Claims
- 1. An injection-molded plastic part cooling tube apparatus, comprising:
an extruded tube having an inside surface and an outside surface; and at least one cooling channel produced by extrusion.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cooling channel is disposed between said inside surface and said outside surface.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sleeve cooperating with said tube to enclose said cooling channel, said tube being disposed inside of and adjacent said sleeve, and wherein said cooling channel is disposed on one of either:
(i) said outside surface of said tube; (ii) an inside surface of said sleeve.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cooling channel has a substantially constant profile, which extends in a longitudinal direction of said tube.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said cooling channel has a length which is at least about four times a minor diameter of said cooling channel of said tube.
- 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said tube has a cross-section comprising a plurality of said cooling channels as arcuate, elongated slots.
- 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cumulative angular extent of all elongated slots is greater than 180 degrees.
- 8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said elongated slots are coupled together to form at least one cooling circuit around said tube.
- 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tube comprises an extrudable metal.
- 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said tube comprises extruded aluminum.
- 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plug disposed in a distal end of said tube and configured to contact a distal end of the injection-molded plastic part.
- 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said plug comprises aluminum, and includes a cooling channel inlet, a cooling channel outlet, and at least one pressure channel, said cooling channel inlet, said cooling channel outlet, and said pressure channel each being configured to communicate with a respective take-out plate cooling channel inlet, cooling channel outlet, and pressure channel.
- 13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said plug has a dome-shaped internal surface configured to, contact and cool a corresponding dome-shaped end of an injection molded plastic part inside said cooling tube.
- 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an injection-molded plastic part sealing structure disposed at a distal end of said cooling tube.
- 15. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a porous insert with at least one pressure channel and a contoured inside surface.
- 16. An injection molding machine, comprising:
mold structure that molds a plurality of plastic parts; a plurality of extruded cooling cavity structures configured to hold and cool the plurality of plastic parts after they are molded by said mold structure, said cooling cavity structures each having an inside surface, an outside surface, and at least one cooling channel produced by extrusion and providing for a coolant flow to extract heat from the plurality of plastic parts while said parts are held by the plurality of extruded cooling cavity structures.
- 17. The injection molding machine according to claim 16, wherein said at least one cooling channel is disposed between said inside surface and said outside surface.
- 18. The injection molding machine according to claim 16, further comprising a sleeve cooperating with said cooling cavity structure to enclose said cooling channel, said cooling cavity structure being disposed inside of and adjacent said sleeve, and wherein said cooling channel is disposed on one of either:
(i.) said outside surface of said cooling cavity structure; (ii) an inside surface of said sleeve.
- 19. The injection molding machine according to claim 17, wherein said at least one cooling channel has a substantially constant profile, which extends in a longitudinal direction of each respective said cooling cavity structure.
- 20. The injection molding machine according to claim 19, wherein said at least one cooling channel has a length which is at least about four times a minor diameter of said at least one cooling channel.
- 21. The injection molding machine according to claim 20, wherein each said cooling cavity structure has a cross-section comprising a plurality of cooling channels as arcuate, elongated slots.
- 22. The injection molding machine according to claim 21, wherein the cumulative angular extent of all elongated slots is greater than 180 degrees.
- 23. The injection molding machine according to claim 20, wherein said elongated slots are coupled together to form at least one cooling circuit around each said cooling cavity structure.
- 24. The injection molding machine according to claim 16, wherein said cooling cavity structure comprises an extrudable metal.
- 25. The injection molding machine according to claim 24, wherein said cooling cavity structure comprises extruded aluminum.
- 26. The injection molding machine according to claim 16, further comprising a plug disposed in a distal end of each of said cooling cavity structure and configured to contact a distal end of the injection-molded plastic part.
- 27. The injection molding machine according to claim 26, wherein said plug comprises aluminum, and includes a cooling channel inlet, a cooling channel outlet, and at least one pressure channel, said cooling channel inlet, said cooling channel outlet, and said pressure channel each being configured to communicate with a respective take-out plate cooling channel inlet, cooling channel outlet, and pressure channel.
- 28. The injection molding machine according to claim 26, wherein said plug has a dome-shaped internal surface configured to contact and cool a corresponding shaped end of an injection-molded plastic part inside each said cooling cavity structure.
- 29. The injection molding machine according to claim 26, further comprising a porous insert with at least one pressure channel and a contoured inside surf ace.
- 30. The injection molding machine according to claim 16, further comprising an injection-molded plastic part sealing structure disposed at a distal end of each of said cooling cavity structure.
- 31. A method for forming an injection-molded-plastic-part cooling tube, comprising the steps of:
extruding a hollow aluminum tube having an inside surface and an outside surface and at least one cooling channel.
- 32. The method according to claim 31, wherein said step of extruding said tube includes extruding said at least one channel between said inside surface and said outside surface.
- 33. The method according to claim 31, wherein said step of extruding said tube includes extruding said at least one channel disposed on said outside surf ace of said tube.
- 34. The method according to claim 31, wherein said extruding steps are performed with aluminum.
- 35. The method according to claim 31, wherein the step of extruding said tube comprises the step of extruding said at least one channel so that a cross-section of the cooling tube includes a plurality of said cooling channels as arcuate, elongated slots substantially surrounding said inside diameter.
- 36. The method according to claim 31, wherein said at least one channel comprises a plurality of cooling channels and further comprising the step of machining a connecting channel configuration between said cooling channels to complete a cooling circuit around said cooling tube.
- 37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising the step of forming a central plug including cooling fluid channels and at least one air vacuum channel.
- 38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of placing a plug in one end of said hollow tube, to form a closed end of the cooling tube.
- 39. The method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of forming a porous insert with at least one pressure channel and a contoured inside surface.
- 40. The method according to claim 39, further comprising the step of inserting said porous insert into said hollow tube and retaining said insert in said tube by inserting said plug.
- 41. The method according to claim 39, wherein said porous insert is manufactured by a process that includes extrusion.
- 42. A cooling tube apparatus for vacuum forming of an injection-molded plastic preform, comprising:
a tube that includes an insert bore for receiving a porous insert, at least one plug bore for receiving and retaining a central plug, a cooling groove formed on the outer surface of the tube, and a groove at its open end for receiving an end seal, in use, the end seal works to seal a portion of said preform within said tube and thereby forms a closed volume between said preform and said tube; and a sleeve that fits-around said outer surface of said tube and sealed thereto for enclosing said groove; a central plug that includes a contoured inside surface to substantially correspond with a dome portion of said preform, an inlet and an outlet coolant channel for connection with said groove of said tube, a pressure channel that assists in receiving and ejecting said preform, and a vacuum channel that connects to an annular channel formed between a narrowed portion at an upper end of said plug and said plug bore of said tube; and a porous insert that includes an inner surface contoured to substantially correspond with a final desired molding surface of the preform, an outer surface, and at least one longitudinally directed pressure channel connected to said annular channel, whereby in use, the pressure channels provide a conduit for evacuating air through the porous insert for the purpose of drawing a deformable preform into contact with said contoured inside surface thereby vacuum forming said preform.
- 43. The cooling tube according to claim 42, wherein said tube, said porous insert, said plug, and said sleeve are preferably made from a highly thermally conductive metal.
- 44. The cooling tube according to claim 43, wherein said porous insert is preferably made from a porous material with a porosity in the range of about 3-20 microns.
- 45. The cooling tube according to claim 44, wherein said porous insert material is a porous aluminum.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/246,916, filed Sep. 19, 2002, the contents of which are therefore incorporated herein by reference.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10246916 |
Sep 2002 |
US |
Child |
10321940 |
Dec 2002 |
US |