Patent Application
20060233910
None.
The present invention relates to the field of molding. More particularly, the present invention relates to the manufacture and use of injection molds involving heating of at least one of the mold blocks to better manage the flow and solidification of the plastic material within the mold block.
Injection molding, among other types of molding techniques, is commonly utilized to produce plastic parts from molds. Injection molds typically include two plates which are positioned together to form a cavity in which a molten plastic material is injected. The molten plastic material adopts the shape of the cavity and then solidifies. The plates are separated, and the solidified plastic piece is ejected. After ejecting the plastic piece, the plates are again positioned together and the process repeated. Injection molding can be performed thousands of times with the same mold blocks, minimizing the piece price of the resultant parts.
Proper injection molding requires the plastic to flow in its molten state until the cavity is filled, with solidification occurring slowly enough and in such a way as to allow complete filling. At the same time, solidification should occur as quickly as possible, so the part can be ejected as soon as possible, reducing manufacturing time and increasing throughput of parts.
Because the temperature of the plastic and the heat transfer from the plastic are so critical to the speedy production of high quality injection molded parts, many injection mold components include structures to generate or absorb heat. For instance, injection mold nozzles and manifolds often include heating elements. Injection mold blocks have also been heated to better control the solidification of the plastic shot. Some prior mold blocks have included passages for flow of a heat transfer fluid through the mold blocks. The temperature of the heat transfer fluid is maintained external to the mold block, and when the heat transfer fluid is pumped through the mold block it heats (or cools) the mold block to the same temperature as the heat transfer fluid.
Other prior heat control mechanisms for mold blocks involve the use of electrical resistance heater elements. An electrical current is driven through the resistance heater to generate heat within the mold block. A thermostat is used to determine how much current should be driven through the resistance element at any particular time.
One form of such electrical resistance heater elements are cartridge heaters, wherein the resistance element is contained within a housing. The cartridge heater is separate from the mold block. A recess is formed in the mold block to receive the cartridge heater. When using such a cartridge heater arrangement, the same cartridge heater can be readily changed between different mold blocks. If the cartridge heater breaks or malfunctions, it can usually be replaced without affecting any of the mold blocks.
While direct placement of the cartridge heater into the mold block provides these advantages, it also has its disadvantages. The recess for the cartridge heater is positioned in a side wall of the mold block, so the cartridge heater doesn't interfere with the parting line between the two mold block halves. Typically the recess extends perpendicular to the side wall. In such a position, however, machining the recess into the mold block cannot be done with a three-axis CNC mill used to form the cavity and back side detail without reorienting the mold block relative to the mill. Reorienting the mold block in the CNC mill is time consuming, as is machining the recess into the side of the mold block using a different tool.
While the cartridge heater is being used, it can come loose from the mold block. In particular, the injection mold press cycles through opening and closing the mold blocks for each shot, and the vibration and movement can loosen the cartridge heater from its hole. The loose cartridge heater can cause damage or melting of the mold block as it presses harder on one section of the hole than another. If the loose cartridge heater comes partially or fully out of its hole, the hot cartridge heater is dangerous to workers and the injection mold press. Thus, further improvements are needed to the “separate cartridge heater” system of controlling temperature of mold blocks.
The present invention is a clamp for securing a heating element to an outside face of a mold, and a method of use of such a clamp. The clamp includes a frame portion which holds a commercially available cartridge heater. The clamp attaches to the mold via recesses that can be machined into the mold on a three-axis mill and in an orientation already used in creation of the mold, i.e., machined in a direction parallel to the side face on which attachment occurs, which could be either the direction used in milling the mold cavity or the direction used in machining the back side of the mold. The clamp includes a biasing mechanism for pressing the clamp into heat conducting contact with the outside face of the mold block to which it is attached, for efficient transfer of heat between the cartridge heater and the mold.
While the above-identified drawing figures set forth one or more preferred embodiments, other embodiments of the present invention are also contemplated, some of which are noted in the discussion. In all cases, this disclosure presents the illustrated embodiments of the present invention by way of representation and not limitation. Numerous other minor modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art which fall within the scope and spirit of the principles of this invention.
As shown in
The mold block 14 for the invention can be an injection mold block with one or more internal cavities (not separately shown) as known in the art. For instance, typical sizes for mold blocks are 5×5 inches to 10×18 inches, in a rectangular prism shape. Each half of the mold block 14 is about 2 or 3 inches thick. Regardless of the size of the mold block 14, the mold block 14 has been specially modified to mate with the clamp 10 of the present invention. In particular, the mold block 14 includes two recesses 20. In a preferred embodiment, one of the recesses 20 is on an exposed side face 22 of the mold block 14, and the other recess 20 is on a different exposed side face 22 of the mold block 14.
The preferred recesses 20 are cylindrical openings which extend vertically (parallel to the side face 22) and intersect with the side faces 22. A side of the recess 20 which is parallel to its longitudinal axis 24 is exposed on a side face 22 of the mold block 14. The longitudinal axis 24 of each recess 20 is inside the outline of the mold block 14, so the width of the opening formed by the recess 20 is narrower than the diameter of the cylindrical recess 20. This construction makes the recesses 20 very easily machinable. Because the recesses 20 extend vertically, they can be machined with the same three axis CNC mill (not shown) and in the same mold block orientation as is used to machine other portions of the mold 14. For instance, because the recesses 20 extend vertically, they can be machined at the same time and orientation as machining the mold cavity (not shown), or at the same time and orientation as machining features (not shown) on the back side of the mold 14.
While the drawings show a single set of recesses 20, additional sets of recesses could be provided to allow the press operator the option of attaching the clamp 10 in different locations on the mold block 14. The clamp 10 can also be flipped over (show the surface shown on top becomes the bottom), to attach to a mold block in the opposition direction (with the cord 18 coming off the right rather than the left of the clamp 10).
The clamp 10 includes a frame portion 26 that holds the cartridge heater 12, and a tightening portion 28. Each of the frame portion 26 and the tightening portion 28 include a head 30 extending from a neck 32. The head 30 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the recess 20, and the neck 32 is slightly smaller than the width of the recess 20 where it intersects with the side face 22 of the mold block 14. In the preferred embodiment, the head 30 and neck 32 are provided by a cylindrical rod 34 which is permanently joined to the rest of the clamp 10, and each rod 34 is positioned and sized to mate with the respective recess 20 in the mold block 14.
Adjacent the rod 34, the frame portion 26 includes a planar contacting face 36 which in use abuts against the mold 14. The contacting face 36 provides ample smooth surface area for conduction to occur between the frame portion 26 and the mold block 14. In the preferred embodiment, the frame 26 also includes an inside corner 38, with a mold adjacent side face 40 beyond the inside corner 38. This mold adjacent side face 40 is spaced from the rod 34 just enough that the side face 40 doesn't contact the mold block 14 when the rod 34 is in the recess 20, so the shape of the frame portion 26 doesn't interfere with placing the rod 34 into the recess 20.
As shown in
A through hole 54 is positioned in the frame portion 26. The through hole 54 is sized to mate with the cartridge heater 12. In the preferred embodiment, this mating relationship is a fairly tight fit, so thermal contact is made on all sides of the cartridge heater 12 with the encircling frame portion 26. The opposite end of the through-hole 54 is closed with a set screw plug 56, shown in
As shown in
In the preferred embodiment, the mold block 14, the tightening portion 28 and the frame portion 26 are all formed of blocks of metal and particularly blocks of aluminum. Aluminum is readily machined, and has a high heat conductivity. Other metals with high heat conductivity could alternatively be used, such as copper. The rods 34, the set off cap screws 58, the plug set screw 56, and the thumb screw 42 are all formed of steel for strength purposes. The steel has a lower heat conductivity, which is preferred for the set off cap screws 58. The lower heat conductivity is largely inconsequential for the rods 34, the plug set screw 56 and the thumb screw 42. Metals other than steel could alternatively be used.
To use the clamp 10, first the various portions are assembled as illustrated in
If desired, the tight fit between the cartridge heater 12 and cartridge heater hole 54 can be the sole mechanism to hold the cartridge heater 12 in place. However, in the preferred embodiment, once the thumb screw 42 is fully tightened, the edge of the tightening portion 28 extends over the proximal end of the heater cartridge 12 to positively hold the cartridge heater 12 into place in the frame portion 26. The cartridge heater 12 thus cannot be removed from the frame portion 26 without loosening of the thumb screw 42.
Electrical current is driven through the resistance heater element 16 as known in the art, as desired to generate heat. Heat is then conducted as shown by the dashed arrows in
When molds 14 are being changed in the injection mold press, all that the worker need do is loosen the thumb screw 42 and remove the clamp 10 from the mold 14. Even without fully removing thumb screw 42 from the thumb screw hole 44, the worker can attach the clamp 10 to the new mold 14.
Because the tightening portion 28 holds the cartridge heater 12 into place in the frame portion 26, the prior art problems associated with the cartridge heater 12 coming partially or fully out of the cartridge heater hole are avoided. Further, the cartridge heater 12 need only be changed between frame portions 26 when the cartridge heater 12 fails. Because the cartridge heater 12 is not moved from mold to mold but rather stays protected within the frame portion 26 as the frame portion 26 is moved from mold to mold, the likelihood of damage to the cartridge heater 12 is decreased. Changing the clamp 10 from mold to mold is much simpler than pulling the cartridge heater 12 from its hole and inserting it in a new hole in the new mold.
The recesses 20 for the clamp 10 can be formed in the mold block 14 with the same three axis mill used to machine the cavity or back side detail on the mold, and without reorienting the mold block 14. This shortens the time required for machining of the mold block 14 and lowers costs.
If the cartridge heater 12 does fail during use, the clamp 10 can be quickly removed and replaced with a different clamp/cartridge heater combination. Similarly, if the cartridge heater 12 gets permanently stuck within the cartridge heater hole 54, the stuck cartridge does not affect the mold 14 because the clamp 10 can be quickly removed and replaced with a different clamp/cartridge heater combination.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
