Preform

Abstract

To provide a preform that can be attached to a storage rack or the like made of long metal structural materials even when the distance between two parallel metal structural materials is narrow. [Solution] The preform 1 is formed by injection molding of a thermoplastic resin and has a roughly rectangular panel shape in a plan view, and is equipped with a molding target portion 2 in which a receiving portion with a three-dimensional curved surface suitable for supporting a product is formed by vacuum molding, and first connecting portions 3 provided at locations corresponding to two parallel sides that make up the rectangle. The pair of first connecting portions 3, 3 are structured so that engaging claws 4, each provided near the vertices of the rectangle, are perpendicular to the molding target portion 2 and protrude toward the back surface 2a, and are connected to each other via a connecting plate 5.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a preform, which is an injection-molded product made of thermoplastic resin, in which the part corresponding to the product's receiver is formed by vacuum forming, and in particular to a preform that can be attached to a metal structural material that constitutes a storage rack or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In manufacturing sites in factories, for example, storage racks and carts are used that are assembled using long extruded pipes 50 formed by aluminum extrusion and structural materials 53 (see Figures 8(a) to 8(d)). In Figure 8(b), to avoid cluttering the illustration, only some of the protrusions 51 are labeled with reference numerals representing the base portion 51a and the locking portion 51b of the extruded pipe 50. 8(a) and 8(b), the extruded pipe 50 is substantially cylindrical, and its outer circumferential surface 50a is provided with four protrusions 51 evenly spaced in the circumferential direction. However, the outer contour of the cross section of the protrusions 51 is a nearly flattened arc, and the corners of the protrusions 51 are provided with locking portions 51b that protrude somewhat in the circumferential direction relative to the base portion 51a. In addition, the inner circumferential surface 50b of the extruded pipe 50 is provided with recesses 52 at locations corresponding to the four protrusions 51. 8(c) and 8(d), the structural material 53 has a generally rectangular cross section, and four side surfaces 53a are provided with grooves 54 along their entire length, each extending parallel to the longitudinal direction. However, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the width s1 of the opening of the groove 54 (the distance between the inner wall surfaces in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) is narrower than the maximum width s2 inside the groove.

[0003] Generally, panels, work boards, etc. are fixed to the formed pipe 50 and the structural material 53 via dedicated attachments that engage with the protrusions 51 and grooves 54. However, to fix the panels or work boards with the attachments, bolts, pins, adhesive tape, cable ties, etc. are required. Also, when replacing the panels or work boards, it is sometimes necessary to disassemble the storage rack or cart itself before removing the panels or work boards. Therefore, the conventional method using attachments has the problem that it is not possible to install or replace the panels or work boards on the formed pipe 50 or the structural material 53 efficiently in a short time.

[0004] To address this issue, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention entitled "Preform for attaching a receiving surface to a storage rack, etc.", which relates to a component that can attach a board or receiving material directly to a molded pipe without using cable ties or the like. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used by being attached to a crisscross structure made up of assembled formed pipes, and includes a main formed part whose receiving surface is formed by vacuum forming, and a pair of joining shapes that grip the gripped part of the formed pipe. The joining shapes are provided with a pair of upper and lower engaging claws that engage with the edge of the gripped part, and have a first range where the lower engaging claw is not provided, and a second range where the engaging claw is provided, and an operating part with a tapered surface is provided at the lower tip of the first range so as to be continuous with the operating extension part at the lower tip of the second range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7538576 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 can easily provide a support surface for supporting products on a storage rack by attaching it to a formed pipe that forms the storage rack. However, this invention has the problem that it cannot be installed when there is only one formed pipe 50 as shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), and it cannot be installed on the structural material 53 as shown in Figures 8(c) and 8(d).

[0007] The present invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a preform that can be attached to a storage rack or the like made of long metal structural members, even when the distance between two parallel metal structural members is narrow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is a preform formed by injection molding of a thermoplastic resin and attached to a long metal structural material having an engaging portion on its side, the preform having a rectangular panel shape in a plan view and comprising a molded object part in which the part corresponding to the product's receiver is formed by vacuum molding, and engaging claws provided at locations corresponding to two parallel sides that make up the rectangle so as to protrude outward from one side of the molded object part, and the pair of engaging claws each have inner protrusions formed so as to be engageable with the engaging portion and to face each other.

[0009] The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the engaging portions are provided in pairs on two parallel side surfaces of the metal structural material, and the inner protrusions provided on each of the pair of engaging claws are configured to be able to engage with the pair of engaging portions simultaneously.

[0010] The third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the engaging claw has an outer protrusion formed on it that can engage with a convex portion provided on the side of the metal molded pipe and that protrudes in the opposite direction to the inner protrusion.

[0011] A fourth invention is characterized in that in any one of the first to third inventions, the engaging portion is a groove parallel to the longitudinal direction of the metal structural material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the first invention, the inner protrusions of the engaging claws are engaged with the engaging portions of the metal structural material placed below the forming target, thereby fixing the device to the metal structural material. In this way, when the device is installed on top of a metal structural material, there are fewer restrictions on the installation location compared to when the device is installed between two metal structural materials, and the effect of increasing the load-bearing capacity can be expected.

[0013] In addition to the effects of the first invention, the second invention has the effect of being easily attached to a single metal structural member placed below the molding target. Also, in the second invention, if the engaging claws are provided in positions that do not interfere with other metal structural members placed perpendicular to the metal structural member, it is possible to install the device in a position where two or more metal structural members are arranged in a cross shape.

[0014] According to the third invention, in addition to the effect of the first invention, there is an effect that the device can be installed between two formed pipes arranged in parallel.

[0015] According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to third inventions, there is an effect that commercially available aluminum structural materials can be used as the metal structural materials. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are external perspective views showing a preform according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above and below, respectively. [Figure 2] 1. (a) is a side view of the engaging claw, and (b) and (c) are side views showing how the preform shown in FIG. 1 is attached between two forming pipes. [Figure 3](a) and (b) are a side view and a plan view, respectively, showing the state in which the preform shown in Figure 1 is attached to two molding pipes, and (c) and (d) are side views, respectively, showing the state in which the preform shown in Figure 1 is attached to two structural materials. [Figure 4] (a) and (b) are a side view and a plan view, respectively, showing the preform shown in FIG. 1 attached to two structural members, (c) is an external perspective view of a square pipe, and (d) is a side view showing the preform shown in FIG. 1 attached to the square pipe from above and below. [Figure 5] 10(a) and 10(b) are external perspective views showing a preform according to a second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above and below, respectively. [Figure 6] 6(a) is a side view of the preform shown in FIG. 5, and (b) and (c) are a side view and a plan view, respectively, showing the preform shown in FIG. 5 attached to a structural material from above and below. [Figure 7] 6(a) and 6(b) are plan views showing the preform shown in FIG. 5 attached to the location where three structural members are arranged in a cross shape, as viewed from above and below, respectively. [Figure 8] 1(a) and 1(b) are a perspective view and a side view of the appearance of the formed pipe, respectively, and 1(c) and 1(d) are a perspective view and a side view of the appearance of the structural material, respectively. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0017] 1(a) and 1(b), a preform 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is formed by injection molding a thermoplastic resin such as polyester, polyolefin, polyamide, or polycarbonate, and has a generally rectangular panel shape in plan view. The preform 1 comprises a molding target portion 2, the portion of which corresponding to a receiver having a three-dimensional curved surface suitable for supporting a product is formed by vacuum molding, and first connecting portions 3 provided at locations corresponding to two parallel sides of the rectangle. The pair of first connecting portions 3, 3 are structured so that engaging claws 4, each provided near the vertices of the rectangle and perpendicular to the molding target portion 2, protrude toward the back surface 2a and are connected to each other via a connecting plate 5.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1(a), 1(b) and 2(a), the engaging claw 4 has a pair of outer protrusions 6a, 6a on its outer surface 4a that can engage with a protrusion 51 provided on the outer peripheral surface 50a of the molded pipe 50, and an inner protrusion 6b on its inner surface 4b that can engage with a groove 54 provided on the side surface 53a of the structural material 53. As shown in FIG. 2(b), a preform 1 having such a structure is placed above two parallel-arranged molding pipes 50, 50, and then moved downward so as to be pushed between the molding pipes 50, 50. When the outer protrusions 6a provided on the lower ends of the engaging claws 4 of the preform 1 are pressed against the convex portions 51 provided on the outer peripheral surface 50a of the molding pipe 50, the engaging claws 4 elastically deform in a direction such that the angle of the inner surface 4b relative to the back surface 2a of the molding target portion 2 becomes smaller than 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 2(c). Then, when the outer protrusions 6a provided on the lower ends of the engaging claws 4 pass through the convex portions 51 of the molding pipe 50, the engaging claws 4 recover from their deformation and return to their original shape. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the pair of outer protrusions 6a, 6a provided on the engaging claws 4 engage with the convex portions 51 of the molding pipe 50 so as to sandwich the convex portions 51 from above and below. As a result, the preform 1 is fixed between the two parallel-arranged molding pipes 50, 50, as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0019] 3(c), after placing the preform 1 above two structural members 53, 53 arranged in parallel so as to straddle them, the preform 1 is moved downward and the inner protrusions 6b on the inner surfaces 4b of the engaging claws 4 are pressed against the side surfaces 53a of the structural member 53, whereby the engaging claws 4 elastically deform in a direction such that the angle of the inner surfaces 4b with respect to the back surface 2a of the forming target portion 2 becomes greater than 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 3(d). Then, when the inner protrusions 6b of the engaging claws 4 pass the side surfaces 53a of the structural member 53, the engaging claws 4 recover from deformation and return to their original shape, so that the inner protrusions 6b of the engaging claws 4 engage with the grooves 54 of the structural member 53, as shown in FIG. 4(a). As a result, the preform 1 is fixed to the two structural members 53, 53 arranged in parallel, as shown in FIG. 4(b). That is, the preform 1 is fixed to the structural material 53 arranged below the molding target part 2 by engaging the inner protrusions 6b of the engaging claws 4 with the grooves 54. Therefore, the preform 1 can be attached even when the distance between two structural materials 53 arranged in parallel is narrow. Note that when the preform 1 is placed on two structural materials 53 arranged in parallel, there are fewer restrictions on the installation location compared to when the preform 1 is placed between two molding pipes 50, and there is also the advantage that the load-bearing capacity is increased.

[0020] In addition to the formed pipe 50 and the structural material 53, the preform 1 can also be placed on a structural material 55 as shown in FIG. 4( c). The structural material 55 is a pipe (rectangular cylinder) made of metal or resin, typically stainless steel, iron, or aluminum. An opening 56 is formed by laser machining at the center of a pair of parallel side surfaces 55 a, 55 a in the width direction, into which an inner protrusion 6 b provided on the engaging claw 4 of the preform 1 engages. Therefore, the preform 1 can be placed on the structural material 55 by sandwiching it from above and below. Since the width of the engaging claw 4 (the length in a direction parallel to the back surface 2 a of the forming target portion 2) is shorter than the width of the connecting plate 5 (the length in the same direction), two preforms 1, 1 can be placed on the structural material 55 in such a way that the engaging claw 4 of one preform 1 is positioned between a pair of engaging claws 4, 4 of the other preform 1, as shown in FIG. 4( d). Although the structural material 53 is assumed to be a commercially available aluminum structural material, it may be a metal or resin component such as stainless steel, iron, or aluminum. As described above, the preform 1 is not limited to the structural material 53, but is structured so that it can be attached to a structural material 55 that is independently manufactured. [Example]

[0021] 5(a) and 5(b), a preform 7 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is formed by injection molding a thermoplastic resin such as polyester, polyolefin, polyamide, or polycarbonate, and has a generally rectangular panel shape in plan view, and includes a molding target portion 8 in which a receiving portion having a three-dimensional curved surface suitable for supporting a product is formed by vacuum forming, and second connecting portions 9 provided at locations corresponding to two parallel sides of the rectangle. The pair of second connecting portions 9, 9 have a gap that allows a structural member 53 to be placed therebetween, and each second connecting portion 9 is provided with an engaging claw 10 that is perpendicular to the molding target portion 8 and protrudes toward the back surface 8a.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the engaging claws 10 are provided on the inner surface 10a so that the inner protrusions 6b engageable with the grooves 54 provided on the side surface 53a of the structural member 53 face each other. Preforms 7 having such a structure are placed above and below the structural material 53, and then the pair of preforms 7, 7 are moved so that the distance between them narrows, and the inner protrusions 6b on the inner surfaces 10a of the engaging claws 10 are pressed against the side surfaces 53a of the structural material 53. The engaging claws 10 are elastically deformed in a direction such that the angle of the inner surfaces 10a with respect to the back surface 8a of the part to be molded 8 becomes greater than 90 degrees. When the inner protrusions 6b of the engaging claws 10 pass the side surfaces 53a of the structural material 53, the engaging claws 10 recover from deformation and return to their original shape, so that the inner protrusions 6b of the engaging claws 10 engage with the grooves 54 of the structural material 53, as shown in FIGS. 6(b) and 6(c). As a result, the pair of preforms 7, 7 are fixed to the structural material 53, as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0023] In the preform 7, the molding target portion 8 has a generally rectangular shape in plan view, and second joints 9 are provided at locations corresponding to two parallel sides of the rectangle, but second joints 9 are not provided at locations corresponding to the other two sides of the rectangle. Therefore, by connecting the ends of two other structural members 53 to two side surfaces 53a, 53a of one structural member 53 via connecting parts 57, the preform 7 can be placed even in a location where three structural members 53 are arranged to form a cross, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b). In this way, the preform 7 is provided in a position where the engaging claws 10 do not interfere with one of the structural members 53 and the other two structural members 53 that are arranged perpendicular to the other structural members 53, and the preform 7 is structured so that it can be installed even in a position where those structural members 53 are arranged in a cross shape. In this case, there are fewer restrictions on the installation location, and since the load-bearing capacity of the cross-structured portion is large, it can be expected that the preform 7 will be able to support even heavier products. [Industrial Applicability]

[0024] The present invention can be used when installing members having receiving portions for products or parts on long members that constitute storage racks used in manufacturing sites in factories and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Preform 2...Molding target part 2a...Rear surface 3...First connecting part 4...Engaging claw 4a...Outer surface 4b...Inner surface 5...Connecting plate 6a...Outer protrusion 6b...Inner protrusion 7...Preform 8...Molding target part 8a...Rear surface 9...Second connecting part 10...Engaging claw 10a...Inner surface 50...Molding pipe 50a...Outer surface 50b...Inner surface 51...Convex part 51a...Base part 51b...Latching part 52...Concave part 53...Structural material 53a...Side surface 54...Groove 55...Structural material 55a...Side surface 56...Opening 57...Connecting part s1...Width of opening s2...Maximum width inside groove

Claims

1. A preform formed by injection molding of a thermoplastic resin and attached to a long metal structural material having an engaging portion on a side surface, a molding target portion having a rectangular panel shape in a plan view, the portion corresponding to a receiver for the product being formed by vacuum molding; two sets of engaging claws provided as a pair at locations corresponding to two parallel sides constituting the rectangle so as to protrude toward one surface of the molding target part; The two sets of engaging claws have a gap therebetween that allows the metal structural member perpendicular to the two sides to be disposed therebetween, The preform is characterized in that inner protrusions are formed on the pair of engaging claws so as to be engageable with the engaging portions and to face each other.

2. the engaging portions are provided in pairs on the two parallel side surfaces of the metal structural member, 2. The preform according to claim 1, wherein the inner protrusions are provided at the protruding tips of the pair of engaging claws, respectively, and are configured to be able to simultaneously engage with the pair of engaging portions.

3. The preform according to claim 1, characterized in that the engaging claw has an outer protrusion formed thereon that is capable of engaging with a protrusion provided on the side of the metal molding pipe and that protrudes in the opposite direction to the inner protrusion.

4. 4. The preform according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is a groove parallel to the longitudinal direction of the metal structural material.

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