Reinforcing strip, moulded body, method for producing the moulded body and method for recycling the moulded body

Abstract

The invention relates to a reinforcing strip (14) for insertion in a moulded body (10) made of an injection-mouldable moulding compound (13), having a strip-like main body (16) made of a metal, which has a plurality of slits (20) expanded into openings (18), wherein the strip-like main body (16) is embedded in an embedding means (22). The invention also relates to a moulded body (10) made of an injection-mouldable moulding compound (13), having at least one such reinforcing strip (14), to a method for producing such a moulded body (10) and to a method for recycling such a moulded body (10).

Description

[0001] Reinforcing tape, molded body, method for producing the molded body and method for recycling the molded body

[0002] The present invention relates to a reinforcing band for insertion into a molded body made of an injection-moldable molding compound, comprising a band-shaped base body made of a metal having a plurality of slots widened into openings. Furthermore, the invention relates to a molded body made of an injection-moldable molding compound, comprising at least one such reinforcing band, a method for producing such a molded body, and a method for recycling such a molded body.

[0003] A reinforcement strip of the type mentioned above is used as an insert to reinforce a molded body made of an injection-moldable molding compound, such as a sealing or edge protection strip made of an elastomeric material. Such a sealing strip is used to seal an opening in a vehicle, such as a window opening, a door opening, or a tailgate opening.

[0004] To secure the sealing strip, the opening is provided with a flange surrounding the opening, onto which the sealing strip is clipped or clamped. For this purpose, the reinforcement strip is formed into a V-profile, S-profile, L-profile, Z-profile, or U-profile.

[0005] To produce a sealing strip, the reinforcing strip, formed into a profile, is overmolded with an injection-moldable molding compound, such as a plastic and / or elastomer, in an extrusion process. To bond the injection-moldable molding compound to the reinforcing strip, the reinforcing strip is provided with slits. The slits are created by roll cutting in a continuous manufacturing process, and in a subsequent stretching and / or drawing process, the slits are expanded into openings. This creates a mechanical bond between the reinforcing strip and the rubber.

[0006] Due to this mechanical connection, it is difficult to separate the reinforcement tape from the injection-molded molding compound, such as a plastic and / or elastomer, for recycling. This process is very labor-intensive, as the plastic and / or elastomer must be mechanically torn or cut at each opening in the reinforcement tape.

[0007] In addition to this mechanical bond, it is known to chemically bond the reinforcing tape and the moldable molding compound using an adhesion promoter. For this purpose, the adhesion promoter is applied to the reinforcing tape, and then the injection-molded molding compound is overmolded around the reinforcement tape coated with the adhesion promoter. Due to the adhesion promoter, separating the reinforcement tape and the moldable molding compound is technically almost impossible. Such products are either incinerated or mixed in some other way.

[0008] To circumvent this disadvantage, EP 0 428 001 B1 discloses a metal strip which has a plurality of cut-out tongues arranged one behind the other in a row, wherein the tongues are each formed by two parallel cut-outs spaced apart from one another, wherein the tongues are partially formed flat from the metal strip and wherein undeformed tongues and tongues formed from the plane of the metal strip alternate with one another in order to form a flow channel for a plastic material between the undeformed and deformed tongues in the manufacture of a profile strip for a vehicle. Due to the interlocking formed by the tongues between the metal strip and the plastic material, the use of an adhesion promoter can be dispensed with. By absorbing energy from the metal strip in the boundary region of the plastic material, a melt is achieved, whereby the metal strip can be easily released from the thermoplastic.This enables a virtually residue-free separation between the plastic material and the metal strip. The present invention is based on the object of creating a reinforcing strip, a molded body, a method for producing a molded body, and a method for recycling the molded body that enable simple and improved recycling.

[0009] To achieve the object, a reinforcing tape having the features of claim 1, a shaped body having the features of claim 6, a method for producing the shaped body having the features of claim 8 and a method for recycling the shaped body having the features of claim 9 are proposed.

[0010] Advantageous embodiments of the reinforcing band, the shaped body and the recycling process are the subject of the respective dependent claims.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the invention, a reinforcing strip is proposed for insertion into a molded body made of an injection-moldable molding compound. The reinforcing strip comprises a strip-shaped base body made of a metal having a plurality of slits widened into openings, wherein the strip-shaped base body is embedded in an embedding medium.

[0012] The embedding material, in which the strip-shaped base body is embedded, penetrates the openings and envelops the reinforcing strip. The embedding material thereby forms the mechanical connection to the strip-shaped base body. The strip-shaped base body embedded in the embedding material can be overmolded with an injection-moldable molding compound, such as a plastic and / or an elastomer, whereby the injection-moldable molding compound bonds with the embedding material. As a result, the injection-moldable molding compound is firmly bonded to the reinforcing strip, in particular to the strip-shaped base body. Using a suitable agent, such as heat, the embedding material can be made fluid again, thereby breaking the mechanical bond so that all materials can be cleanly and separately separated from one another. The embedding material thus replaces an adhesion promoter, as the chemical bond is replaced by a mechanical, removable bond.The reinforcing tape according to the invention thus enables simple and improved recycling. Advantageously, the reinforcing tape can be separated from the molded body using suitable measures. The liquid embedding agent can then also be separated from the reinforcing tape and / or molded body and fully recycled.

[0013] Advantageously, the embedding agent is designed to be solid in a temperature range, in particular up to approximately 80°C, and to change into a liquid state when heated.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment, the embedding material has a smooth surface. This allows the reinforcement tape to replace a coated reinforcement tape.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment, the embedding medium is connected to the strip-shaped base body in a form-fitting and / or force-fitting manner. The form-fitting and force-fitting connection of the embedding medium with the strip-shaped base body is achieved by the embedding medium flowing into the openings, thus forming a form-fitting and force-fitting connection with the strip-shaped base body. The embedding medium thus forms a mechanical connection to the strip-shaped base body.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment, the embedding agent has a lower melting point than the strip-shaped base body and / or the molded body. By heating a molded body provided with the reinforcing strip to a temperature lower than the melting point of the molded body and / or the strip-shaped base body, the embedding agent can be liquefied, allowing the reinforcing strip to be separated from the molded body, in particular from an injection-moldable molding compound, such as a plastic and / or an elastomer.

[0017] In an advantageous embodiment, the embedding material is a thermoplastic. To embed the reinforcement strip, the reinforcement strip is overmolded with the liquid thermoplastic. This cools, filling the openings and, when cooled, forming a mechanical bond to the reinforcement strip. If necessary, a thin, smooth film remains on the top and / or bottom of the reinforcement strip. The embedding material is also advantageously a thermoplastic or a thermoplastic elastomer.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the band-shaped base body is embedded in the embedding medium by means of hot embedding or cold embedding.

[0019] According to a further aspect of the invention, a molded body made of an injection-moldable molding compound is proposed. The molded body comprises at least one reinforcing band according to the invention.

[0020] The reinforcing tape according to the invention allows for easy recycling of the molded body, since the embedding agent is liquefied by a suitable means, such as heat, to separate the molded body and the reinforcing tape. This breaks the mechanical bond between the embedding agent and the reinforcing tape, allowing the reinforcing tape to be separated from the molded body by suitable means. The liquid embedding agent can then also be separated from the reinforcing tape and / or molded body and completely recycled.

[0021] In an advantageous embodiment, the shaped body is a decorative or sealing strip or an edge protection strip.

[0022] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for producing a molded body according to the invention is proposed. In the method, a reinforcing strip is created by cutting slits into a strip-shaped base body made of a metal using a roll-cutting process and then expanding the slits to form openings by stretching and / or drawing. Subsequently, the reinforcing strip is overmolded with an embedding agent. The reinforcing strip embedded in the embedding agent is then formed into a V-profile, S-profile, L-profile, Z-profile, or U-profile. Finally, the reinforcing strip formed into a profile is overmolded with an injection-moldable molding compound using an extrusion process.

[0023] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for recycling a molded body according to the invention is proposed. For this purpose, the molded body is heated to a melting temperature of the embedding agent, and then the molded body is separated from the reinforcing tape.

[0024] In an advantageous embodiment, the molten or liquid embedding agent is separated from the molded body and / or reinforcing tape.

[0025] Below, a molded body, a reinforcing tape, a method for producing the molded body, a method for recycling the molded body, and other features and advantages are explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment, which is schematically illustrated in the figures.

[0026] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a molded body with a reinforcing band partially covered by an embedding agent:

[0027] Fig. a schematic representation of a process for producing the molded body and reinforcing tape; and

[0028] Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a process for recycling the molded body.

[0029] In Fig. 1, a shaped body 10 is shown, which in the present case is designed as a sealing strip 12 for an opening not shown, such as a window opening, a door opening or a tailgate opening, of a vehicle not shown.

[0030] The molded body 10 is made of an injection-moldable molding compound 13, such as an elastomer or a thermoplastic. To reinforce the molded body 10, an insert in the form of a reinforcing strip 14 is inserted into the molded body, which is bent into a U-shaped profile.

[0031] The reinforcing band 14 has a band-shaped base body 16 made of a metal, which has a plurality of slots 20 widened into openings 18.

[0032] To separate the molded body 10 from the reinforcing band 14, the reinforcing band 14 is embedded in an embedding agent 22, as will be explained in more detail below. The embedding agent 22 is made of a thermoplastic, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic plastic, and has a lower melting point than the band-shaped base body 16 and the molded body 10.

[0033] In the following, a possible method for producing the molded body 10 is described with reference to Fig. 2. In a first step S1H, the reinforcing band 14 is created by cutting slits 20 into the band-shaped base body 16 by means of roll cutting. The slits 20 are then widened to form the openings 18 by stretching and / or pulling the band-shaped base body 16. In a second step S2H, the band-shaped base body 16 is embedded in the embedding agent 22 by overmolding the band-shaped base body 16 with the liquid thermoplastic, in particular the liquid thermoplastic or thermoplastic elastomer. The liquid thermoplastic cools down and closes the openings 18, and in the cooled state forms a mechanical connection to the band-shaped base body 16. In a third step S3H, the reinforcing band is shaped into a V-profile, S-profile, L-profile, Z-profile or, as in Fig.1, is formed into a U-shaped profile. In a fourth step S4H, the reinforcement strip 14 formed into the profile, in this case the U-shaped profile, is overmolded with the injection-moldable molding compound 13 using an extrusion process, thus producing the sealing strip 12.

[0034] A possible method for recycling the sealing strip 12 is explained below. In the method, in a first recycling step S1R, the sealing strip 12 is heated to a melting temperature of the embedding agent 22. This liquefies the embedding agent, so that in a second recycling step S2R, the molding compound 13 or the molded body 10 can be separated from the reinforcing strip 14 by a suitable measure. Subsequently, in a third process step S3R, the liquid embedding agent 22 is separated from the molded body 10 and / or the reinforcing strip 14.

[0035] The reinforcing band 14 is characterized by the embedding material 22, in which the band-shaped base body 16 is embedded. The embedding material 22 penetrates the openings 18 and envelops the band-shaped base body 16. The embedding material 22 thereby forms the mechanical connection to the band-shaped base body 22. The band-shaped base body 16 embedded in the embedding material 22 is then overmolded with the injection-moldable molding compound 13, such as a plastic and / or an elastomer, whereby the injection-moldable molding compound 13 bonds with the embedding material 22 and is thus firmly connected to the band-shaped base body 16. Using a suitable means, such as heat, the embedding material 22 can be made liquid again, thereby breaking the mechanical connection. This allows all materials to be separated cleanly and accurately from one another.The embedding agent 22 thus replaces an adhesion promoter, since the chemical bond is replaced by a mechanical, detachable bond. Thus, the reinforcing tape 14 according to the invention enables simple and improved recycling.

[0036] List of reference symbols

[0037] 10 molded bodies

[0038] 12 Sealing strip

[0039] 13 injectable molding compound

[0040] 14 Reinforcement tape

[0041] 16 ribbon-shaped base body

[0042] 18 Opening

[0043] 20 slots

[0044] 22 embedding materials

[0045] S1 H first manufacturing step

[0046] S2H second manufacturing step

[0047] S3H third manufacturing step

[0048] S4H fourth manufacturing step

[0049] S1 R first recycling step

[0050] S2R second recycling step

[0051] S3R third recycling step

Claims

Claims 1 . Reinforcing band (14) for insertion into a molded body (10) made of an injection-moldable molding compound (13), comprising a band-shaped base body (16) made of a metal, which has a plurality of slots (20) widened to form openings (18), wherein the band-shaped base body (16) is embedded in an embedding agent (22).

2. Reinforcing band (14) according to claim 1, characterized in that the embedding means (22) is positively and / or non-positively connected to the band-shaped base body (16).

3. Reinforcing band (14) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the embedding agent (22) has a lower melting point than the band-shaped base body (16) and / or the shaped body (10).

4. Reinforcing tape (14) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the embedding agent (22) is a thermoplastic.

5. Reinforcing band (14) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the band-shaped base body (16) is embedded in the embedding medium (22) by means of hot embedding or cold embedding.

6. A molded body (10) made of an injection-moldable molding compound (13), comprising at least one reinforcing band (14) according to one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Shaped body (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the shaped body (10) is a decorative or sealing strip (12) or an edge protection strip.

8. A method for producing a shaped body (10) according to claim 6 or 7, comprising the following steps: a. Producing a reinforcing band (14) by introducing slots (20) into a band-shaped base body (16) made of a metal using a roll-cutting process and subsequently widening the slots (20) to form openings (18) by stretching and / or drawing; b. Overmolding the reinforcing band (14) with an embedding agent (22); c. Forming the reinforcing band (14) embedded in the embedding agent (22) into a V-profile, S-profile, L-profile, Z-profile or U-profile; and d. Overmolding the reinforcing band (14) formed into a profile with an injection-moldable molding compound (13) using an extrusion process.

9. A method for recycling a molded body (10) according to claim 6 or 7, comprising the following steps: a. heating the molded body (10) to a melting temperature of the embedding agent (22); and b. separating the molded body (10) from the reinforcing tape (14).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the molten embedding agent (22) is separated from the molded body (10) and / or reinforcing band (14).

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