Patent Grant
7611349
The present invention is related to a nozzle for an injection molding apparatus.
In many injection molding systems available today, the systems include an injection molding machine having one or more nozzles for receiving melt from a manifold and transferring/distributing the melt to one or more mold cavities. This portion of an injection molding machine is often referred to as a cold runner or a hot runner system.
For injection molded parts of various colors, a first color molten material must be flushed from the system so that a second color molten material may be run through the injection molding machine to produce parts of different color. Residue material from the first/subsequent color of the molten material conventionally causes numerous shots of injection molded products to be defective because they have an undesirable blend of two colors of molten material. It is common for a substantial number of products to be defective in this way requiring multiple injection cycles to clear the runner system before useable products are formed.
Additionally, or aside from when color change may be a problem, unidirectional molecular orientation and weld/flow lines can be a potential cause for weakness in the structural integrity, dimensional accuracy, or cause unwanted birefringence of a molded product.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that substantially reduces residue of molten material in a gate area of an injection molding machine. Additionally, or alternatively, what is needed is a system and method for eliminating or substantially reducing unidirectional molecular orientation and/or weld/flow lines in a molded product.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a nozzle for an injection molding apparatus. The nozzle includes a nozzle body, a nozzle tip, a retaining device, and an annular melt channel. The nozzle body has a nozzle melt channel, which can be in fluid communication with a melt channel in a manifold. The nozzle melt channel has a nozzle melt channel longitudinal axis. The nozzle tip includes first and second melt channels. The first melt channel is in fluid communication with the nozzle melt channel and has a first melt channel longitudinal axis that is coaxial with the nozzle melt channel longitudinal axis. The second melt channel is in fluid communication with the first melt channel and has a second melt channel longitudinal axis that, in one example, is substantially normal with respect to the first melt channel longitudinal axis. The retaining device can be used to position the nozzle tip with respect to the nozzle body. The annular melt channel is formed between the tip and the retaining device.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a nozzle including a nozzle body and a seal device having an annular melt channel. The nozzle body has a nozzle melt channel, which can be in fluid communication with a melt channel in a manifold, and a nozzle melt channel longitudinal axis. The seal device includes first and second pieces. The first piece is used to position the second piece with respect to the nozzle body. The annular melt channel is formed between the first and second pieces, such that melt flows through the annular melt channel before entering, for example, a mold cavity.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes one of the above nozzles incorporated into an injection molding machine.
Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present inventions, as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number may identify the drawing in which the reference number first appears.
While specific configurations and arrangements are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustrative purposes only. A person skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other configurations and arrangements can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the pertinent art that this invention can also be employed in a variety of other applications.
One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a nozzle in an injection molding machine that allows for an improved flow of a molten material into a mold cavity, which can substantially reduce or eliminate flow lines in an injected molded product. In one example, this is accomplished through use of a nozzle having a nozzle body with a nozzle melt channel, which can be in fluid communication with a manifold melt channel, and a nozzle tip. The nozzle tip includes a first melt channel in fluid communication with the nozzle melt channel and one or more release melt channels between the first melt channel and an annular melt channel.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the annular melt channel is formed between a retaining device and the nozzle tip. The annular melt channel includes a decompression chamber in fluid communication with respective ones of the release melt channels and a compression chamber between the decompression chamber and a mold cavity. In this embodiment, a pressure difference results between the respective release melt channels and the decompression chamber and between the decompression chamber and the compression chamber that acts to blend the molten material in the nozzle tip area more quickly and efficiently than current systems, such that it enters a mold cavity without flow lines, i.e., weld lines.
In one example, the material used for the nozzle tip is a high thermally conductive material, with a corrosion and abrasion resistance (e.g., wear resistant). A plurality of holes or bores, i.e., release melt channels, are located at a point where the nozzle tip separates from the retaining device. The holes are oriented with respect to a radial axis, and can be aligned with respect to a longitudinal axis or offset from this axis. The desired flow rate is used to determine the diameter of the exit holes.
In this example, and as discussed above, the nozzle tip is designed in conjunction with the retaining device to have the annular melt channel with decompression and compression chambers. The nozzle tip holes or bores exit to the decompression chamber, which creates a circular flow of the molten material around the nozzle tip in order to mix/blend the molten material. Then, under the growing pressure of the molten material in the decompression chamber, the molten material flows through the compression chamber, which acts as a pressure regulator and shear generator. This leads to an annular flow in a hot area where the molten material further blends to eliminate flow lines and/or ease color change.
The compression of the molten material occurs up to a seal area, which can be at a downstream portion of the retaining device and the mold gate area. As such, in the seal area a reduction of the annular surface of the nozzle tip, an increase in flow speed and shear rate of the melt, and an increase of the relative temperature of the molten material and hot runner components (e.g., the retaining device and the nozzle tip) allows for a re-melt of solidifying melt material in contact with the mold, which improves color change, in such applications, as well as melt flow.
In one example, retaining device 232 is made from a steel based, a titanium based, a ceramic based, or other thermally insulative material.
In one example, nozzle tip 226 is made from a copper based, a steel based, or other thermally conductive material.
In another example, tip 226 is bimetallic and includes first and second portions 246 and 248. In one configuration, first portion 246 is more thermally conductive than second portion 248, possibly making second portion 248 thermally insulative. In an alternative configuration, second portion 248 is more thermally conductive than first portion 246, possibly making first portion 246 thermally insulative and/or wear resistant. In this example, a thermally conductive material is made from steel, copper, or the like based material. Also, in this example, a thermally insulative material is made from a steel, titanium, ceramic, or the like based material. It is to be appreciated that other materials that function similarly to those described above would become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this description, and are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.
Second melt channel 354 is a release or exit melt channel through which the molten material flows from first melt channel 350 of nozzle tip 226. Second melt channel 354 can be formed as a bore or a hole through a wall of nozzle tip 226. Depending on an application and/or material make-up of nozzle tip 226, there can be up to six release melt channels 354. Various other number of release melt channels 354 are also contemplated.
In one example, longitudinal axis 353 of release melt channel 354 is substantially normal or perpendicular to longitudinal axis 351 of first melt channel 350. As discussed above, substantially normal can be about 90°+/−10° for certain applications, and different ranges for other applications. In another example, longitudinal axis 353 of release melt channel 354 is angled with respect to longitudinal axis 351 of first melt channel 350.
Release melt channel 354 of nozzle tip 226 is used to transmit the molten material to first portion 356 of annular melt channel 352, which in this embodiment acts as a decompression chamber. A pressure of the molten material in decompression chamber 356 is reduced due to the material expansion allowed within the decompression chamber. From decompression chamber 356, the molten material flows into second portion 358 of annular melt channel 352, which in this embodiment acts as a compression chamber. Due to a restricted configuration of second portion 358, pressure of the molten material is increased as the molten material is forced through compression chamber 358 toward a mold gate 224 of mold cavity 222.
This arrangement of annular melt channel 352 balances the flow velocity and pressure of the melt exiting nozzle melt channel 214 resulting in an even/balanced flow out of annular melt channel 352 and into mold cavity 222.
In this embodiment, due to the “flushing” nature of the melt flow through the tip area of the nozzle there is not a conventional “bubble area” between retaining device 232, tip 226, and mold gate 224. For example, a “bubble area” can be seen as a stagnant area between retaining device 232, tip 226, and mold gate 224 that fills with material during a first shot. The material remains stagnant and typically does not flush out between shots. In one example, the stagnant material can be used to provide insulation between nozzle tip 226 and a mold. Respective pressure changes in the melt between second melt channel 354 and first and second portions 356 and 358 of annular melt channel 352 causes the molten material to flow between nozzle melt channel 214 and mold cavity 222 at a higher rate than in conventional nozzles, thereby mixing and maintaining melt in a molten condition to readily exit via mold gate 224.
In one example, this allows a better consistency of molten material due to mixing before mold cavity 222, thereby reducing or eliminating weld/flow lines within the molded product.
In another example, through use of this configuration, during color change, as discussed above, the previous color molten material is flushed out of nozzle 216 substantially within very few product cycles. This is substantially less than the 50-60 product cycles that customarily are required before a previous color is fully flushed out of a conventional nozzle arrangement.
In other embodiments, first and second portion 356 and 358 of annular melt channel 352 do not include decompression and compression areas, respectively, and include other configurations.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and not the Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more, but not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/065,167, filed Feb. 24, 2005, which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/575,841, filed Jun. 2, 2004, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This application is related to co-pending U.S. Ser. No. 11/142,915, filed Jun. 2, 2005, which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/575,842, filed Jun. 2, 2004, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Child | 12018630 | US |
