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    • 专利摘要:
    Abstractlt is presented a method for producing a cured polymer structure from a polymer compound which is UV curable and partly UV transparent. The methodcomprises injecting (S1) the polymer compound into a mould (2; 2'), which mould (2;2') has at least one wall (7) defining a mould space (6) for receiving the polymercompound in the mould space (6). The at least one wall (7) of the mould (2; 2') is UVtransparent. The polymer compound is then irradiated (S2) through the at least onewall (7), by means of UV light provided from at least one UV light source (4), therebycuring the polymer compound to form the cured polymer structure. The at least onewall (7) comprises a thermoplastic polymer, and the at least one wall is so thin that itis flexible. An assembly (1; 1') for producing a polymer structure and a mould (2; 2')is also presented herein. (Fig. 1)
    公开号:SE1050586A1
    申请号:SE1050586
    申请日:2010-06-08
    公开日:2011-12-09
    发明作者:Thomas Andersson
    申请人:Kungsoers Plast Ab；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    A CURING METHOD AND ASSEMBLY THEREFORField of the inventionThe invention generally relates to curing of polymers, and in particular to the curing ofpolymers in a mould.
    BackgroundCuring involves hardening of polymer structures by cross-linking polymer chains.
    Such cured polymer structures have a multitude of applications; they may forinstance be utilised in high voltage applications.
    The curing process of a polymer composite which is to be formed into a polymerstructure typically involves injecting the polymer composite into a mould, wherein themould is heated, thereby shaping the polymer structure from the polymer compositeand curing the same. The mould is typically made of steel or a similar material havinggood thermally conductive properties.
    Drawbacks with this curing process are that it is both costly and time-consuming. Themoulds in which the polymer structures are moulded and cured are very expensive.Hence each mould is a considerable investment for manufacturers of cured polymerstructures. For small production volumes, the cost of the finished polymer structureproduct is thereby reflected in the mould expenses.
    Further, since each mould is very expensive, a manufacturer may not be able toinvest in a set ofdifferently sized or shaped moulds, which would provide moreflexibility in producing different size polymer structures for different applications, dueto the high costs involved. Moreover, the decision of purchasing a new mouldrequires careful planning for the manufacturer, because a new mould normally takesseveral months to develop.
    Additionally, the mould assembly is subject to high pressures due to the temperaturerise during the curing process, putting the mould under constant stress. Thermalexpansion of the mould during moulding and curing further increases the costs of themould assembly, as thermal expansion parameters must be taken into considerationupon construction of the mould assembly.
    SummaryAn object of the present invention is to provide a curing method and an assembly toovercome or at least mitigate the drawbacks described above.
    Another object is to provide a simplified and more efficient curing process and anassembly therefor.
    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a fast and reliable curingprocess.
    Accordingly, in a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method forproducing a cured polymer structure from a polymer compound, which polymercompound is UV curable and partly UV transparent, wherein the method comprises:injecting the polymer compound into a mould, which mould has at least onewall defining a mould space for receiving the polymer compound in the mould space,wherein the at least one wall is UV transparent, andirradiating the polymer compound, through the at least one wall, by means ofUV light provided from at least one UV light source, wherein the irradiating comprisesirradiating the at least one wall such that UV light passes through the polymercompound, thereby curing the polymer compound to form the cured polymerstructure,wherein the at least one wall comprises a thermoplastic polymer, and the atleast one wall is so thin that the at least one wall is flexible.
    By a mould space is generally meant an enclosing space. Such a mould space maybe formed by one or several walls of the mould.
    An effect which may be obtainable by the present invention is that that the UV curingmay be optimised in the sense that due to their thinness the at least one wall willabsorb a minimal amount of UV radiation. Beneficially, the effective curing time mayhence be shortened. Further, less material may be needed to construct the mould,and the cost and time for developing a mould with a different size and/or shape maybe shortened. Moreover, because the wall thickness is so thin that the at least onewall defining the mould space becomes flexible, the mould may expand at therma|expansion of the polymer compound. Further, the UV transparency of the polymercompound and hence the mould product, i.e. the polymer structure, is typically alsotransparent for light in the visible spectrum, making it easy to inspect whether thereare air pockets in the polymer structure. Air pockets in polymer structures for e.g.high voltage applications are generally not desirable, because electrical breakdownbetween the inner surfaces of the air pocket may occur, gradually breaking down thepolymer structure and hence decreasing the lifetime of the polymer structure.
    Additionally, there is no scorch time involved in the curing process, since the curing isobtained by means of UV light, and hence the polymer compound contains notemperature dependent catalyst. Hereto, the curing is performed when the mould isirradiated with UV light.
    The mould may comprise Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A PVC mould has excellent de-moulding properties with negligible adhesion to cured liquid silicone rubber (LSR)compounds and and no inhibiting tendencies with regards to the UV activatedcatalyst used.
    Alternatively, the mould may comprise Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PVC andPET moulds are UV transparent and are easy to produce, e.g. by vacuum formingthe mould parts.
    The at least one wall may have a thickness less than 1 mm. A thickness that is lessthan 1 mm is typically enough to provide a mould that is durable for at least onemould cycle. A mould cycle is herein defined as the moulding and curing process ofone polymer structure.
    The mould may allow for a curing process having disposable moulds, i.e. the mouldmay be used for one or more mould cycle prior to discarding the mould. This may bebeneficial in applications when contamination-free moulds are required, such aswhen moulding polymer structures for medical applications.
    The irradiating may comprise irradiating the polymer compound from severaldirections simultaneously. Thereby, the curing time may be further shortened, anduniform curing of the polymer compound may be achieved.
    The irradiating may comprise irradiating with UV light having wavelengths in therange 290 - 400 nm. By irradiating the polymer compound in this wavelength range,the curing has been shown to be particularly efficient. This is advantageous, becausethe at least one wall of the mould is very thin.
    The irradiating comprises irradiating with UV light having a wavelength of 365 nm.For this wavelength, the heat generated in the mould and the heat affecting themould has been shown to be very low, in practice almost completely negligible.
    The polymer compound may comprise liquid silicone rubber (LSR). LSR has inherentproperties that are particularly suitable for UV curing and for use in high voltageapplications because of its UV transparency, insulation properties, and UV stability inthe sense that LSR is not affected negatively by the UV radiation.
    Preferably, the method may comprise mixing a UV-activated catalyst with at least aportion of the polymer compound. Thereby, curing by UV light may be activated inthe polymer compound. Preferably, the UV-activated additive is mixed with the atleast one portion of the polymer compound prior to injecting the polymer compoundinto the mould space of the mould.
    The irradiating may comprise irradiating the polymer compound for a time in therange 10-60 seconds, preferably in the range 15-25 seconds. The irradiating timeneeded for curing the polymer compound typically depends on the intensity of theirradiating UV light source.
    The irradiating may comprise circumferential irradiation of an external peripheralsurface of the at least one wall. The external peripheral surface is external withrespect to the mould space inner surface, which inner surface may be in contact withan injected polymer compound. Hence, the envelope surface of the mould may beirradiated and the irradiating light may be transmitted through the mould. Thereby, allportions of the polymer compound may be irradiated with UV light in a manner thatthe light intensity is still sufficiently high for curing all portions of the polymercompound. This may be beneficial for curing large structures, such as for instanceinsulators for high voltage applications.
    The mould may be a blister pack. Blister packs are easily produced by vacuumforming. A blister pack is to be construed as a polymer form being comprised of atleast one flexible moulded part having a convexity for receiving a polymer compoundtherein. Two such moulded parts with corresponding convexities may e.g. beclamped together, whereby the mould space is formed by the correspondingconvexities.ln a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an assembly forproducing a cured polymer structure from a polymer compound, which polymercompound is UV curable and partly UV transparent, the curing assembly comprising:a mould having at least one wall defining a mould space for receiving thepolymer compound in the mould space, wherein the at least one wall is UVtransparent,injecting means arranged to inject the polymer compound into the mould (10),andat least one UV light source arranged to irradiate the injected polymercompound through the at least one wall of the mould,wherein the at least one wall comprises a thermoplastic polymer, and the atleast one wall is so thin that the at least one wall is flexible.ln a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a mould for mouldingpolymer compounds, which mould has at least one wall defining a mould space forreceiving the polymer compound in the mould space, which at least one wallcomprises a thermoplastic polymer and is UV transparent, wherein the at least onewall is so thin that the at least one wall is flexible.
    Further features and advantages of the present invention will be evident from thefollowing description.
    Brief description of the drawinqsThe invention and further advantages thereof will now be described by non-Iimitingexamples of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
    Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an example of an assembly for producing a curedpolymer structure according to the present invention.
    Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a process for producing a cured polymer structure.
    Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of another example of an assembly for producing acured polymer structure.
    Fig. 4 shows a core insert means for the assembly in Fig. 3.
    Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an example of a mould.
    Detailed descriptionln the following description, for purpose of explanation and not limitation, specificdetails are set forth, such as particular techniques and applications in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will beapparent for a person skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced inother embodiments that depart from these specific details, within the scope of theappended claims. ln other instances, detailed description of well-known methods andapparatuses are omitted so as not to obscure the description with unnecessarydetails.
    An alternative to thermal curing of polymer compounds is to replace the steel mouldwith a UV transparent mould and perform the curing process by irradiating a UVcurable polymer compound through the UV transparent mould by means of highintensity UV lamps, such as mercury lamps. Such moulds may for instance beconstructed from quartz glass or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), i.e. plexiglas.
    Industrial semiconductor UV lighting devices may also be utilised for the irradiatingprocess instead of UV lamps. For instance industrial UV Light Emitting Diodes (LED)such as those manufactured by Phoseon® may be utilised for curing some polymers,such as silicone rubber.
    The present inventor has realised that when utilising semiconductor light sources forcuring polymer compounds, there will be less requirements in regards of heatresistance in the mould construction because less heat is generated bysemiconductor light sources.
    After encouraging initial laboratory results, moulds have been developed having verythin wall thicknesses with little material consumption making disposable moulds acost-effective alternative to costly sustainable moulds. ln addition, the thin wallthickness allows that UV-light may pass through the walls with a minimum of energyloss, thereby optimizing the UV curing performance.
    With reference to Fig. 1, an example of an assembly 1 for producing a cured polymerstructure is shown. The assembly 1 comprises a mould 2, an injecting means 3, anda plurality of UV light sources 4. The injecting means 3 is arranged to inject apolymer compound (not shown) into the mould 2. The injecting means 3 may forinstance be a nozzle which, by applying pressure thereto, may inject the polymercompound into the mould 2.
    The mould 2 comprises walls 7, which define a mould space 6. The mould space 6may receive the polymer compound injected into the mould 2. The mould space 6typically circumferentially encloses an injected polymer compound.
    The presently exemplified mould 2 comprises two mould-halves 5-1 and 5-2, whichwhen brought together defines the mould space 6. The walls 7 are UV transparent soas to allow transmission of UV light through the walls 7 to cure the polymercompound in the mould space 6.
    Other mould shapes are also possible within the scope of the present invention. Suchmoulds may for instance comprise a single mould part with one wall forming a mouldspace. Such single mould shapes may for instance be conical or hemisphericallyShaped. The open bottom surface of such a mould is typically filled with a structurewhich is to be included in the mould product, i.e. the polymer structure.
    Alternatively, a mould may comprise a plurality of moulds parts together forming amould space when the plurality of mould parts are assembled with each other to formthe mould. Typically, the walls of the mould forming the mould space enclose theinjected polymer compound.ln one embodiment, the mould may have a non-constant cross-section along itslongitudinal axis. ln another embodiment, the mould may have a constant cross-section along its longitudinal axis.
    The assembly 1 may be housed in a UV protective housing (not shown) so as to filterharmful UV radiation from the surroundings.
    With reference to Fig. 2, a flow chart of a method for producing a cured polymerstructure is shown. ln particular, a method for producing the cured polymer structurefrom a polymer compound which is UV curable and partly UV transparent, forinstance 90% UV transparent, will be described in the following.
    The polymer compound will hereinafter be exemplified by liquid silicone rubber.However, other polymer compounds, such as epoxy or other thermosetting polymersmay also be used.ln a step S0, a catalyst is mixed with at least one portion of the liquid silicone rubber.Typically, the liquid silicone rubber comprises a component A and a component B,which components A and B are mixed. Normally either component A or component Bcomprises the catalyst. However, in one embodiment, the catalyst may be containedin both components A and B prior to mixing of components A and B.
    The catalyst is a UV-activated catalyst, which catalyst actives the curing process inthe liquid silicone rubber when the liquid silicone rubber is irradiated with UV light.The catalyst may for instance be a platinum catalyst. The components A and B aremixed with so as to allow uniform curing of the liquid silicone rubber.
    Typically, care should be taken when adding the Catalyst so that the liquid siliconerubber is exposed to a minimum of light containing UV components prior to injectingthe liquid silicone rubber into a mould. Such exposure may result in premature curingof the liquid silicone rubber, i.e. curing before forming the liquid silicone rubber in themould.ln a step S1, the liquid silicone rubber is injected into the mould 2. The liquid siliconerubber may be injected by injecting means 3 into the mould 2. The injecting means 3may by any suitable means for injecting a liquid polymer into a mould, e.g. a nozzleor a tube, as would be apparent to the skilled person in the art.
    The mould 2 may be manufactured from a UV transparent thermoplastic polymer.The mould 2 may for instance be manufactured from Polyvinyl chloride (PVC),Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or cured silicone rubber. The construction of themould 2 is preferably performed by vacuum moulding or blow moulding. The walls 7defining the mould space are thin so as to allow the walls 7 to be flexible. The walls 7may for instance have a thickness less than 1 mm.
    An assembled mould has an opening being connected with the mould space, so asto allow injection of the liquid silicone rubber into the mould.lf the mould comprises several mould parts, such as in the above example, themould parts are typically clamped together prior to the liquid silicone rubber beinginjected into the mould.ln one embodiment, the walls uniformly have the same thickness in order to ensurethat the same amount of radiation may penetrate the walls for irradiating the liquidsilicone rubber enclosed in the mould space.
    Preferably, the mould 2 is of blister pack-type.ln a step S2, the liquid silicone rubber is irradiated by UV light through the mould 2.The irradiating light source may typically be one or a plurality of UV emittingsemiconductor light sources. Such light sources typically have a narrow emissionbandwidth matched to the UV catalyst activation energy. Preferably all of the emittedlight from the UV emitting semiconductor light source(s) is in the UV spectrum.ln a typical embodiment, the UV emitting semiconductor light source(s) comprises aUV LED. However, it is envisaged that alternatively or in combination, othersemiconductor light sources may be used, such as UV-emitting Organic LightEmitting Diodes (OLED) or diffused UV-emitting semiconductor lasers.
    Preferably, the UV light is in the range 290 nm to 400 nm. ln particular, 365 nm maybe a preferable wavelength for irradiating the liquid silicone rubber through themould. ln one embodiment, the UV light has a 395 nm wavelength. 395 nm may bebeneficial in that it is simple and cheap to produce UV light sources emitting 395 nmwavelength light.
    Step S2 of irradiating may comprise irradiating the mould 2 from several directionssimultaneously. Simultaneous irradiation may be achieved by arranging several UVlight sources around the mould.
    Alternatively, the mould may be rotated around an axis of the mould so as to receiveirradiation to its entire peripheral surface from one or several fixed UV light sources.
    Thereby, the UV light sources need not be placed around the mould.
    Alternatively, the UV light source(s) may be rotated around the mould so as toprovide irradiation from several directions on the mould.
    The step S2 of irradiating may comprise irradiating the liquid silicone rubber for atime in the range 10-60 seconds. Preferably, the step S2 of irradiating the liquidsilicone rubber may comprise irradiating the liquid silicone rubber for a time in therange 15-25 seconds. 15-25 seconds may be sufficient for curing the polymercompound.11Beneficially, the above-described process and assembly may provide an efficient,reliable and cost-efficient manufacturing method of producing a cured polymerstructure.
    Hereafter, examples of mould construction materials, their use, and advantagesthereof will be described in more detail.
    Example 1: Polvvinvl chlorideDue to the very good results in initial tests, PVC has been shown to be a suitablechoice when selecting mould material for a vacuum formed mould. PVC is very easyto form using vacuum. PVC also shows excellent de-moulding properties withnegligible adhesion to the cured LSR material in the mould, and no inhibitingtendencies.
    PVC containing a minimum of anti-ageing agents seems to be a good choice for usein disposable blister pack-type moulds with regard to price and process ability.Two-part moulds having two halves forming a mould space when placed together,were evaluated in laboratory tests. Three PVC sheet thicknesses were evaluatedusing a vacuum moulding matrix. The PVC sheets had the following thickness: 0.3mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.7 mm. For these thicknesses, the mould halves produced wereexcellent replicas of the shape of a vacuum moulding matrix used for forming themoulds. Such moulds may for instance be used for moulding cable terminations.
    Another example of a mould is a conically shaped mould part for a stress cone. Suchmoulds may be formed by means of well-known techniques in the art, such as forinstance vacuum forming. For vacuum forming the mould, a heated PVC foil isapplied onto a conically shaped matrix mould, wherein an under pressure is appliedto the matrix mould arrangement, thereby pressing the PVC foil against the conicalmatrix mould. The matrix mould may be manufactured from a metal such as forinstance aluminium, which cools the PVC foil.
    The conically shaped matrix mould produces single part conically shaped moulds.Such moulds may be advantageous in high voltage applications, because themoulded and cured polymer structure, such as a stress cone will have no longitudinal12mould parting lines which arises when using two mould halves for moulding a stresscone. As a result, no post-moulding rotational lathing of the stress cone is necessaryfor removing Iongitudinal mould parting lines. Such longitudinal mould parting linesare typically not desirable as corona discharges may be generated at a longitudinalmould parting line.
    Fig. 3 shows an example of an assembly 1' for producing e.g. a stress cone. The UVlight sources have been omitted for clarity. The UV light sources are typicallyarranged in the near vicinity of the mould so as to provide a high intensity and lessdiffused irradiation of the mould and the polymer compound in the mould.
    The exemplified assembly 1' may for instance be used for producing a stress cone. ltis however to be noted that the present invention allows for a multitude of variousmould shapes and applications thereof, each depending on the desired end product,i.e. the polymer structure to be moulded therein.
    Assembly 1 comprises a top plate 12, a guide plate 13, a base plate 14, and abottom plate 15. Each plate 12, 13, 14, and 15 has an opening extending through therespective plate 12, 13, 14, and 15. ln the assembly 1', the openings are coaxiallyarranged. The openings are for fitting the mould 2' in the assembly 1'.
    The guide plate 13 and the base plate 14 may be assembled with each other bymeans of fastening means 17, so as to fix a planar bottom portion of the mould 2'therebetvveen. The assembly 1' is assembled by means of four threaded assemblybars 16 fastened by wing nuts 18 to the top plate 12. Of course, also other forms offastening means are possible as would be apparent to the skilled person.
    The mould 2', having a conical shape in the present example, is fitted in theassembly by means of the openings and fixed between the top plate 12 and thebottom plate 15. A field grading part 19 comprising carbon black filled LSR isprovided in the mould 2'. The field gradient part 19 forms part of the finished stresscone product.13A core insert means 20 is fitted in the mould 2' during the moulding and curingprocess of the liquid silicone rubber. The core insert means extends coaxially alongaxis A through the mould 2'. Thereby, a central channel extending through the liquidsilicone rubber (not shown) which is to be produced in the mould 2' is created.
    Hence, the stress cone may accommodate e.g. a high voltage cable.
    An injecting means, exemplified by a tubular means 22, is inserted in an opening inthe top portion of the mould 2' for providing the liquid silicone rubber therethroughinto the mould 2'. The field gradient part 19, which is annular shaped, and which isfitted between the wall of the mould 2' and around the core insert means 20 togetherblock the bottom opening so that the injected LSR stays in the mould 2'.
    After filling the mould 2' with LSR, the mould 2' may be irradiated with UV lightemitted from at least one UV light source for curing the LSR.
    The core insert means 20 may be transparent or non-transparent. A transparent coreinsert means may be manufactured from e.g. PMMA. A non-transparent core insertmeans may be manufactured from aluminium.
    Fig. 4 shows an example of a core insert means 20. Core insert means 20 has abody 23 presenting a peripheral surface 24. The body of the core insert means 20 inthe present example is cylindrical, but may of course have any other shape forforming a channel or a cavity in a polymer structure. The core insert means 20 has atop surface 25. The top surface 25 has an inlet 26. The tubular means 22 isconnectable to the inlet 26. The body 23 has a cavity connecting the inlet 16 with atleast one opening 27 in the peripheral surface 24. Thereby LSR injected in the inlet16 may be injected into the mould 20 when the mould 20 is fitted around the coreinsert means 20.
    Example 2: castable polvurethane (PUR)One advantage provided by PUR mould manufacturing techniques is the possibilityto make multiple copies of moulds and in this way save time, material and costscompared to directly machining mould parts from blanks such as rods, plates etc. An14alternative PUR material which does not contain mercury, and which PUR materialalso passes requirements regarding UV-transparency, is ALCHEMIX VC 3350.
    Elastomersln one embodiment, the liquid silicone rubber itself may be used as mould material.Test have shown that curing through a wall thickness of approximately 30 - 40 mm ofliquid silicone rubber is possible with quite little increase in cure time compared tothinner walled plastic moulds. ln this embodiment, a suitable, highly UV-transparentrelease agent that does not affect the surface properties of the product which is to becured, i.e. the polymer compound should be used. Such a release agent would mostlikely be needed to be applied for each moulding cycle.lt is also envisaged that a highly elastic and UV transparent polar rubber material beused as mould material. A highly elastic and UV transparent polar rubber materialmay open up possibilities for intricate product design without longitudinal mouldparting lines and hence no electrical breakdown at critical parts of the moulded andcured polymer structure, if the mould is used for producing polymer structures forhigh voltage applications.
    Vacuum formingForming temperatures are usually in the range of 85 - 105 °C. This results in only asmall shrinkage of the thermoplastic sheet for forming the mould, when cooling fromthe moulding temperature to ambient temperature. The shrinkage in the case of PVCis about 0.5%. When a particular plastic material grade is selected, this mouldshrinkage can be calculated and determined with good accuracy.
    Blow mouldingFor blow moulding, negative moulds are preferably used. This means that the mouldouter dimensions like diameters and length dimensions will in some degree bedependent of variations in material thicknesses of the thermoplastic sheet of whichthe mould is produced. However, in most cases these variations will be within thetolerances for the products which are to be moulded in the mould. Especially for thinwalled, small cylindrical shaped high volume products such as cable terminations,this production process is suitable and cost effective.
    Tests have shown good curing performance of liquid silicone rubber for PP moulds,implicating good UV-light transparency for PP. A PE metallocene material and a PPmaterial with high contact transparency were also tested. For the PP material, it wasshown that if the liquid silicone rubber is in direct contact with a mould part made ofthis PP, it shows excellent UV transparency.
    The tests for PE and PP materials show that the PE and PP materials allowed UV-light of 365 nm wave length to pass and to cure underlying UV-LSR without anyapparent reduction when tested with wall thicknesses used in blow moulded moulds.PE and PP materials may hence be suitable choices for blow moulding technique forUV curable liquid silicone rubber products to be manufactured in great numbers.
    Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the mould 2 with core insert means 20inserted in the mould 2. A UV light source 4 is shown irradiating the mould 2 bymeans of an exemplifying light beam L. The light beam L penetrates a near endportion of the wall 7 with respect to the UV light source 4. The light beam 7 alsopenetrates a far end portion of the wall 7' with respect to the light source 4. The farend portion is opposite the near end portion. Hence, the light beam L enters the nearend of the wall 7 and exits on the far end of the wall 7. To this end the light beam Lpropagates through the mould space 6 and thus through the mould 2. The describedstructure of the mould 2, provides for a mould 2 which may be irradiated from anydirection so as to cure a polymer compound injected into the mould 2 and hence intothe mould space 6. This may be beneficial for curing large objects, such as highvoltage insulators, so as to irradiate, with high UV light intensity, all portions of thelarge object in contact with the peripheral surface of the wall 7 to thereby obtaincuring of all portions of the large object.
    The cured polymer structures produced by means of the present invention mayadvantageously act as insulators in high voltage applications. For instance, the curedpolymer structures may be used in insulating assemblies insulating powertransmission lines from pylons, or as bushings. Bushings typically insulate a highvoltage conductor, extending through the bushing, from surrounding objects. Further,a cured polymer structure according to the invention may form a stress cone forcable sealing ends e.g. for high-voltage conductor connections.16lt will be obvious that the present invention may be varied in a plurality of ways. Suchvariations are not to be regarded as departure from the scope of the presentinvention as defined by the appended claims. The skilled person in the art wouldunderstand in what other type of applications the present method would be useful.
    权利要求:
    Claims (16)
    [1] 1. A method for producing a cured polymer structure from a polymer compound,which polymer compound is UV curable and partly UV transparent, wherein themethod comprises: injecting (S1) the polymer compound into a mould (2; 2'), which mould (2; 2')has at least one wall (7) defining a mould space (6) for receiving the polymercompound in the mould space (6), wherein the at least one wall (7) is UVtransparent, and irradiating (S2) the polymer compound, through the at least one wall (7), bymeans of UV light provided from at least one UV light source (4), wherein theirradiating comprises irradiating the at least one wall (7) such that UV light passesthrough the polymer compound, thereby curing the polymer compound to form thecured polymer structure, wherein the at least one wall (7) comprises a thermoplastic polymer, and theat least one wall (7) is so thin that the at least one wall (7) is flexible.
    [2] 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one UV light source (4) comprises a UV LED.
    [3] 3. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the mould (2; 2')comprises Polyvinyl chloride.
    [4] 4. The method as claimed in any of claims 1-2, wherein the mould (2) comprisesPolyethylene terephthalate.
    [5] 5. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one wall (7) has a thickness less than 1 mm.
    [6] 6. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the irradiating (S2) comprises irradiating the polymer compound from several directions simultaneously.
    [7] 7. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the irradiating (S2)comprises irradiating with UV light having wavelengths in the range 290 - 400 nm. 18
    [8] 8. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the irradiating (S2)comprises irradiating with UV light having a wavelength of 365 nm.
    [9] 9. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the polymer compound comprises liquid silicone rubber.
    [10] 10. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising mixing (S0) aUV-activated cataiyst with at least one portion of the polymer compound.
    [11] 11. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the irradiating(S2) comprises irradiating the polymer compound for a time in the range 10-60seconds.
    [12] 12. The method as claimed in any the preceding claims, wherein the irradiating (S2)comprises circumferential irradiation of an external peripheral surface of the at leastone wall (7).
    [13] 13. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the polymerstructure is a high voltage insulator.
    [14] 14. The method as in any of the preceding claims, wherein the mould (2; 2') is ablister pack.
    [15] 15. An assembly (1; 1') for producing a cured polymer structure from a polymercompound, which polymer compound is UV curable and partly UV transparent, thecuring assembly comprising: a mould (2; 2') having at least one wall (7) defining a mould space (6) forreceiving the polymer compound in the mould space (6), wherein the at least onewall (7) is UV transparent, injecting means (3; 22) arranged to inject the polymer compound into themould (2; 2'), and at least one UV light source (4) arranged to irradiate the injected polymercompound through the at least one wall (7), 19 wherein the at least one wall (7) comprises a thermoplastic polymer, and the at least one wall (7) is so thin that the at least one wall (7) is flexible.
    [16] 16. A mould (2; 2') for moulding polymer compounds, which mould (2; 2') has at leastone wall (7) defining a mould space (6) for receiving the polymer compound in themould space (6), which at least one wall (7) comprises a thermoplastic polymer andis UV transparent, wherein the at least one wall (7) is so thin that the at least one wall(7) is flexible.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    SE535328C2|2012-06-26|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
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    SE1050586A|SE535328C2|2010-06-08|2010-06-08|Process and apparatus for producing UV-cured polymer structures|SE1050586A| SE535328C2|2010-06-08|2010-06-08|Process and apparatus for producing UV-cured polymer structures|
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    US13/701,611| US9643344B2|2010-06-08|2011-06-08|UV curing method and an assembly therefor|
    PCT/SE2011/050708| WO2011155896A1|2010-06-08|2011-06-08|A uv curing method and an assembly therefor|
    CN201180028232.2A| CN102933362B|2010-06-08|2011-06-08|UV curing and assembly used|
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