Extruded foam plastic frame members

Abstract

Elongated frame members are provided having rigid framed plastic cores with smooth hard outer skins and separately coextruded plastic coatings covering separately selected areas of the skin. The members may also be hollow. The invention further involves the method and tooling for making same.

1 . An elongated extruded member having a predetermined profile comprising a rigid extruded core of foamed plastic, having a thin smooth hard outer skin protecting a foamed plastic substrate, said skin having a first selected surface area covered with a first coextruded plastic coating and a second selected surface area covered with a second coextruded plastic coating.  
   
   
       2 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in  claim 1  in which said core is hollowed with at least one hollow chamber running the length thereof.  
   
   
       3 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings are of the same material.  
   
   
       4 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coatings are of different materials.  
   
   
       5 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings are colored and have the same color.  
   
   
       6 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings are colored with their colors being different.  
   
   
       7 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coatings have the same thickness.  
   
   
       8 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coatings have different thicknesses.  
   
   
       9 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings have the same thickness and are colored.  
   
   
       10 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in  claim 9  in which the colors of said first and second coextruded plastic coatings are of different material.  
   
   
       11 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in claims  1  or  2  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings have different thicknesses and are colored.  
   
   
       12 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in  claim 11  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings are of different material.  
   
   
       13 . An elongated extruded member as claimed in  claim 12  in which said first and second coextruded plastic coatings are colored and have different colors.  
   
   
       14 . An elongated extruded rigid frame member for a window or door having a predetermined profile and having a surface or surfaces to be exposed to the outside atmosphere and a surface or surfaces to be exposed interiorly, said frame member comprising a rigid core of foamed plastic material, having a smooth protective outer skin and having a first coextruded plastic coating covering said surface or surfaces to be exposed to the outside atmosphere, and a second coextruded plastic coating covering said surface or surfaces to be exposed interiorly.  
   
   
       15 . A frame member as claimed in  claim 14  in which said core has at least one hollow chamber running lengthwise thereof.  
   
   
       16 . An elongated frame member as claimed in  claim 14  or  15  in which said foamed plastic material is a foamed PVC material.  
   
   
       17 . A frame member as claimed in  claim 15  in which said foamed plastic material is a reinforced foamable PVC material.  
   
   
       18 . An elongated extruded frame member as claimed in  claim 14  or  15  in which said plastic coatings are of selected plastic materials and are colored with selected colors  
   
   
       19 . A method of extruding a rigid frame member with a predetermined profile, said frame member having a foamed plastic core enveloped in a thin smooth hard surface skin with a first selected area of said surface skin having an applied coating of a first selected plastic material and a second selected area of said surface skin having an applied coating of a second selected plastic material, said method comprising feeding a hot compressed foamable plastic material under pressure through a die having an opening configured to provide said predetermined frame member profile and containing a splitter pin to divert the compressed pressure driven hot foamable plastic material outwardly to produce a foamable extrudate flowing under pressure through the space between the periphery of said pin and the perimeter of said die opening, delivering a coating of said first selected plastic material on to the outer surface of said foamable extrudate over an area comprising said first selected area, delivering a second coating of said second selected plastic material on to a portion of the outer surface of said foamable extrudate over an area comprising said second selected area, foaming said hot coated foamable extrudate by pulling said hot coated foamable extrudate from said die through a vacuum operated calibrating and cooling chamber wherein the outer surface of said hot extrudate on contacting the inner peripheral surface of said calibrating and cooling chamber hardens to provide said hard thin enveloping skin while the extrudate foams inwardly from said skin to provide said foamed core enveloped with said skin.  
   
   
       20 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are the same material.  
   
   
       21 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are different materials.  
   
   
       22 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are colored.  
   
   
       23 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are colored with the color of one being different from the color of the other.  
   
   
       24 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  in which said first and second plastic coating materials have different thicknesses.  
   
   
       25 . A method of extruding a rigid frame member with a predetermined profile, said frame member having a hollow foamed plastic core having at least one closed chamber running lengthwise thereof, said core being enveloped in a thin smooth hard surface skin with a first selected area of said surface skin having an applied coating of a first selected plastic material and a second selected area of said surface skin having an applied coating of a second selected plastic material, said method comprising feeding a hot compressed foamable plastic material under pressure through a die having an opening configured to provide said predetermined frame member profile and containing a splitter pin to divert the compressed pressure driven hot foamable plastic material outwardly to produce a foamable extrudate flowing under pressure through the space between the periphery of said pin and the perimeter of said die opening, delivering a coating of said first selected plastic material on to the outer surface of said foamable extrudate over an area comprising said first selected area, delivering a second coating of said second selected plastic material on to a portion of the outer surface of said foamable extrudate over an area comprising said second selected area, pulling said hot coated foamable extrudate from said die through a calibrating and cooling chamber containing at least one cooling pin having an external configuration corresponding to the desired internal shape of said at least one hollow chamber wherein the outer surface of said hot extrudate on contacting the inner peripheral surface of said calibrating and cooling chamber hardens to provide said hard thin enveloping skin while the extrudate foams inwardly from said skin and around said cooling pin to provide said foamed hollow core.  
   
   
       26 . A method as claimed in  claim 25  in which said cooling pin is cooled by delivering cooling water to said pin through said die and returning such water from said pin through said die.  
   
   
       27 . A method as claimed in claims  25  or  26  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are the same material.  
   
   
       28 . A method as claimed in claims  25  or  26  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are different materials.  
   
   
       29 . A method as claimed in claims  25  or  26  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are colored.  
   
   
       30 . A method as claimed in claims  25  or  26  in which said first and second plastic coating materials are colored with the color of one being different from the color of the other.  
   
   
       31 . A method as claimed in claims  25  or  26  in which said first and second plastic coating materials have different thicknesses.  
   
   
       32 . A die for use in extruding a rigid frame member with a predetermined profile, said frame member having a hollow foamed plastic core having at least one closed chamber running lengthwise thereof, said core being enveloped in a thin smooth hard surface skin with a first selected area of said surface skin having an applied coating of a first selected plastic material and a second selected area of said surface skin having an applied coating of a second selected plastic material, said die having an opening extending therethrough from an entrance to an outlet, said die opening being configured to provide said desired frame member profile, a torpedo splitter pin having a pointed head mounted in said die with its said head at the entrance to said die opening and its end at the outlet of said die opening, a first passage for delivering a first coating material leading in from the exterior of said die and opening to the interior of said die opening at a first position adjacent the die opening outlet, a second passage for delivering a second coating material leading from the exterior of said die to the interior of said die opening at a second location adjacent the die opening outlet, a cooling water inlet passage leading from the exterior of said die into the interior of said die and into said splitter pin and out said end of said splitter pin and a return cooling water passage leading from said end of said splitter pin and out of said splitter pin and out through the die to the exterior thereof.