Foaming Hollow Chamber Profiles via Segmented Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for introducing insulating foam into long hollow chamber profiles, such as those used in window and door frames, face challenges including uneven filling, high production and storage costs, and complications with long prefabricated insulation elements, as well as issues with exothermic reactions delaying extrusion speeds and handling difficulties with long injection lances.
Innovation Solution
A method involving multiple evenly distributed filling openings along the length of the profile, with ventilation openings in between to allow air escape, enabling even foam distribution and complete filling, using a foamable mixture that reacts to form a polyurethane insulating foam with adjustable density, and optionally incorporating an additional thermoplastic profile for enhanced rigidity and insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a single long injection lance is used to fill foam into long profiles, then the hollow chamber can be filled, but handling becomes problematic and uniform foaming is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The injection system is segmented into multiple injection lances of manageable length, each responsible for filling a specific section of the long profile. This segmentation makes handling easier while enabling uniform foaming distribution along the entire profile length by coordinating multiple injection points.
2Reliability
If prefabricated long insulation elements are inserted into long profiles, then insulation is provided, but production and transport become complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The profile itself serves as the container for foam generation. By injecting foamable mixture directly into the hollow chamber of the long profile, the system eliminates the need for separate prefabricated insulation elements, simplifying both production and transport while maintaining reliable insulation performance.
3Manufacturing precision
If foamable mixture is applied to a profiled material web before insertion, then the hollow chamber can be filled, but the process becomes very complex and the material web interferes with recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The unnecessary profiled material web is completely removed from the process. Instead of applying foamable mixture to an external web and inserting it, the invention directly injects the foamable mixture into the hollow chamber through injection lances, eliminating process complexity and recycling interference while ensuring complete filling.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the ratio of profile length to hollow chamber width is very large (50:1 to 250:1), then long profile bars can be processed, but achieving uniform foam distribution becomes extremely difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The long profile is divided into multiple sections, each served by a separate injection lance. This segmentation allows the foamable mixture to be injected at multiple points along the length of the profile, ensuring uniform expansion and distribution even in profiles with very high length-to-width ratios of 50:1 to 250:1.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection approach transitions from a single-point linear injection to multi-point distributed injection along the longitudinal dimension of the profile. This dimensional change in the injection strategy enables uniform foam distribution throughout the extremely long hollow chamber by addressing different sections simultaneously or sequentially.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method ensures uniform foam distribution and density across long profiles, reducing production costs and improving thermal insulation while maintaining structural integrity and ease of processing, with minimal impact on corner strength and recyclability.
Implementation Method 1
the typically exothermic reaction of the introduced foamable insulating material components
Implementation Method 2
introducing an insulating foam into at least one hollow chamber
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for foaming at least one hollow chamber (7, 7', 9, 10) of a leaf or panel frame profiled section, which is designed as a hollow chamber profiled section (1, 2), for producing windows and/or doors. For this purpose, a plurality of filling openings (5, 5', 6) that are distributed along the length of the hollow chamber profiled section (1, 2) and a plurality of discharge openings (8, 22), at least one discharge opening being provided between each two filling openings (5, 5', 6), are first bored into one wall (11, 18) of each hollow chamber (7, 7', 9, 10) to be filled. The hollow chambers (7, 7', 9, 10) to be filled are uniformly filled with an insulating foam material (3, 4) by injecting a foamable reactive mixture into the hollow chambers (7, 7', 9, 10) to be filled through the plurality of filling openings (5, 5', 6) in a metered manner, closing the filling openings (5, 5', 6), and expanding and curing the foamable mixture while at least largely displacing the gas that is present in the at least one hollow chamber (7, 7', 9, 10) through the discharge openings (8, 22). The foamable mixture is injected in a metered manner through the respective filling openings (5, 5', 6) simultaneously or successively. Individual hollow chambers of long hollow chamber profiled sections (1, 2) with lengths of 6 to 7 m for example can be uniformly filled, in particular with PUR foam, with a relatively homogenous thickness distribution using said method.