INTEGRATED INSULATION EXTRUSION AND EXTRUSION TECHNOLOGY FOR WINDOW AND DOOR SYSTEMS
Extruded plastic profiles with integrated insulation, the method for extruding such products, and the windows and doors made with such plastic extrusions. The plastic extrusions may additionally include a low heat build-up capstock system comprising an acrylic cap and pigment system that is substantially IR transparent. The extruded plastic profiles with integrated insulation are recyclable using conventional plastic extrusion process and are fully weldable in conventional window and door manufacturing.
1 . A window for use in a residential or commercial structure, comprising:
a glass pack operatively installed in a window frame, where the window frame further comprises: a structural extrusion formed of a first thermoplastic resin suitable for use in the fenestration industry and which contains at least one hollow interior portion and which is of a constant profile and extends to an indefinite length, an integrated insulation formed of a second thermoplastic resin substantially filling at least one hollow portion of the structural extrusion, where the first thermoplastic resin and the second thermoplastic resin are compatible and recyclable together and where the structural extrusion and the integrated insulation are coextruded through an extrusion die.
2 . The window for use in a residential or commercial structure of claim 1 , wherein, the second thermoplastic resin of the integrated insulation is foamed and further contains a plurality of air pockets running in the length of the extrudate.
3 . The window for use in a residential or commercial structure of claim 2 , wherein the thermoplastic resin and the second thermoplastic resin are comprised of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin.
4 . The window for use in a residential or commercial structure of claim 3 , further comprising a dark-colored capstock portion that is formed of a third thermoplastic resin that is significantly transmissive of solar infrared radiation and that covers at least a portion of the structural extrusion and where the dark-colored capstock is less than about 10 thousandths of an inch thick and the first thermoplastic resin contains between 8 and 11 parts titanium dioxide per hundred base resin.
5 . The window for use in a residential or commercial structure of claim 4 , wherein the dark-colored capstock is between about 4 thousandths and about 8 thousandths of an inch thick and the first thermoplastic resin contains between 8 and 11 parts titanium dioxide per hundred base resin.
6 . A method of producing an extrudate with integral foam insulation, comprising the steps of:
feeding a first thermoplastic resin suitable for use in a structural component in the fenestration industry into a first extruder;
feeding a second thermoplastic resin suitable for integrated insulation into a second extruder;
outputting the first and second extruders to an extrusion die extruding the extrudate, where the extrusion die forms the structural extrusion formed of the first thermoplastic resin, suitable for use in the fenestration industry, containing at least one hollow interior portion, of a constant profile, and extending to an indefinite length, and, substantially fills the hollow portion of the structural extrusion with an integrated insulation formed of a second thermoplastic resin.
7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the second thermoplastic resin of the integrated insulation is foamed and further contains a plurality of air pockets running in the length of the extrudate.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of air pockets of the integrated insulation running in the length of the extrudate are formed by the extrusion die with a plurality of individual outlets having a die land between 0.05 and 0.2 inches.
9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising feeding a third thermoplastic resin that is significantly transmissive of solar infrared radiation into a third extruder and outputting the third extruder into the extrusion die so that the third thermoplastic resin forms a dark-colored capstock layer of less than about 10 thousandths of an inch thick on a surface of the structural extrusion formed of the first thermoplastic resin.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the extrusion die forms the dark-colored capstock portion into a layer less than about 8 thousandths of an inch thick and the first thermoplastic resin contains between about 8 and 11 parts titanium dioxide per hundred base resin.
11 . A method of producing an extrudate with integral foam insulation, comprising the steps of:
extruding a first thermoplastic resin to define a structure suitable for use in the fenestration industry; the structure having a longitudinal direction;
extruding a second thermoplastic resin in the form of a plurality of foamed strands disposed within the structure to define a plurality of longitudinal air pockets disposed within the structure;
bonding at least some of the foamed strands to the structure to form an integral insulated structure.
12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of selecting the first thermoplastic resin and the second thermoplastic resin to be recyclable together.
13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of selecting the first thermoplastic resin and the second thermoplastic resin to be resins comprised of polyvinyl chloride.
14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of extruding the first and second resins from the same extrusion die.
15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of forming the structure with a structural perimeter wall that defines first and second separated chambers disposed in the longitudinal direction.
16 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step extruding the second thermoplastic resin in the form of a plurality of foamed strands within the second chamber to define a plurality of longitudinal air pockets disposed within the second chamber.
17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of forming the strands and air pockets with an extrusion die having a plurality of outlets having a die land between 0.05 and 0.2 inches.