Plastic fuel tank with built-in components is made by blow molding, separated into halves and re-joined to form one-piece tank

摘要

The two halves forming the tank, are made from a single-piece, blow-molded plastic vessel (1). This is separated along a line provided, and then the resulting halves are joined together again, forming a one-piece tank. An independent claim is included for the corresponding method of manufacture, including blow molding, separation, component installation and re-assembly as described. Preferred features: Both halves comprise single layer plastic. They have a coating resisting permeation. The halves alternatively comprise multilayer plastic, at least one layer being a barrier layer. Both halves of the tank are welded together. The tank includes components which are built-into or onto it, before joining the halves. The casing is made using extrusion blow-molding. It has a U-shaped protuberance (2) along the line of separation, around the perimeter. This protuberance is at least partially cut-through during casing separation. The built-in components are welded to the halves, which themselves are then welded together.