Composite insulated panel for upward acting door

Abstract

A sectional garage door panel formed by a member including a front wall, top and bottom edges and spaced apart back wall parts defining an interior space which is partially filled with an expandable PUR foam insulation material. A rigid polystyrene insulation member is placed in the interior space and bonded to the expanding foam material. The panel is placed in a laminator to secure the insulation member in the panel interior space during foam expansion and to provide for forced foam expansion into spaces defining panel top and bottom edges. A sheet backer is adhesively bonded to the insulation member and the back wall parts. A system includes conveyors, foam and adhesive dispensing nozzle arrays and a laminator including conveyor belts which hold the insulation member forcibly within the interior space of the panel during foam expansion and curing.

1 . An insulated sectional door panel comprising: 
 a front wall, a top edge, a bottom edge and spaced apart back wall parts spaced from said front wall, said front wall, said top edge, said bottom edge and said back wall parts defining an interior space;    at least portions of said interior space delimited by said top edge and said bottom edge being filled with a hardenable fluid-like insulation material; and    a major portion of the remainder of said interior space is filled by a preformed member of insulation material disposed in said interior space and bonded to said hardenable insulation material.    
     
     
         2 . The door panel set forth in  claim 1  wherein: 
 said hardenable insulation material comprises a quantity of expandable foam insulation material bonded to said front wall and extending between said portions of said interior space defined by said top edge and said bottom edge.    
     
     
         3 . The door panel set forth in  claim 2  including: 
 a backer sheet adhesively bonded to said preformed member of insulation material.    
     
     
         4 . The door panel set forth in  claim 3  wherein: 
 opposite edges of said backer sheet are adhesively bonded to said back wall parts, respectively.    
     
     
         5 . The door panel set forth in  claim 1  wherein: 
 said hardenable insulation material is applied to said portions of said interior space defined by said top edge and said bottom edge by injecting an expandable polymer foam thereinto.    
     
     
         6 . The door panel set forth in  claim 5  wherein: 
 said preformed member of insulation material is placed in said interior space while said foam insulation material is expanding within said portions of said interior space and said preformed member of insulation material is forcibly held in said interior space during said expansion of said foam insulation material.    
     
     
         7 . The door panel set forth in  claim 1  wherein: 
 said front wall, said top edge, said bottom edge and said back wall parts are formed from a single continuous member formed of one of sheet metal or plastic.    
     
     
         8 . A method for fabricating an insulated sectional door panel comprising the steps of: 
 providing said door panel having a front wall, a top edge and a bottom edge and defining an interior space for placement of insulation material to form a substantially rigid insulated door panel;    injecting a quantity of fluid-like insulation material into portions of said interior space defined by said top edge and said bottom edge;    placing a substantially rigid insulation member in said interior space; and    allowing said insulation material to fill substantially all of said interior space not occupied by said insulation member, and bond to said insulation member.    
     
     
         9 . The method set forth in  claim 8  including the step of: 
 providing said insulation material as expandable polymer foam insulation material; and    forcibly retaining said insulation member in said interior space during expansion of said foam insulation material.    
     
     
         10 . The method set forth in  claim 9  including the step of: 
 forcibly retaining said insulation member in said interior space by traversing said panel between endless belt means from one workstation to another.    
     
     
         11 . The method set forth in  claim 8  including the steps of: 
 passing said panel along a conveyor in proximity to an array of injection nozzles, said array of injection nozzles including first nozzle means operable to inject quantities of expandable foam insulation material into interior spaces defined by said top edge and said bottom edge and further injection nozzle means arranged to inject a quantity of expandable foam insulation material within said interior space between said top edge and said bottom edge.    
     
     
         12 . The method set forth in  claim 11  including the step of: 
 placing said insulation member in said interior space contiguous with said foam insulation material.    
     
     
         13 . The method set forth in  claim 8  including the step of: 
 applying an adhesive along an outer facing surface of said insulation member and securing a backer member to said panel adhered to said surface of said insulation member.    
     
     
         14 . The method set forth in  claim 13  including the step of: 
 applying adhesive to opposed spaced apart back wall parts of said panel and securing said backer member to said panel at said back wall parts, respectively.    
     
     
         15 . A method for forming a sectional door panel characterized by a continuous sheet member formed to provide a front wall, a top edge, a bottom edge and spaced apart back wall parts all formed from said sheet member and defining an interior space of said panel between said front wall and said back wall parts; 
 filling at least portions said interior spaces formed by said top edge and said bottom edge with an expandable foam insulation material;    placing a substantially rigid insulation member in said interior space prior to complete expansion of said foam insulation material while allowing said foam insulation material to expand into engagement with said insulation member; and    allowing said foam insulation material to cure to form a substantially rigid insulated door panel.    
     
     
         16 . The method set forth in  claim 15  including the step of: 
 traversing said panel past an array of nozzles for injecting said foam insulation material into said interior space in a predetermined pattern for filling said portions of said interior space and a further portion of said interior space therebetween and followed by placing said insulation member in said interior space.    
     
     
         17 . The method set forth in  claim 16  including the step of: 
 traversing said panel between endless belt means to forcibly secure said insulation member within said interior space during expansion of said foam insulation material.    
     
     
         18 . The method set forth in  claim 17  including the step of: 
 applying adhesive to an outer facing surface of said insulation member and said back wall parts, respectively; and    placing a backer sheet in forcible engagement with said insulation member and said back wall parts and secured thereto by said adhesive.    
     
     
         19 . A system for fabricating insulated sectional door panels, each of said panels comprising one or more sheet members formed to provide a front wall, a top edge, a bottom edge and spaced apart back wall parts of said panel and defining an interior space of said panel to be occupied by insulation material, said system comprising: 
 a first conveyor for a traversing said panel past an array of fluid insulation material injection nozzles arranged to inject flowable fluid-like insulation material into portions of said interior space defined in part by said top edge and said bottom edge;    a first workstation for receiving said panel with said fluid insulation material injected into said interior space, said workstation including means for dispensing a substantially rigid insulation member for placement in said interior space; and    a second workstation including conveyor means for traversing said panel with said insulation material and said insulation member disposed in said interior space therealong and including a member engageable with said insulation member to forcibly retain said insulation member in said interior space during hardening of said insulation material.    
     
     
         20 . The system set forth in  claim 19  wherein: 
 said second workstation includes spaced apart endless belt means defining a space therebetween to be occupied by at least one of said panels and to forcibly hold said insulation member in said interior space.    
     
     
         21 . The system set forth in  claim 20  including: 
 drive means for driving said endless belt means in timed relationship to each other.    
     
     
         22 . The system set forth in  claim 20  including: 
 a third workstation including adhesive applicator means for applying adhesive to a surface of said insulation member after at least partial hardening of said insulation material.    
     
     
         23 . The system set forth in  claim 22  including: 
 a conveyor for traversing said panel through said third workstation; and    a fourth workstation for receiving a panel from said third workstation for applying a backer sheet to said panel and adhered to said insulation member.