WO2006122994A1

WO2006122994A1 - Method of producing a cooking implement and cooking implement thus produced

Info

Publication number: WO2006122994A1
Application number: PCT/ES2006/000227
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aldo Mistrali
Original assignee: Comercial Valira S.A.
Priority date: 2005-05-20
Filing date: 2006-05-10
Publication date: 2006-11-23
Also published as: ES2263385A1; ES2263385B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of producing a cooking implement and to the cooking implement thus produced. The inventive method consists of: a first operation in which the body (14) of the implement is formed such as to comprise a closed wall (35) which defines a lower open base (24), said operation being performed by means of injection moulding using an aluminium alloy; a second operation in which the base (15, 16) of the implement is formed, also by means of aluminium alloy injection moulding; and a subsequent third operation in which the base (5, 16) is solidly connected to the body (1, 14) in order to close the lower base (24) by means of friction welding, without added material.

Description

METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF A COOKING AND COOKING EQUIPMENT RESULTING FROM THE SAME

DESCRIPTION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a cooking tool, especially a tool for those employed in the kitchen, both in the domestic and professional fields.

More specifically, the invention relates to a cooking tool for application in the kitchen, of the type comprising a body made of one or more aluminum alloys and configured by a wall closed laterally on itself defining a lower base, and a bottom that closes said lower base and which is intended to be placed, in the position of use of the cooking tool, on a heat source.

State of the art

The manufacturing method according to the invention is new in terms of its application to obtaining containers made of aluminum alloys, which are intended for cooking food and which are included in the generic expression of kitchen batteries, in which also Supplementary tools such as coffee makers, flaneras, etc. are included. which, without carrying out their own cooking of food, are placed on a caloric focus to boil a volume of water, caramelize sugar, etc.

These cooking tools, for the most part, differ functionally, in one way or another, in a body comprising the walls of the tool, a bottom that closes the lower base of said walls, a lid that closes, in a practicable way, the upper base of said walls and handles that are related to the main body and structured with thermal insulating means.

Normally, these aluminum cooking tools are shaped, depending on their quality and configuration, by drawing, repulping, casting or injection. In cases of forming by molding, that is to say by casting or injection, the possibility of integrating a ferromagnetic plate in the bottom of the cooking tool that makes it suitable for induction cookers is foreseen.

However, when a cooking tool has a difficult configuration by injection molding, as occurs with the lower bodies or boilers of the coffee machines, in which the water of the infusion is driven by the pressure of the steam produced by the boiling of the water contained in the boiler, in this case the molding must be carried out by the gravity casting process, which results in more laborious execution and does not allow obtaining a polished interior surface.

Summary of the invention

In order to be able to manufacture a cooking tool made of an aluminum alloy by an injection process, avoiding having to shape the bottom of the tool through a casting process, the solution of molding the cooking tool in two has been adopted or more pieces separately, which include the bottom of the tool, and then you would gather to configure the cooking tool.

In accordance with said solution, the manufacturing method according to the invention and the cooking tool resulting therefrom have been developed.

The method according to the invention consists of a method for the manufacture of a cooking tool of the type described at the beginning, characterized in that, in a first operation, the conformation of the body comprising a laterally closed wall on itself is carried out defining a open bottom base, by injection molding of an aluminum alloy and, in a second operation, the shaping of the bottom is carried out, also by injection molding of an aluminum alloy, for later, in a third operation, to solidarity said bottom to said body to close said lower base, by means of friction welding without material input, ending with a fourth operation, separated in time with respect to the third operation, in which the welding zone between said bottom is machined and said body to perform a deburring and obtain a final finish.

Aluminum alloys should be understood as any alloy with a significant aluminum content, including both alloys with a high purity of aluminum, commonly used for the manufacture of coffee makers and others. cooking tools applying the casting processes of the prior art described in the preceding, as other possible alloys with a lower purity of aluminum, such as for example aluminum and steel or aluminum and copper alloys, among others, having all of them in common that allow friction welding.

Friction welding without the contribution of material to which the method according to the invention refers is a process of joining two pieces in solid phase whose principle is known in other fields, although these are fields far removed from that of the present invention, as for example the field of the aerospace industry. It consists of applying a friction on the surface of the pieces, usually by direct contact between said pieces sliding with respect to each other, causing on the friction surface lin heating of the constituent material of the pieces until it is taken to a plastic state, and finally applying the pieces against each other with a forging pressure. Normally, the friction is carried out by rotating one piece with respect to the other and with contact between the two, although other procedures such as an alternative linear movement between both pieces, or the interposition of a friction tool between the pieces can be considered.

There is no known application of the friction welding method in the field of the invention, that is to say in the field of kitchen batteries and complements made of aluminum alloys, in particular to support the bottom of a cooking tool. Thanks to the manufacturing method according to the invention, it is possible to shape the bottom in a separate operation obtaining an ideal finish and adaptable to different applications. Specifically, the method according to the invention allows the manufacture of a tool whose bottom has a good finish on its inner face. Likewise, an important advantage of the method according to the invention is that it makes it possible to form a bottom that is compatible with an induction cooker. The latter is achieved by the insertion of ferromagnetic material in the bottom during its conformation by injection into a separate mold, as will be seen below. This possibility constitutes an important advance with respect to the state of the art, in particular with regard to aluminum coffee makers known in Spain as Italian, of which numerous designs are found in the market but without any of them being compatible with An induction cooker. Preferably, said body is formed, in the first operation, with said lower base in a circular shape and said bottom is shaped, in the second operation, as a circular disk complementary to the shape of said lower base, and friction welding , by means of which said bottom and said body are joined together, in the third operation, it is performed by applying said bottom against the lower base of said body and operating a relative rotation with friction between said bottom and said body, after which it is exercised a relative thrust pressure between the bottom and said body.

Although the invention covers the case in which said body and said bottom are of different alloys, in the preferred embodiments the aluminum alloy with which said body is formed in the first operation is the same as the aluminum alloy with which it is conformed said fund in the second operation.

In an especially advantageous embodiment, which allows the use of the cooking tool in induction cookers, said bottom is formed, in the second operation, by injection of an aluminum alloy with incorporation of ferromagnetic material inserts that do not transcend The face of said bottom intended to close said lower base of the body.

The invention applies, especially but not limited to, in the case where said tool is an infusion device, such as a coffee maker, comprising a boiler body, a container body for the product to be infused, a filtering body, an infusion receiving body and a cover of said receiving body. In such a case, the boiler body constitutes said lower closed body by said bottom, so that said first to fourth operations are performed to form said lower closed body by said bottom, while said container body, said filtering body, said body receiver and said cover are shaped separately in injection molding operations of an aluminum alloy, in the same way that said body is formed in the first operation.

As a result of the method according to the invention, a cooking tool of the type indicated at the beginning is obtained, characterized in that said body and said bottom are two pieces injected into one or more aluminum alloys and said bottom is welded to the lower base of said body No material contribution. In a preferred embodiment, the aluminum alloy with which said is injected The body is the same as the aluminum alloy with which said bottom is injected.

As already mentioned in the preceding, this cooking tool according to the invention is advantageously differentiated from those obtained by casting in that, thanks to the fact that the bottom of the tool has been shaped separately by injection, said bottom has a polished interior surface.

Also, by applying one of the preferred variants of the method according to the invention described above, a cooking tool is obtained in which the bottom constitutes a complex body formed by an aluminum alloy matrix that houses ferromagnetic material inserts that do not transcend The face of said bottom that closes the lower base of the body, so that only said aluminum alloy matrix intervenes in the welding between the bottom and said body. A cooking tool so constituted is usable in an induction cooker, which, as already mentioned, is a great advance with respect to the state of the art, especially in what concerns aluminum coffee makers.

Brief description of the drawings

To facilitate the understanding of the preceding ideas, a preferred embodiment of the invention is described below, referring to the accompanying illustrative drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents an exploded and partially sectioned elevation view of a cooking tool according to the invention, of the pan or legume type, in which two possible types of bottom have been illustrated, corresponding to different embodiments.

Figure 2 represents, analogously to the case of the previous figure, a cooking tool made according to the invention, which corresponds to a complementary utensil, in this case a coffee maker known in Spain as Italian. As in Figure 1, two possible types of background have been illustrated, which correspond to different embodiments.

Detailed description of some embodiments of the invention Figure 1 shows a pan or leg type container, comprising a body 1, a simple bottom 2 or a complex bottom 3, and a lid 4. The body 1 differs into a wall 5 defining an upper base 6 and a lower base 7 and has a support 8 for a heat insulating handle. The simple bottom 2 consists of a simple disk that can have an annular recess groove with the lower base 7 of the body 1. Alternatively, it can be provided that the complex bottom 3 is constituted by the association of an aluminum alloy disk 3A and a plate of ferromagnetic material 3B inserted in said aluminum disc 3A during molding of the latter. The cover 4 comprises a bulging disc 9 has a peripheral ring cantilever 10 and a skirt or peripheral lip 11 which are capable the first settling on ^s Ei edge of the edge of the upper base 6 defined by the wall 5 of the body 1 and, the second, to fit in said upper base 6, while at its cusp said bulging disc 9 has a pivot 12 in which an insulating knob 13 is inserted.

In the event that the cooking utensil consists of a pot, casserole, fryer or similar, the height of the body wall will always be higher, at the height necessary for a legume, saucepan or similar and that of these will be greater than that of a pan, a roasting iron or the like. Figure 2 represents a special case of cooking utensil consisting of a conventional coffee maker known to Italians in Spain, which is constituted by a boiler, formed by a lower body 14 and a simple bottom 15, or a complex bottom 16 , a container body 17 of the ground coffee, a filtering body 18, a receiving body 19 of the coffee infusion and an articulated lid 20 in said receiving body 19.

The lower body 14, which is part of the kettle of the coffee maker, is constituted by a truncated pyramid piece 21 formed by a wall 35 closed laterally on itself, whose upper base defines a cylindrical mouth 22 provided with an external thread 23 and whose lower base 24 It has a circumferential shape of larger diameter than said upper base and is open.

The simple bottom 15 consists of an aluminum alloy disc. Alternatively, a complex bottom 16 is provided which is formed, as in the case of the complex bottom 3, by an aluminum alloy disc 16A having an insert 16B of ferromagnetic material.

The container body 17 of ground coffee consists of a cylindrical cassette 25 comprising a support wall 26, a perforated disc 27 for supporting the ground coffee and a funnel 28 that reaches the bottom of the boiler.

The filter body is formed by perforated discs 29 and is housed in the background of the receiving body 19 of the infusion.

Said receiving body 19 is constituted by an inverted truncated pyramidal body 30 which in its smaller base defines a cylindrical bushing 31 which has a lower thread 32 complementary to the external thread 23 of the cylindrical mouth 22 of the lower body 14.

Said inverted trunk-shaped body 30 has a spout 33, a handle 34 dialytrically opposite it and an articulated lid 20.

Both in the case of Figure 1 and in the case of Figure 2, bodies 1, 14 and 19 are injection molded in an aluminum alloy, as are simple bottoms 2 and 15, complex bottoms 3 and 16 and covers 6 and 20, the rest of the components being able to be formed by drawing.

To definitively configure the cooking tools of Figures 1 and 2, friction welding is carried out between the body 1 or 14 and the bottom 2 or 15, or the bottom 3 or 16 if a cooking tool compatible with An induction cooker. For this, the bottom is applied against the lower base of the body and a rotational movement is printed, maintaining a pushing force of the bottom on the body that ensures adequate friction between both parts. This friction causes a heating of the surface of the pieces in contact, until a plastic state of the aluminum alloy is reached on said surface, a circumstance that is detected by the consequent modification of the torque, after

Which stops the rotation and prints a forging thrust of one piece against another, which are welded. This forging thrust causes the creation of a welding bead, which is suppressed by a roughing and polishing operation.

Claims

1.- Method for the manufacture of a cooking tool for cooking application, said cooking tool comprising a body (1, 14) made of one or more aluminum alloys and configured by a wall (5, 35) closed laterally on itself defining a lower base, and a bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) that closes said lower base and is intended to be placed, in the position of use of the cooking tool, on a calorific focus, characterized in that, in a first operation, the conformation of said body (1, 14) comprising a wall (5, 35) closed laterally on itself is defined defining an open bottom base (7, 24), by injection molding of an alloy of aluminum and, in a second operation, the shaping of said bottom is carried out (2, 3, 15, 16), also by injection molding of an aluminum alloy, for later, in a third operation, to solidarity said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) to said cue rpo (1, 14) to close said lower base (7, 24), by means of friction welding without material input, ending with a fourth operation, separated in time with respect to the third operation, in which the Ia is machined welding zone between said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) and said body (1, 14) to perform a deburring and obtain a final finish.

2. Method for the manufacture of a cooking tool, according to claim 1, characterized in that said body (1, 14) is formed, in the first operation, with said lower base ⁽ J, 24) in a circular shape and said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) is formed, in the second operation, as a circular disk complementary to the shape of said lower base (7, 24), and because the friction welding, by means of which they are joined between if said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) and said body (1, 14), in the third operation, is performed by pressing said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) against the lower base (7, 24 ) of said body (1, 14) and operating a relative rotation with friction between said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) and said body (1, 14), after which a relative thrust pressure is exerted between said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) and said body (1, 14).

3. Method for manufacturing ¹ of a cooking tool, according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the aluminum alloy with which said body is formed (1, 14) in the first operation is the same as the alloy of aluminum with which said bottom is formed (2, 3, 15, 16) in the second operation.

4. Method for the manufacture of a cooking tool, according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said bottom (3, 16) is formed, in

The second operation, by injection of an aluminum alloy with incorporation of inserts (3B, 16B) of ferromagnetic material that do not transcend to the face of said bottom (3, 16) destined to close said lower base (7, 24) of the body (1, 14).

5.- Method for the manufacture of a cooking tool applicable to the case in which said tool consists of an infusion apparatus comprising a boiler body, a container body of the product to be infused (17), a filtering body (18 ), an infusion receiving body (19) and a cover (20) of said receiving body (19), characterized in that said boiler body constitutes said body (14) closed inferiorly by said bottom (15, 16), so that said first to fourth operations are performed, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, to form said body (14) closed lower by said bottom (15, 16), while said container body (17), said filtering body ( 18), said receiving body (19) and said cover (20) are formed separately in injection molding operations of an aluminum alloy, in the same way that said body (14) is formed in the first operation.

6.- Cooking tool for application in the kitchen, comprising a body (1, 14) made of one or more aluminum alloys and configured by a wall (5, 35) closed laterally on itself defining a lower base (7, 24 ) closed by a bottom (2, 3, 15, 16), said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) being intended to be placed, in the position of use of the cooking tool, on a calorific focus, characterized in that said body (1, 14) and said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) are two pieces injected into one or more aluminum alloys and said bottom (2, 3, 15, 16) is welded to the lower base (7, 24 ) of said body (1, 14) without material input.

7.- Cooking tool according to claim 6, characterized in that the aluminum alloy with which said body is injected (1, 14) is the same as the aluminum alloy with which said bottom is injected (2, 3, 15 , 16).

8. Cooking tool according to claims 6 or 7, characterized in that said bottom (3, 16) constitutes a complex body formed by an aluminum alloy matrix that houses inserts (3B, 16B) of ferromagnetic material that do not transcend The face of said bottom (3, 16) that closes said lower base (7, 24) of the body (1, 14).

9. Cooking tool according to any of claims 6 to 8, consisting of an infusion apparatus comprising a boiler body, a container body of the product to be infused (17), a filtering body (18), a body receiver of the infusion (19) and a cover (20) of said receiving body (19), characterized in that said boiler body constitutes said body (14) closed inferiorly by said bottom (15, 16) and is constituted by a truncated pyramid piece (21) formed by a wall (35) closed laterally on itself, said body (14) having an upper base defining a cylindrical mouth (22) and an open bottom base (24) circumferentially and larger in diameter than said upper base, and said bottom (15, 16), which is welded to said lower base (24) of the body (14) without material input, presenting the shape of a complementary circular disk of said lower base (24).