Waste plastic containers

Abstract

To provide a plastic container that contributes to material recycling by reusing waste plastic generated in large quantities at construction sites as a product raw material. [Solution] A planter 1 is formed from thermoplastic resin using a 3D printer of the MEX (registered trademark) method or FDM (registered trademark) method. It has a bottom 2 and a peripheral wall 3 rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom 2. The bottom 2 has an outer peripheral rib 4 that is generally circular in plan view or generally regular polygonal in plan view having four or more corners, an inner peripheral rib 5 located inside the outer peripheral rib 4, and an intermediate portion 6 that forms between the outer peripheral rib 4 and the inner peripheral rib 5. The peripheral wall 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape that continues upward, and is formed so that the diameter gradually increases toward the top. The thermoplastic resin includes recycled polypropylene. The thermoplastic resin is a recycled polypropylene band.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a waste plastic container formed from thermoplastic resin using a 3D printer. Although it uses waste plastic (hereinafter referred to as "waste plastic"), it is resistant to distortion and has stable strength, and contributes to the recycling of waste materials by reusing waste polypropylene (hereinafter referred to as "PP") bands, which are generated in large quantities at construction sites, as a product raw material. [Background technology]

[0002] A wide variety of construction materials are delivered to construction sites in large quantities, which generates a large amount of waste packaging material used to package the construction materials. In particular, packaging material made from plastic is disposed of as industrial waste.

[0003] This type of waste plastic is separated into two types: PP bands and ester (hereinafter referred to as "PET") bands, and because it is extremely difficult to distinguish between the two materials, complete separation by material is not currently possible.

[0004] For this reason, the large amount of waste plastic generated is not reused as a raw material for products (material recycling), but most of it is incinerated and the thermal energy generated during incineration is recovered and used (thermal recycling).

[0005] Recently, there have been concerns about the impact that the processing of waste plastics may have on the global environment, and in addition to reducing the amount of plastic used, there have been calls for the realization of a sustainable society through the recycling of waste plastics. The applicant is also working to realize a sustainable society.

[0006] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an idea for a plastic decorative container that is made from recycled plastic, yet meets quality requirements such as surface properties, appearance, and durability, and can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

[0007] Simply put, waste plastic is heated and melted, extruded into a rod shape, and the rod is then layered and wound up in a spiral shape along the inside of a container mold while still deformable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3044469 [Patent Document 2] JP 2001-322123 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2001-328118 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2004-344005 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, the plastic container in Patent Document 1 is formed by heating and melting waste plastic, extruding it into a rod shape, and then winding up the rod-shaped material while it is still deformable and stacking it in a spiral shape along the inside of a container mold. This makes the container prone to warping and deformation, and poses major strength issues.

[0010] This invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a waste plastic container that uses waste plastic, is less likely to warp or bend, and is strong and stable, and contributes to material recycling by reusing waste PP bands, which are generated in large quantities at construction sites, as a product raw material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention is a waste plastic container formed from thermoplastic resin using a MEX / FDM 3D printer ("MEX" is a registered trademark of The Japan Steel Works, Ltd., and "FDM" is a registered trademark of Stratasys, Inc.), and is characterized in that it has a bottom and a peripheral wall rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom, the bottom having an outer peripheral rib that is approximately circular in plan view or approximately polygonal in plan view having four or more corners, an inner peripheral rib located inside the outer peripheral rib, and an intermediate portion that forms between the outer peripheral rib and the inner peripheral rib, and the peripheral wall is formed in a cylindrical shape that continues upward and is gradually formed so that the diameter gradually increases as it goes upward.

[0012] The outer peripheral rib and the inner peripheral rib are thicker than the intermediate portion and the peripheral wall portion, and are continuously formed in the circumferential direction of the bottom portion, thereby increasing strength (rigidity). The peripheral wall portion can be formed in a shape different from the outer shape of the bottom portion in a plan view, for example, a substantially circular, rectangular, square, or trapezoidal shape in a plan view.

[0013] By using recycled polypropylene as the thermoplastic resin, waste PP bands, which are generated in large quantities at construction sites, can be reused as a product raw material, thereby contributing to material recycling.

[0014] In addition, because pellets derived from waste plastics (hereinafter referred to as "repellets") alone do not maintain a stable shape, it is preferable to use a material blend of about 51% repellets and 49% virgin pellets, respectively. The thermoplastic resin may be colored.

[0015] When formed by a 3D printer, the material must have a known composition, and cannot be used as is with the current sorting methods in place at construction sites. Therefore, PP bands are preferable for plastics discharged from construction sites, as they can be easily identified and separated based on their shape, etc. PP bands are durable bands made of polypropylene material and are primarily used for packing and securing luggage and preventing the bottom of cardboard boxes from falling out.

[0016] In addition, PP bands are preferred because they are widely used as packaging materials for construction materials and have a large amount of waste. In addition, when recycling PP bands, they can be made into pellets and used as materials. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The waste plastic container of the present invention has a bottom and a peripheral wall rising from the periphery of the bottom, the bottom has an outer peripheral rib and an inner peripheral rib that are generally circular or generally regular polygonal with four or more corners in a plan view, and an intermediate portion formed between the outer peripheral rib and the inner peripheral rib, and the peripheral wall is formed with a gradually increasing diameter toward the top, so that the rigidity of the entire container is high and difficult to deform, and it has excellent strength. In addition, it can contribute to material recycling by reusing the large amount of waste plastic generated at construction sites as a product raw material. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1A is a plan view of a planter according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. 1C is a longitudinal sectional view. [Diagram 2] 1A, 1B, and 1C show a modified example of a planter, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. [Diagram 3] 1A, 1B, and 1C show a modified example of a planter, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] 1(a)-(c) illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, which is a waste plastic container formed as a planter (hereinafter "planter").

[0020] The planter 1 is formed of a bottom 2 and a peripheral wall portion 3 rising from the outer periphery of the bottom 2. The bottom 2 is formed of an outer peripheral rib 4 having a generally rectangular shape in a plan view with four or more corners, an inner peripheral rib 5 located inside the outer peripheral rib 4, and an intermediate portion 6 located between the outer peripheral rib 4 and the inner peripheral rib 5. The inside of the inner peripheral rib 5 runs through to form a drainage hole 7.

[0021] The peripheral wall portion 3 is formed in a generally rectangular tubular shape in plan view having four or more corners, with the diameter gradually increasing toward the top, and each corner is filleted (chamfered).

[0022] 2 and 3 show modified planters, and in the planter 1 shown in Fig. 2(a)-(c), the bottom 2 and the peripheral wall 3 are both formed in a generally circular shape when viewed from above, and the peripheral wall 3 is formed in a generally circular tubular shape when viewed from above, with the diameter gradually increasing toward the top. Also, each corner is filleted.

[0023] 3(a)-(c), the bottom 2 of the planter 1 is formed in a generally circular shape in plan view, and the lower portion of the peripheral wall 3 close to the bottom 2 is formed in a generally circular tubular shape in plan view that continues from the bottom 2, and gradually changes to a generally rectangular tubular shape in plan view toward the top. Also, each corner of the upper portion is filleted.

[0024] In each planter 1, the bottom 2 and peripheral wall 3 are formed as one unit, and the outer peripheral ribs 4 and inner peripheral ribs 5 are formed as continuous ribs in the circumferential direction of the planter 1. In particular, if a reinforcing rib 8 is formed continuously in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 3 at the upper end of the peripheral wall 3, the rigidity of the entire planter 1 is increased and the occurrence of distortion, warping, etc. can be prevented.

[0025] The planter 1 thus formed has the outer peripheral rib 4, inner peripheral rib 5, middle section 6 and the entire peripheral wall section 3 of the bottom section 2 formed as a single unit using a 3D printer that employs the MEX or FDM method, which stacks resin material melted by heat, and polypropylene (hereinafter referred to as "PP") resin is used specifically as the raw material for the production of the planter 1.

[0026] PP resin is a thermoplastic resin made by melting waste plastic from PP bands at high temperatures. Waste plastic is generated in large quantities as waste packaging for construction materials brought to construction sites.

[0027] This type of waste plastic is separated into two types, PP bands and polyester (hereinafter referred to as "PET") bands, and since it is difficult to distinguish between the two materials, they are usually identified using a resin identification handheld sensor. They are also distinguished based on the difference in specific gravity between the two. [Industrial Applicability]

[0028] The present invention can contribute to material recycling by reusing waste plastic, which is generated in large quantities especially as packaging waste for construction materials brought to construction sites, as the raw material for producing waste plastic containers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1. Planter (recycled plastic container) 2 bottom 3 Peripheral wall part 4 Peripheral ribs 5 Inner rib 6. Middle Section 7 Drainage holes 8 Reinforcing ribs

Claims

1. A waste plastic container formed from thermoplastic resin by a MEX or FDM 3D printer, the waste plastic container having a bottom and a peripheral wall portion rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom, the bottom having an outer peripheral rib that is approximately circular in a plan view or approximately regular polygonal in a plan view having four or more corners, an inner peripheral rib located inside the outer peripheral rib, and an intermediate portion forming between the outer peripheral rib and the inner peripheral rib, the peripheral wall portion being formed in a cylindrical shape that continues upward and has a diameter that gradually increases toward the top.

2. 2. The waste plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral rib and the inner peripheral rib are formed as continuous ribs in the circumferential direction of the bottom portion.

3. 3. A waste plastic container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the peripheral wall portion has a shape different from the outer shape of the bottom portion when viewed in a plane, and is formed in an approximately circular, rectangular, square or trapezoidal shape when viewed in a plane.

4. 3. The waste plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin comprises recycled polypropylene.

5. 3. The waste plastic container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermoplastic resin is a recycled polypropylene band.

6. 3. The waste plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin is colored.

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