A method for filling a cylindrical container with clay, and a package unit for the container filled with clay.

Abstract

According to the invention, a method for filling a container of standardized geometry with clay comprises the following steps: d) extruding the clay using an extruder; e) pumping the clay plasticized using the extruder through a conduit from the outlet of the extruder using a pump and / or by the pressure created in the clay using the extruder into the opening of the container and into an outlet opening (18) provided on the underside of a piston member (20) adapted to fit into the opening of the container and into the internal space (8) of the container (2), the internal space (8) being substantially cylindrical and with a substantially constant cross section of the internal space (8) and the opening along a cylindrical axis (10); f) guiding the piston member in the direction of the cylindrical axis using a device with a drive configured to apply pressure towards the inside of the container to the clay introduced below the piston member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method of filling a container and a container filled with clay.

Background Art

[0002] The plastic substance for sculptural modeling is so-called clay.

[0003] Clay is a material used particularly for model making in automotive design. However, character designers, industrial designers, artists and architects related to, for example, movies, comics and video games also use this material to model these three-dimensional shapes. This material is a specially improved version of known plastilines for this purpose.

[0004] Clay is generally a wax-based substance that is plastically deformable at a specific temperature (generally above normal room temperature). Sulfur is used as a filler in many embodiments. Clay generally has a brownish or gray color, which facilitates the visibility for inspecting the modeled shape, particularly when modeling by designers.

[0005] For example, before a new car is introduced to the market, the process of creating its new body is time-consuming and laborious. This involves creating sketches, drawings, and 3D-CAD models. However, today, the final vehicle model is generally produced in various scales, typically 1:10 and 1:4 to 1:1. This is because it allows for a good and accurate assessment of the overall and detailed shape and proportions. Furthermore, the shape and proportions of a model made of clay can be precisely and meticulously replicated and finished. This is because clay has high shape stability at room temperature, allowing it to be cut, sliced, sculpted, or ground. However, it is also possible to apply materials later, in which case the clay is heated (to a temperature not exceeding a double-digit Celsius range) using a hot air blower or heat radiator in the area where the material is to be applied. Within this upper temperature range, particularly at around 60-70°C, the clay is plastically deformable, but without becoming liquid or simply flowing as a paste, and it bonds substantially homogeneously with the supplementally deposited clay material of nearly the same temperature. The deposited area, carefully processed and with substantially homogeneous transition areas, may be processed again by cooling to regain shape stability and then being removed. The clay can also be lacquered using well-known method steps. In other words, it is possible to manufacture from the clay a model that is very close in shape and surface to, or even identical to, the intended product.

[0006] For such models, a wooden or metal frame is generally first manufactured, and plates made of, for example, polyurethane (e.g., foam plates) are attached to this frame. Clay is then applied to it—generally in layers to produce the desired clay layer thickness—as the outer layer of the modelable model as described above. In this way, the basic model can be formed in as many places as possible, at least to the size of the final model.

[0007] This application is still widely done by hand. Generally, heated clay (below 60°C) is applied by hand kneading and processed using spatula-like tools or blades within the aforementioned temperature range of the clay, which allows for plastic deformation and thus good adhesion to the frame plate. Various well-known means exist to improve adhesion, such as applying a sealant (e.g., as paint or spray, especially to solidify dust) and / or forming recesses and / or inverted hook structures by drilling or cutting grooves, in which case the clay can be held in a shape-bonding manner in addition to being adhered to the inside of the recesses and / or inverted hook structures. During and after this application, if the clay has not yet cooled completely, the target surface shape of the clay can be formed, at least partially, by plastic shaping or at least by appropriate pre-shaping and contouring.

[0008] Currently, there is widespread development of equipment that can mechanically apply clay. Because this process involves a significantly larger volume of clay, it has proven advantageous to prepare the clay in larger (and transportable) package units rather than solely in the form of bars or rods, as has been done conventionally. In this sense, processing clay from drums has already been attempted. However, for this experimental process, the drums were filled with clay by hand because, as a plastic material, clay cannot be pumped using the same methods as liquids. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] The fundamental problem underlying the present invention is to provide clay in larger package units, with reproducible quality, and with as little air as possible. This problem is solved by the method having the features of claim 1 and the product having the features of claim 10. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to the present invention, a method for filling containers of standardized geometric shapes (containers having substantially the same geometric shape) with clay, and containers filled with clay by such a method according to the present invention are proposed.

[0011] Based on the present invention, a container equipped with the method according to the present invention has an opening and a substantially cylindrical internal space, and not only the internal space but also the opening has a certain cross-section along the cylindrical axis.

[0012] The method according to the present invention comprises the following steps: a) A step of extruding clay using an extruder, b) A step of pumping the clay, which has been plasticized using an extruder, through a pipeline into an outlet opening provided on the lower surface of a piston member that is fitted to the opening of the container and the internal space of the container, using a pump and / or by the extrusion pressure formed in the clay using the extruder, c) A step of guiding the piston member in the direction of the cylindrical axis using an apparatus equipped with a drive device configured to apply pressure toward the inside of the container to the clay introduced below the piston member, Includes.

[0013] An extruder is, as is well known, a plastic processing device consisting of a means for conveying, compressing, and extruding a plastically deformable material using (at least) one screw. Extruders were originally developed for rubber processing, are widely used for thermoplastic resins, and are now even used for paste-like foods. In the case of a screw extruder, the different cross-sectional shapes of the screw threads along the length of the extruder screw are used to convey, compress, degas, mix, and homogenize the material being processed within the extruder. However, in this invention, the extruder is used to "knead" clay, thereby heating, plasticizing, homogenizing, and, if necessary, degassing it—that is, making it pressurizable—and to pump it under pressure into a pump, and to pump it through a pipeline by this pump (or, in particular, without a pump, solely by the pressure created within the clay using the extruder). The clay may be in the extruder, and possibly in the final step of its production, but the clay may also be loaded into the extruder (i.e., particularly from the intermediate storage section, for example, in the form of a well-known rod or bar) into a container specifically for filling according to the present invention. For this purpose, a pretreatment step, such as grinding and / or heating, is extremely advantageous.

[0014] According to the present invention, the clay is then transported into an outlet opening provided on the lower surface of the "piston member." This piston member is adapted to fit into the opening and internal space of a container for which the present invention has been developed, that is, a cylindrical container in the sense already described.

[0015] In plastic processing, when removing high-viscosity liquids from a cylindrical drum, a so-called "drum-following plate" is used, particularly to avoid pressurizing the enclosed air. Such a drum-following plate is, for example, a "piston member" in this invention, and is fitted into the drum through the cylindrical opening, i.e., into the cylindrical internal space of the container, with a circumferential piston seal, in this case a seal ring can seal the components against the drum wall. The drum-following plate is inserted into the drum (after the original drum cover is removed) and is equipped with a seal ring that can seal the drum-following plate around its entire circumference against the drum wall. In this way, the drum-following plate forms an airtight and rigid cover over the liquid, completely and tightly enclosing the liquid together with the drum or container. The drum-following plate is then actively (guided and driven) pressed against the material during plastic processing. In well-known methods, the drum-following plate slides downward due to its own weight or negative pressure when removing material. For this purpose, the container used in connection therewith is a drum, that is, its internal space has a substantially cylindrical, particularly cylindrical, inner contour (which may include, for example, reinforced longitudinal or circumferential embossed sections, or other sections that differ from the mathematically cylindrical shape, which is not inconsistent with this technical principle of the present invention), in which case the inner contour also opens substantially outward, without tapering, to the external opening of the internal space, i.e., to the drum opening. However, in the present invention, the piston member is used to avoid the sealing of air according to step c) of the present invention when filling the container (not when removing). That is, preferably using a pneumatic cylinder as a drive device, the piston member is guided in the direction of the cylindrical axis of the internal space of the container via a device equipped with a linear drive device. These are configured to apply pressure toward the inside of the container to the clay introduced below the piston member.

[0016] In the present invention, the piston member may be adapted to the geometry of the container such that in step c), an annular gap exists between the piston member and the inner surface of the cylindrical circumferential wall of the container. The annular gap can then be sealed by a seal, or it can be used for venting air without a seal. In particular (but not exclusively), a seal can be used to create negative pressure inside the container and / or below the piston member using a vacuum pump for venting air.

[0017] In this invention, the transport of clay to the outlet opening provided on the underside of the piston member is possible using a twin unit. That is, a switch provided in the supply pipeline to the piston member is connected to a second such supply pipeline, a second such piston member, and a drive device. In other words, in this invention, the first container can be filled by the first piston member through the first supply pipeline, while around the second piston member, the filled container is removed, closed, and transported, and the next container for filling is also attached to this second piston member in preparation for the next filling. In other words, in this case, as soon as the filling of the container by the first supply conduit and the first piston member is completed, the switch can be "switched" immediately and the filling of the already prepared container can be started by the second piston member, without having to wait for the filled container to be removed and the new container to be filled to be attached around the first piston member.

[0018] The piping between the pump and the piston member may have a (particularly rigid) pipe section in which a static mixer and / or a dynamic mixer are located.

[0019] For example, in the manufacture of plastics, the mixing of fluid components is widely carried out in the internal space of a tubular passage guide (mixer) equipped with a molding member (vortex member), for example, before introducing the plastic into the sprue of a mold, or before applying it to a fibrous fabric or textile for manufacturing GRP or CFRP. The molding member deflects, diverts, locally stagnates, generates turbulence and / or vortices the fluid flowing through it, and thus mixes it. In this case, as is well known, several supply lines for the fluid components that are mixed to form the plastic are passed through this mixer. In this case, it has been found and established that, for particularly uniform and complete mixing of the components, it is advantageous to configure the vortex member to rotate (dynamic mixer) rather than simply positioning it stationary within the tubular passage guide (static mixer). In this case, a known apparatus for mixing at least two fluid components using a dynamic mixer has at least two component supply lines and a rotary drive device with a drive shaft, the apparatus being adapted to fluidly connect a tubular passage guide member to the component supply lines, and when a mixer insert is inserted into the passage guide member and the passage guide member is connected to the component supply lines, the drive shaft is adapted to rotary connect to the mixer insert via a rotary drive connection structure of the mixer insert (having a support rod member with at least one vortex member and adapted to be inserted into the passage guide member). Such a rotary drive connection structure provided on a known mixer insert is typically an opening located substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation, into which a hook provided on the end of the drive shaft engages to form a drive connection. The mixer insert and passage guide member may be single-use or disposable items (as in the present invention). However, in the present invention, these (static or dynamic) mixers are preferably not used for mixing the components, but rather, advantageously, for additionally shearing and / or homogenizing the clay that has been made flowably plasticized according to the present invention. This also prevents a deterioration in the quality of the clay due to mixing and separation, for example, in the form of visual changes in the clay and the formation of stripes.For example, a device equipped with a (static or dynamic) mixer can be used to shear the clay, for example, between an extruder and a pump.

[0020] In order to adjust the plasticity and thus the fluidity of the clay in the extruder, the pressure in the clay is measured in the regions of the extruder outlet and the pump inlet, the differential pressure is calculated by an electronic data processing device, and the pressure in the extruder can be adjusted using an adjustment device. For this purpose, the adjustment device can adjust the pump speed via this differential pressure, that is, using the differential pressure as the adjustment quantity and the pump speed as the operating quantity.

[0021] In order to improve the fluidity of the clay, a heating device can be used to at least partially adjust the temperature of the pump and / or the flange and / or the pipeline and / or the pipe section between the extruder and the pump, and / or the piston plate and / or the bottom of the container and / or the peripheral surface of the container can be at least partially temperature-adjusted.

[0022] In order to be able to inspect the state of the clay, that is, to be able to inspect on the downstream side of the extruder, the upstream side and / or the downstream side of the pump, optionally the upstream side and / or the downstream side of the mixer, and / or the upstream side of the piston member, pipeline branches can be provided there (for example, also by means of a bypass for this purpose), whereby the clay can be taken out as a sample.

[0023] The pump is preferably a screw spindle pump that has been found to be advantageous for pumping extremely high-viscosity liquids (but the clay is not classified as this liquid), but optionally can also be, for example, a gear or piston pump.

[0024] These and other advantages and features of the present invention will be further explained based on the following figures of an embodiment of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1]It is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for implementing the method according to the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] The figure shows a method of filling a container 2 having a standardized cylindrical geometry (specifically, a drum 2) with clay 4.

[0027] The container 2 has an opening 6 and a cylindrical internal space 8, and it can be recognized that not only the internal space 8 but also the opening 6 has a constant cross-section along the (cylindrical) cylinder axis 10.

[0028] The method shown in the figure includes the following steps, namely: a) Extruding the clay 4 using an extruder 12; b) Pumping the plasticized and pressurized clay 4 using the extruder 12 through a pipeline 16 using a pump 14 into an outlet opening 18 provided on the lower surface of a piston member 20 adapted to fit into the opening 6 of the container 2 and the cylindrical internal space 8 of the container 2; c) Guiding the piston member 20 in the direction of the cylinder axis 10 using a device equipped with a drive device 24 configured to apply pressure towards the inside of the container 2 to the clay 4 introduced below the piston member (20). including.

[0029] The extruder 12 is a device that transports, compresses, and extrudes clay 4 via a screw 25. The different cross-sectional shapes of the screw threads along the length of the extruder screw 25 allow for the transport, compression, degassing, mixing, and homogenization of the clay 4 being processed within the extruder 12. The clay 4 is in the final method step of its production within the extruder 12 (in particular, including, optionally, the mixing, stirring, and homogenization of the main components of the clay 4 (not shown) in another device (not shown) located upstream of the extruder 12). Here, the extruder 12 is further used to "knead" the clay 4, thereby heating, plasticizing, homogenizing, degassing, and so on, making it pumpable, and then pumping it under pressure into a pump 14, i.e., a screw spindle pump 14, and through the screw spindle pump 14 to pump it through the pipeline 16.

[0030] The clay 4 is then pumped into an outlet opening 18 located on the lower surface of the "piston member" 20. This so-called drum-following plate 20 is fitted to the opening 6 of the container 2 in which the piston member 20 is located, and to the internal space 8 of the container 2.

[0031] The drum-following plate 20 is a component in the form of a piston, fitted into the drum 2 through the cylindrical opening 6, i.e., into the cylindrical internal space 8, and equipped with a circumferential piston seal 26. The drum-following plate 20 is inserted into the drum 2 (after the original drum cover (not shown) is removed). The seal 26 seals the drum-following plate 20 to the drum wall all around. In this way, the piston member 20 forms an airtight and rigid cover over the clay 4 inside the drum, completely and tightly surrounding the clay 4 together with the drum 2. The drum-following plate 20 is then actively (guided and driven) pressed against the material 4. In this invention, the piston member 20 is used to avoid the sealing of air based on step c) above when filling the container 2 (not when removing it). That is, using a pneumatic cylinder as a drive device 24, the piston member 20 is guided in the direction of the cylindrical axis 10 of the internal space 8 of the container via a device 22 equipped with linear bearings. These are configured to apply pressure to the clay 4 introduced below the piston member 20, toward the inside of the container 2. To remove air, a vacuum pump 28 is used to create further negative pressure below the piston member 20 inside the container 2.

[0032] The conduit 16 between the pump 14 and the piston member 20 has a rigid conduit section 30, in which a (dynamic) mixer 34, rotationally driven by a motor 32, is located. In this case, the vortex member of the mixer 34 is not used much for mixing the components, but is advantageously used to additionally shear and / or homogenize the clay 4 that has been made flowable and plasticized according to the present invention. This also prevents a deterioration in the quality of the clay 4 due to mixing and separation, for example, in the form of visual changes in the clay 4 and the formation of stripes.

[0033] To adjust the plasticity and thus the fluidity of the clay 4 inside the extruder 12, the pressure inside the clay is measured in the areas of the extruder outlet 36 and the pump inlet 38, the differential pressure is calculated by the electronic data processing device 40, and the pressure inside the extruder is adjusted using the adjustment device 40.

[0034] To further improve the fluidity of the clay 4, a heating device 42 is used to partially regulate the temperature of the pump 14, the pipeline 16, and the pipe section 30, and also partially regulate the temperature of the piston plate 20 and the container 2. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 2 containers, drums 4 clay 6. Opening the container 8. Internal space of the container 10. Cylindrical axis 12 Extruder 14 pumps 16 Conduit 18 Exit opening 20 Piston Member 22 Linear guide device 24 Drive unit 25 Extruder Screw 26 Piston seals 28 Vacuum pump 30 Pipe Sections 32 motors 34 Dynamic Mixer 36 Extruder Outlet 38 Pump Inlet 40 Electronic data processing equipment, adjustment equipment 42 Heating device

Claims

1. A method for filling a standardized geometric container (2) with clay (4), comprising the following steps: a) A step of extruding the clay (4) using an extruder (12), b) A step of pumping the clay (4) plasticized using the extruder (12) through a pipe (16) from the outlet of the extruder (12) through the pipe (16) into the opening (6) of the container (2) and the internal space (8) of the container (2), which is cylindrical and has a constant cross-section of the internal space (8) and the opening along the cylindrical axis (10), and is provided at an outlet opening (18) on the lower surface of a piston member (20) that is fitted to the internal space (8) of the container (2), using a pump (14) and / or pressure formed in the clay (4) using the extruder (12), c) A step of guiding the piston member (20) in the direction of the cylindrical axis (10) using a device equipped with a drive device (24) configured to apply pressure to the clay (4) introduced below the piston member (20) toward the inside of the container (2), Includes, moreover, The process includes measuring the pressure inside the clay (4) at the extruder outlet (36) of the extruder (12) and the pump inlet (38) of the pump (14), calculating the pressure difference between the pressure inside the clay (4) at the extruder outlet (36) and the pressure inside the clay (4) at the pump inlet (38) using an electronic data processing device, and adjusting the pressure inside the extruder (12) using an adjustment device (40) with the pressure difference as an adjustment amount and the pump rotation speed as an operating amount. method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the piston member (20) is adapted to the geometric shape of the container (2) such that in step c), an annular gap exists between the piston member (20) and the inner surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall of the container (2).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annular gap between the piston member (20) and the inner surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall of the container (2) is sealed by a seal or used for air venting without a seal.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annular gap between the piston member (20) and the inner surface of the cylindrical peripheral wall of the container (2) is sealed by a seal, and a negative pressure is formed inside the container (2) and / or below the piston member (20) using a vacuum pump (28) for air removal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conduit (16) has a conduit section (30) in which a static mixer and / or a dynamic mixer (34) are located.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a heating device (42) is used to at least partially temperature-regulate the flange between the pump (14) and / or the extruder (12) and the pump (14), and / or the conduit (16) and / or the conduit section (30), and / or the piston plate and / or the bottom and / or circumferential surface of the container (2).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pump (14) is a screw spindle pump.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drive device (24) is a pneumatic cylinder.

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