HANDLING EXTENDED AREA ARTICLES
This invention relates to the handling of extended area articles In particular, the present invention relates to the handling of extended area articles such as doors including moulded foamed plastics materials and a covering of fibre glass, doors including moulded frame works in conjunction with foamed plastics cores, and doors essentially including a core covered with fibre glass material.
In practice, it has been found that following the production of an article such as a door leaf or other extended area article blank/core having a covering of fibre glass on a production run basis the situation not infrequently arises that it becomes necessary to store at least temporally a quantity of part constructed articles that have been provided with a covering layer such as fibre glass fabric prior to the actual curing of the fibreglass fabric onto the door or other blank/core at a later point of time. at which further processing of the articles is possible.
It will be appreciated that it is important to be able to handle and store such part finished articles in a manner that does not lead to damage of the articles and also one which in effect facilitates subsequent handling of the articles when for example handling the articles for storage purposes and when retrieving the articles for subsequent use.
It thus an object of the present invention to facilitate the handling of moulded plastics articles and particularly such articles having areas covered by a fibre glass layer. S -2-
Broadly according to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of handling an article having regions/areas covered with a layer of fibre glass material, comprising the step of encapsulating/housing the article within a hermetically sealed and air evacuated outer container.
Broadly according to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of handling an article having at least one regions/areas covered with a layer of fibre glass material, comprising the step of encapsulating/housing the article within a hermetically sealed and air evacuated plastics container.
Preferably the article, blanklcore comprises a foamed plastics material Preferably the container comprises a plastics bag whereby the glass fibre fabric as a result of air evacuation of interior of the bag atmospheric pressure acting on the outside of the bag and the lower pressure inside the bag causes compression of the glass fibre material, (especially if left in the bag for a few day), into any decorative or functional features that may be provided on the article, blank/core..
1 5 Preferably the method includes inserting the article within a plastics covering, hermetically sealing any openings into the interior of the plastics covering, and evacuating air from the interior of the covering in such manner as to hermetically seal the article within the container.
In a further aspect of the invention an article comprising a foamed plastics blank/core encapsulated within a layer/covering of fibre glass fabric is introduced into a plastics bag, or otherwise encapsulated in plastic material, that provides for the article or blank/core an air sealable enclosure from which air is removed to prior to hermetically sealing the bag..
In a manufacturing process involving the production of extended area articles including a blank/core formed from a foamed plastics material that is subsequently enclosed/encapsulated with a covering of fibre glass there is frequently a requirement to be able to store a partially completed article until required for further manufacturing actions to be carried out upon the articles.
especially during high volume applications.
As proposed by the present invention the article i.e., a part made door is placed within a thin walled polythene bag/container after which air is extracted from the interior of the bag and then the bag is hermetically sealed.
In practice, the bag is heat sealed.
It has been found that this mode of packaging protects the glass fibre layer/covering so that a number of the thus packed articles can be can be piled on top of each other subsequently handled without problems such as for example, damaging the glass fibre fabric covering on the article if and when one article is dragged or otherwise displaced across the surface of a further package located beneath.
In practice,it has also been found that this mode of packaging results in an added benefit of so compacting the glass fibre as a result of the air evacuation of interior of the bag that the consequence of atmospheric pressure acting on the outside of the bag and the lower pressure within the bag the glass fibre is compressed especially if left in the bag for a few days into any decorative or functional features provided on the foam core.
This compacting of the fibre glass has been has been found to result in a better quality of the moulding of the fibre glass to the core.
Another benefit arising from the above discussed mode of storing the part finished articles within air evacuated bags is that after the bag is cut and the article is separated from the bag, the glass fibre fabric which has been compressed takes a short time period to recover its original thickness. Whilst the fibre glass is in this S -4-state has been found is easier to load the article and its fibre glass fabric covering into a mould. within which the glass fibre fabric is moulded to the core with less production problems such as glass fibre material extending over a joint line between two areas of glass material applied to the core and the ability also to ensure the glass fibre fills to the edges and corners of the mould being used..