Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~768C~8
This invention relates ~o reinforced plastic products
having indicia imprinted thereon which indicia is exposed to
view and protected against removal from extraneous sources
~uring use of the product so marked and relates further to
improved methods and processes of making the same.
Plastic products in the past have generally been
marked by labelling, applying marking plates, tags or the like.
These however are subject to mutilation or removal.
Other prior art methods have been employed for impart-
ing a distinct marking to the product, such as inserting fullycured laminated or decorated inserts of the size and shape desired
into production molds; said inserts have generally been held in
close contact, as by clamps, to the stock and generally laid over
the same, a spray of gel or the like being used to bind the insert
to the ~tock.
The present invention enables marked strip material,
either preprinted on mat material or imprinted or otherwise im-
pressed thereon during the pultrusion process, to be fed continu-
ously to the pultruded stock material prior to the shaping and
curing thereof after impregnation of the stock material. Upon
surface contact and jointure of the marked material with the stock,
excess resin or the like from the conglutinated stock is exuded
during jointure to form a transparent outer film over the surface
of the marked plastic reinforcing material, the pultrusion being
maintained at constant speed.
It is an object of this invention to provide marking of
indicia, etc. on plastic products which marking is integrai with
the product and visible thereon.
It is an object of this invention to provide said marking
on a product produced by and during a continuous feed pultrusion
process.
Another object of the invention is to provide the marking
on the pultruded product at a selected location or locations thereon.
Other objects of the invention and the invention
itself will be more readily apparent from a purview of the
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appended drawings and specification, in which drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of pultrusion apparatus, and
Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof, both figures
~howing a form of apparatus arranged relatively in the sequence
of the steps of the continuous feed pultrusion process and dis-
closing in Figure 2 an in-line hot stamping press for imprinting
indicia on a surface reinforcing mat according to one embodiment
of this invention;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal elevational view of a hot
stamping press and elements associated therewith for imprinting,
collecting and feeding mat material imprinted by the press in the
direction of process flow and beneath the pultrusion line
according to the embodiment shown;
Figure 4 is a view of a preferred porous mat material
employed in the form of this invention disclo~ed in Figures 1
to 3 inclu8ive and showing indicia applied thereto by the
apparatus of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a view of the mat of Figure 4 taken on
the line 5-5 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 shows the advance and juncture of the imprint-
ed mat with the reinforced plastic stock which has been wet in
a bath of plastic resin as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and compressed
as shown to form elongated fiber-reinforced plastic stock and dis-
closes the imprinted mat being forced into association with the
stock, and the release of excess resin through the pores of the
imprinted mat to act as a film covering for the imprinted surface
of the stock;
Figure 7 is a perspective partial view of a ladder
showing the imprinted stock in the form of a ladder rail after
forming and curing the same;
Figure 8 is a sectional view of the rail of Figure 7
taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a side elevational view of another
embodiment of my invention showing a preprinted mat introduced
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into the pultrusion line and adapted to be joined to reinforce-
ment material as shown in Figure 6;
Referring now to the drawings, in all of which like
parts are designated by like reference characters, it will be
noted that the present invention relates to an improved method
and process for applying a marking to reinforcing materials
being produced by continuous pultrusion feed process during the
pultrusion thereof and particularly to the outer surface of said
stock so that the end product will bear a marking or indicia
apparent to those observing the product. It will be obvious
that the marking may alternatively, if desired for certain
products, be placed on an interior surface of the product. The
marking is, according to one embodiment of the invention, placed
on a strip of reinforcing plastic or other material suitable for
an impression, lmprint or marking according to any preferred
method and brought into contact wlth reinforced plastic stock
material after the same has been impregnated with resin or the
like and a certain amount of the impregnating wetting material
exuded or expressed therefrom. The applied marked material is
preferably of such porosity that further excess wetting material
from the impregnated expressed stock can penetrate the marked
layer of the stock and during forming and curing form a film or
protective surface thereof.
It is to be noted that in Figures 1 and 2 successive
steps of a continuous constant pultrusion feed of plastic
reinforced materials are disclosed, the apparatus comprising
feed, tensioning, proper alignment and tracking, impregnating,
forming, curing and pulling means mounted in a long relatively
narrow pultrusion line of a type known to the art. The pul-
trusion process involves the feeding of rovings or strips 7 offiber glass or the like from creels 6 positioned at the entrance
end 10 of the machine, the rovings being collected and guided
together with mat reinforcing materials 8 and 9 fed from spools
8' and 9' under tension through spaced carding plates 11 and 12
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to an impregnating bath 13 containing resin or the like. The
rovings are, as shown, preferably disposed at vertical angularlity
from l:he creels to the plates and the mat material preferably is
di~posed at right angles to the said plates.
The rovings and mats pass through spaced openings (not
shown) in the carding plates, and are fed into a wetting or resin
impregnating tank, where additional structural materials 14 are
added to the stock and impregnated. The additional reinforcing
structural and surfacing materials 14 are fed from spools 15 and
15' mounted on a support frame 16 above the wet-out or impregna-
ting tank 13 into which resin, such as polyester, polyethylene,
vinylester, phenolic, epoxy and other thermo-setting resins, is
supplied. The preferably polyester resin may be mixed with
fillers, catalyst, pigment, ultraviolet additives, lubricant,
etc. In traversing the bath, the additional structural materials
are arranged in line with the rovings and reinforcement strips,
and impregnated with the resin. The said combined structural
materials are then drawn through the bath and passed through
squeezing device 17 whereby excess resin or other wetting agent
is exuded or expressed therefrom forming elongated fiber-reinforced
plastic stock. At this point, a porous imprinted or otherwise
marked laminae strip 20, which is fed at a rate compatible with
the feeding of the rovings, strips and other structural material,
travels as shown as "x" in Figures 2, 3 and 6 beneath the
pultruded line, and is brought into contact with the under-
surface of the stock. Due to the porosity of the disclosed
imprinted material, which may be "Nexus" or the like, it is
wet and, as best illustrated in Figure 6, by passage through
rotating rollers 22 and 23 caused to adhere to the squeezed
stock, wherefore an excess of impregnating resin material is
exuded through openings in the said material. "Nexus" is a
trademark of Burlington Glass Fabric Company for polyester
fiber surfacing fabrics used in such applications as reinforced
plastic piping systems. It is applied as either apertured or
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non-apertured material with diverse fiber orientation. It is
quick~y wet by polyester, vinylester and epoxy laminating
resins, Other suitable materials for addition to wet rein-
forced plastic stock and adapted to be imprinted or otherwise
marked may be used but the same should have a sufficient sub-
stantially uniform porosity to permit not only wetting thereof
and passage of the excess impregnating resin or the like there-
through to form a film of resin etc. thereover but a surface
upon which marking may be reproduced without blurring or un-
evenness. The material further possesses sufficiently highair permeability as to permit both gases and liquid to flow
therethrough. It is to be noted that the film or covering of
the polyester resin material is preferably provided of such
pigmentation as to be translucent and not opaque and to have
a "see-through" quallty, hence the resins must preferably be
of low enough "hiding" power for 5ee-through.
The stock having had the surfacing imprinted material
brought into contact therewith, as described above, now forms
a conglutinous stock, which is then drawn through a forming
station 25 by pull means such as shown in Goldsworthy, et al,
U. S. patent No. 2,871,911 and passed through pultrusion dies
and zone heaters to cure the same, and, as shown at 26, the
rate at which the formed stock moves and the tension on the
stock is controlled by control means 27.
In Figs. 7 and 8 the imprinted "Nexus" of Figs. 4, 5
and 6 is shown formed into a channel which is adapted for use
as a side rail for a ladder.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, as
illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, a hot-stamping imprinter
unit 30 is provided beneath the line of feed of the rovings 7
and structural material 8 and 9 between the carding plates 11
and 12. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 a surfacing material
to be imprinted which may, as prevlously stated herein, be of
apertured or non-apertured "Nexus" or other porous surfacing
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material, is mounted on a roll 31 and fed continuously under
an idler roller 32 passing beneath an engraved die 35 of a hot-
stamp unit 30; foil 33 from a foil feed roll 34 passes in either
direction, as required, under the imprinter die and over the
sur acing material so that when high pressure with heat for a
prescribed dwell time is applied by the press 30 to the material
20 by the die as the same is passed under the die 35 and located
above a base plate, imprints the indicia on the material. A
flat engraved die 35 mounted on a metal block 36 is disclosed.
The timing of the stroke of the marking device 35, as well as
the temperature of the die of the hot-stamping imprinter, and the
necessary dwell time for imprinting the material is controlled
from a control panel 40 comprising, as shown, a power-on switch
at 50, a signal therefor at 50', a control panel fuse at 51, an
air cylinder head activated "on" light 52, an air cylinder head
ac~uating toggle switch at 54, a dwell time control knob 53,
an air cylinder descending light 55, a toggle switch 56 for
set-up and run modes of operation, a heating indicator light
57 and a die temperature control knob 58.
At the left side of the hot-stamping press, as shown
in Fig. 2, and in Fig. 3 a feed accumulator assembly 60 which
the imprinted material 35' traverses after imprinting is adapted
to provide an accumulation of the material fed from the press
providing an allowance for the dwell time in imprinting so that
the imprinted material may be continuously and evenly fed and
brought into contact with the wet-out stock as described at the
feed rate of the stock. The accumulator assembly comprises a
support 64 having a spaced idler roller 61 under which roller
the imprinted material travels and is fed upwardly to pass over
idler rollers at 62 and 66 mounted on the upper part of the
support 64 and continuously fed at the rate of feed of the stock
under or over, as preferred, the wetting or impregnating tank 13
and into contact with any desired surface or lamina of the wet
and squeezed stock. The roller 63 is adapted to be raised or
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lowered to accumulate less or more material by adjustment of
a ~ylinder means 65.
It will be understood that rather than employing the
hot-stamplng imprinter of Fig. 3 that material fed from a roll
of "Nexus" or other preprinted or marked surfacing material,
as shown in Fig. 9, may be fed at a rate compatible to the feed
of the pultruded material and brought into contact with the
stock as described, to provide a marked surface therefor.
It will further be understood that the imprinting need
not as shown be provided on the outer surface of the formed
material but could be provided on any surface thereof.
As shown the positioning of the marking on the end
product can be regulated by the timing of the feed of the im-
printed surface and as in the ladder rail shown may be carefully
positioned on the product between attachment means, such as
rungs, brackets, etc. so that the entire marking iB evident and
not obscured. If preferred however, all-over or other marking
could be employed.
In the specification, wherein reference is made to
"reinforcing materials", the term includes all material which
may be added to the stock and improves the physical characteristics
Gf the said stock.
In the invention, the curing of the stock sets the
design, marking, indicia, etc. and provides a translucent or
transparent resin covering thereon by the cure of the excess
material expressed over the said design, etc. The present
invention is described in connection with one line of feed.
However, it is to be understood that more than one line can be
pultruded and imprinted as best shown in Fig. 1 and that said
lines can proceed continuously and simultaneously. In such event
in the preferred form of the invention, shown in Fig. 3 for
imprinting and providing surfacing material, means such as two
presses may be employed operating in the manner of the hot-
stamping press described or in the alternate mode as proposed
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Both presses or feeding mechanisms would be identical, hence
only one press or feed means is described.
While the invention has been disclosed in connection
wlth ~ preferred embodiment, numerous and extensive departures
could be made therefrom without however departing from the
spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
What we claim is:
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