Patent Application
20140314900
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to mold assemblies, and particularly to a mold assembly for fabricating an optical fiber connector.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical fiber connectors are widely used as interfaces for high-speed transmission of electronic data between two electronic devices. An optical fiber connector is fabricated by an injection mold. The optical fiber connector includes a male connector and a female connector coupled to the male connector. The male connector and the female connector each include a lens portion, a blind hole facing the lens portion, and an optical fiber received in the blind hole. However, it is difficult to make the lens portions align precisely with the optical fiber.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mold for fabricating an optical fiber connector that can overcome the above-mentioned limitations.
Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure.
The mold assembly 100 includes a male mold 11, a sliding block 121, and three second sliding blocks 122.
The male mold 11 includes a base 111, a first locating flange 112, a second locating flange 113, a third locating flange 114, and a fourth locating flange 115. The base 111 is substantially rectangular. In the embodiment, the first locating flange 112, the second locating flange 113, the third locating flange 114, and the fourth locating flange 115 are integrally formed with the base 111 and extend upward from four corners of the base 111, respectively. The first locating flange 112 is diagonal to the fourth locating flange 115. The second locating flange 113 is diagonal to the third locating flange 114.
A first receiving opening 111a is defined between the first locating flange 112 and the second locating flange 113. A second receiving opening 111b is defined between the first locating flange 112 and the third locating flange 114. A third receiving opening 111c is defined between the second locating flange 113 and the fourth locating flange 115. A fourth receiving opening 111 d is defined between the third locating flange 114 and the fourth locating flange 115.
The first locating flange 112 includes a first surface 1121 opposite to the third locating flange 114, a second surface 1122 facing away from the first surface 1121, and a first side surface 112a. The first surface 1121 is substantially parallel to the second surface 1122. The first side surface 112a is connected substantially perpendicularly between the first surface 1121 and the second surface 1122. The first locating flange 112 forms a first sloped surface 1123 extending from an edge of the first surface 1121 toward the second surface 1122. The first sloped surface 1123 faces away from the first side surface 112a. In the embodiment, a distance between the first sloped surface 1123 and the first side surface 112a gradually decreases from the first surface 1121 to the second surface 1122. A first included angle between the first surface 1121 and the first sloped surface 1123 is about 60 to about 75 degrees.
The second locating flange 113 includes a third surface 1131 opposite to the fourth locating flange 115, a fourth surface 1132 facing away from the third surface 1131, and a second side surface 113a. The third surface 1131 is substantially parallel to the fourth surface 1132. The second side surface 113a is connected substantially perpendicularly between the third surface 1131 and the fourth surface 1132. The second locating flange 113 forms a second sloped surface 1133 extending from an edge of the third surface 1131 toward the fourth surface 1132. The second sloped surface 1133 faces away from the second side surface 113a. In the embodiment, a distance between the second sloped surface 1133 and the second side surface 113a gradually decreases from the third surface 1131 to the fourth surface 1132. A second included angle between the third surface 1131 and the second sloped surface 1133 is substantially equal to the first included angle. As such, the first sloped surface 1123 and the second surface 1133 are symmetrical about the first receiving opening 111a.
The first sliding block 121 includes a back surface 1211 and a front surface 1212 facing away from the back surface 1211. The back surface 1211 is substantially parallel to the front surface 1212. A shape and a size of the first sliding block 121 correspond to a shape and a size of the first receiving opening 111a. The first sliding block 121 forms a third sloped surface 1213 and a fourth sloped surface 1214 matching the first sloped surface 1123 and the second sloped surface 1133, respectively. Both the third sloped surface 1213 and the fourth sloped surface 1214 extend from the back surface 1211 toward the front surface 1212. The third sloped surface 1213 faces away from the fourth sloped surface 1214.
The front surface 1212 defines two first holes 1215 for forming the two locating poles 210 and four second holes 1216 for forming the four light coupling lenses 26. The four second holes 1216 are defined between the two first holes 1215.
The second receiving opening 111b, the third receiving opening 111c, and the fourth receiving opening 111d have substantially a same shape. A shape and a size of the second receiving opening 111b respectively correspond to a shape and size of the second sliding block 122.
In assembly, the first sliding block 121 is slidably received in the first receiving opening 111a. The three second sliding blocks 122 are slidably received in the second receiving opening 111b, the third receiving opening 111c, and the fourth receiving opening 111d, correspondingly. The first sliding block 121, the second sliding blocks 122, and the male mold 11 cooperatively define a die cavity 101. The first sliding block 121 is precisely located in the first receiving opening 111a to ensure that the two locating posts 210 and the four light coupling lenses 26 are formed in the correct location.
It will be understood that the above particular embodiments are shown and described by way of illustration only. The principles and the features of the present disclosure may be employed in various and numerous embodiment thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure as claimed. The above-described embodiments illustrate the possible scope of the disclosure but do not restrict the scope of the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102113882 | Apr 2013 | TW | national |
