturing of roof drainage elements using 3D printing

[0141] Example roof drainage elements were fabricated by printing one, two, or three hollow tubular extensions onto the surface of a substrate using a Yizumi Space A fused pellet fabrication (FPF) 3D printer. The pellets prepared as described above were used as feed material for the 3D printer, which was operated using the settings shown in Table 1.

[0142] Use a 4 mm thick DIN A3 size PP light grey 9310 (from Simona AG, Germany) was used as the substrate.

[0143] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 Photos of the 3D printed roof drainage element during and after the 3D printing process are shown in FIG.

[0144] Table 1

[0145]

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a roof drainage element, comprising the following steps: i) providing a digital model of the roof drainage element (1), and ii) based on the digital model, manufacturing the roof drainage element (1) by additive manufacturing, The roof drainage element (1) comprises a substrate (2) having an upper main surface (21) and a lower main surface (22) and at least one hollow tubular portion (3) extending outwardly from the upper main surface (21) of the substrate (2). Wherein, step ii) comprises: ii1) providing a substrate (2), and ii2) The tubular portion (3) is manufactured onto the upper main surface (21) of the substrate (2) by using a 3D printer, preferably a fused filament fabrication printer or a pelletized particle fabrication printer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the substrate (2) is 0.5-10 mm, preferably 2.5-7.5 mm.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The at least one hollow tubular portion (3) has a first end opening and a second end opening and a fluid channel extending in the longitudinal direction of the hollow tubular portion (3).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The fluid passage of each hollow tubular portion (3) extends through the substrate (2).

5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein: The at least one hollow tubular portion (3) has a circular or rectangular cross section.

6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein: The roof drainage element comprises at least two hollow tubular parts (31, 32) having a rectangular cross section, and adjacent hollow tubular parts are connected to each other via a common side wall (4).

7. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein: The at least one hollow tubular portion (3) has a wall thickness of 0.25 mm to 10 mm, preferably 1.5 mm to 7.5 mm.

8. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein: The substrate (2) or the upper main surface (21) of the substrate (2) and / or the at least one hollow tubular portion (3) is made of a polymer material comprising: a) at least 35% by weight of at least one polymer P, preferably at least 45% by weight, preferably selected from polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins, halogenated polyolefins, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, rubbers and ethyl ketones, and b) at least 0.5% by weight of at least one inorganic filler F, preferably at least 1.5% by weight, all proportions being based on the total weight of the polymer material.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The at least one polymer P is selected from polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, propylene copolymers, ethylene propylene diene monomers and ethyl ketones, preferably from polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and propylene copolymers.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The at least one inorganic filler F has a median particle size d in the range of 0.1-50 μm. 50 , preferably 0.25-35μm.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: The at least one inorganic filler F comprises calcium carbonate.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The amount of calcium carbonate constitutes at least 15% by weight of the total weight of the at least one inorganic filler F, preferably at least 35% by weight.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein: The polymer material also comprises at least one flame retardant FR.

14. Use of a roof drainage element obtained by using a method according to any of the preceding claims for sealing rainwater outlets in flat roof structures.

15. A method for installing a roof drain comprising the steps of: I) providing a roof drainage element obtained by using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, and II) Bonding the roof drainage element to the surface of the roof substrate via the upper main surface and / or the lower main surface of the substrate, preferably by using heat welding.

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