The present invention relates to a sprue bush that is attached to a mold used to mold synthetic resin, and a bush component attached thereto.
In an example of a synthetic resin molding process implemented when injection-molding synthetic resin, a pair of molds are closed such that a cavity is formed therebetween, and molten synthetic resin is injected into the cavity. A sprue bush is a member having a flow passage (a sprue) through which synthetic resin injected from an injection molding machine is injected into the molds, and the sprue bush is attached interchangeably to the mold on the side where the synthetic resin is injected. An injection nozzle of the injection molding machine is then brought into direct contact with a nozzle contact surface of the sprue bush, whereupon the synthetic resin is injected. During the injection molding, the high-temperature, molten resin material is injected into the cavity through the sprue of the sprue bush and a runner provided in the molds, and by advancing a mold release timing, a molding cycle time can be shortened, leading to enhancement in productivity. However, when the molds are released before the resin in a sprue inlet portion hardens, stringing occurs. When, as a result, a string is trapped in a mold, problems such as variation in the shape of the mold and deterioration of the quality of a molded article occur.
In response to the problem of stringing, as described above, it has been proposed that stringing may be prevented by implementing heat diffusion in the sprue bush serving as the resin flow passage. More specifically, providing a partition plate that bisects a flow passage cross-section (an opening in the nozzle contact surface) in a resin injection port of the sprue bush (Patent Document 1), forming the opening (the flow passage cross-section) in a shape other than a circular shape, such as a six-pronged fork shape (Patent Document 2), forming the entire sprue bush from a high thermal conductivity member made of copper alloy, copper, aluminum alloy, aluminum, or the like (Patent Document 3), and embedding a high thermal conductivity member in a sprue bush main body as a component thereof (Patent Document 4) have been disclosed.
However, in the method of Patent Document 1, the sprue cross-section through which the resin flows is obstructed by the partition plate, and therefore the fluidity of the resin deteriorates. It is therefore needed to take measures such as increasing the injection pressure, increasing the temperature of the resin in order to reduce the viscosity thereof, and reducing the cross-section of the partition plate, but as a result of these measures, deterioration of and damage to the partition plate are more likely to occur. Moreover, when a resin blockage occurs in the sprue bush, an operation to remove the resin is complicated, and therefore the partition plate may be damaged while removing the resin, leading to an increase in the frequency with which the partition plate or the entire sprue bush has to be exchanged for a new one.
It is known that by employing the method of Patent Document 2, a greater stringing suppression effect than that obtained with a circular cross-section can be realized, but under present circumstances, when even greater yield is needed, the effect is insufficient.
In the method of Patent Document 3, a high thermal conductivity member typically exhibits lower strength and wear resistance than a conventional sprue bush material, and therefore the resin flow passage may deteriorate due to wear and deformation. When the resin flow passage deteriorates, molding conditions vary, and components have to be replaced more frequently.
Furthermore, in the method of Patent Document 4, preparing and combining a plurality of metal members having different thermal conductivity values may lead to an increase in manufacturing cost.
Hence, in consideration of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel sprue bush with which stringing can be prevented without the use of a partition plate or a high thermal conductivity member, and a bush component forming the sprue bush.
A sprue bush attached to a mold used to mold synthetic resin, the sprue bush comprising a sprue bush main body that has a flow passage, through which synthetic resin injected from an injection molding nozzle flows, and a recessed portion formed in a surface of the sprue bush main body on a synthetic resin injection port side thereof, and a bush component that is embedded in the recessed portion, the bush component including a nozzle contact surface that is contacted by the injection molding nozzle, a through hole that extends from an opening in the nozzle contact surface and communicates with the flow passage in the sprue bush main body so as to form the flow passage for the synthetic resin, and a plurality of ribs that extend radially outward from a peripheral surface of the through hole.
Further, a bush component forming the sprue bush according to the present invention is used in a sprue bush configured to include: a sprue bush main body that has a flow passage, through which synthetic resin injected from an injection molding nozzle flows, and a recessed portion formed in a surface of the sprue bush main body on a synthetic resin injection port side thereof; and the bush component, which is embedded in the recessed portion, this bush component including: a nozzle contact surface that is contacted by the injection molding nozzle; a through hole that extends from an opening in the nozzle contact surface and communicates with the flow passage in the sprue bush main body so as to form the flow passage for the synthetic resin; and a plurality of ribs that extend radially outward from an inner peripheral surface of the through hole.
According to the present invention, the nozzle contact surface of the bush component is supported by the ribs, and spaces are provided between the ribs. Therefore, the plurality of radial ribs act as heat radiation fins such that the heat of the resin in the vicinity of the opening in the nozzle contact surface is radiated effectively to the spaces between the ribs. Moreover, the nozzle contact surface is reduced in thickness, thereby enhancing the effect of radiating heat from the nozzle contact surface. Hence, the vicinity of the opening is cooled with greater efficiency such that the temperature of the resin in the vicinity of the opening decreases earlier, and as a result, the occurrence of stringing is suppressed.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
The sprue bush main body 10 is formed from a steel material having a sufficient hardness to satisfy performance necessities such as wear resistance and durability, and is formed by coaxially integrating a disc-shaped head 10a and a columnar shaft 10b having a smaller diameter than the head 10a. A sprue (a flow passage) 11 through which molten resin injected from an injection nozzle (not illustrated) flows is formed in an axial center that extends from the head 10a to the shaft 10b. Further, a pair of screw holes 12 are provided in the head 10a, and the sprue bush main body 10 is attached fixedly to a mold by fixing screws through the screw holes 12. Furthermore, a recessed portion 13 having a columnar shape, for example, is formed in a central portion of the head 10a of the sprue bush main body 10, and the bush component 20 is embedded in the recessed portion 13.
The bush component 20, similarly to the sprue bush main body 10, is formed from a steel material having a predetermined hardness, and the type of steel material may be identical or different to that of the sprue bush main body 10. The bush component 20 is shaped to fit into the recessed portion 13, and is configured to include a nozzle contact surface 21 that is contacted by the injection molding nozzle, a through hole 22 that extends from an opening 21a in a bottom center of the nozzle contact surface 21 and communicates with the sprue 11 of the sprue bush main body 10 so as to form a synthetic resin flow passage (a sprue), and a plurality of ribs 23 that extend radially outward from a pipe-shaped portion 22a forming the through hole 22. In the example of
The ribs 23 are rectangular thin plate portions, and are provided to extend from the pipe-shaped portion 22a at equal intervals in a circumferential direction. In the example of
The nozzle contact surface 21 of the bush component 20 is a depressed curved surface that curves in a circular shape, and is formed at a substantially identical diameter to a tip end shape of the injection molding nozzle. The opening 21a connected to the through hole 22 is formed in the bottom center of the nozzle contact surface 21. Further, a flange 21b is formed on an outer periphery of the nozzle contact surface 21, and the ribs 23 extend to the flange 21b.
The bush component 20 is press-fitted into the recessed portion 13 in the head 10a of the sprue bush main body 10, whereupon the entire periphery of the flange 21b is laser-welded, for example, so as to be joined and fixed integrally to the head 10a of the sprue bush main body 10. At this time, the flange 21b of the nozzle contact surface 21 is flush with a front surface of the head 10a (see
By providing a configuration in which the nozzle contact surface 21 of the bush component 20 is supported by the ribs 23 and spaces are formed between the ribs 23, the plurality of radial ribs 23 act as heat radiation fins such that the heat of the resin in the vicinity of the opening 21a in the nozzle contact surface 21 is radiated effectively to the spaces between the ribs 23. Moreover, the nozzle contact surface 21 can be reduced in thickness, thereby enhancing the effect of radiating heat from the nozzle contact surface 21. Hence, the vicinity of the opening 21a is cooled with greater efficiency such that the temperature of the resin in the vicinity of the opening 21a decreases earlier, and as a result, the occurrence of stringing is suppressed. Furthermore, by providing the radially disposed ribs 23 as a structure for supporting the nozzle contact surface 21, sufficient strength can be secured in the nozzle contact surface 21, which is contacted by the injection molding nozzle, while reducing the thickness of the nozzle contact surface 21, and therefore deterioration of the nozzle contact surface 21 can be suppressed. As a result, the durability of the sprue bush can be maintained.
The sprue bush according to the second embodiment is a modified example of the sprue bush according to the first embodiment, and therefore modified parts will be described mainly below, while parts that are not described specifically are assumed to be configured identically to the sprue bush according to the first embodiment.
In the sprue bush according to the second embodiment, a ring-shaped portion (a part of the head surrounding the peripheral surface of the recessed portion 13) 10a-1 forming the peripheral surface of the recessed portion 13 in the head 10a of the sprue bush main body 10 is configured as a separate component that can be detached from the sprue bush main body 10. The ring-shaped portion 10a-1 forms an outside part constituting an outer side of a side face of the recessed portion 13 of the head 10a, and serves as a part of the head 10a that is obtained by partially dividing the head 10a along a perpendicular plane to the axial direction. A height of the ring-shaped portion 10a-1 is set to match a height (a depth) of the recessed portion 13.
The ring-shaped portion 10a-1 includes a pair of screw holes 12-1 that are aligned with the screw holes 12 in the head 10a, and using screw fastenings, the ring-shaped portion 10a-1 is integrated with the head 10a of the sprue bush main body 10, thereby realizing the sprue bush main body 10 and forming the recessed portion 13 of the head 10a. The bush component 20 is fitted into a central hole in the ring-shaped portion 10a-1, which corresponds to the recessed portion 13 of the head 10a. Preferably, a collar 23a is provided on each of the ribs 23 of the bush component 20 to ensure that the bush component 20 does not fall out of the ring-shaped portion 10a-1, and a step portion on which the collar 23a catch is provided on a peripheral surface of the central hole of the ring-shaped portion 10a-1. The bush component 20 is attached to the sprue bush main body 10 by placing the bush component 20 on the head 10a of the sprue bush main body 10 in a condition where the ring-shaped portion 10a-1 is not attached, and then screwing the ring-shaped portion 10a-1 to the sprue bush main body 10 so that the bush component 20 is housed in the central hole of the ring-shaped portion 10a-1. As a result, the bush component 20 is embedded fixedly in the recessed portion 13 of the sprue bush main body 10.
The modified examples of the configuration of the bush component 20 according to the second embodiment, illustrated in
Further, the bush component 20 illustrated in
The shape of the nozzle contact surface 21 illustrated in
The concavo-convex surfaces provided on the nozzle contact surface 21 are not limited to the concentric circle-shaped surface shape illustrated in
In a further embodiment of the sprue bush according to the present invention, the sprue bush constituted by the sprue bush main body and the bush component is formed integrally as a single component, rather than by combining these two components. The sprue bush having the above configuration, in which a hollow region is formed in the interior thereof, can be formed integrally using a so-called stereolithography technique. More specifically, a sprue bush that is attached to a mold used to mold synthetic resin includes a nozzle contact surface that is contacted by an injection molding nozzle, and a flow passage extending from an opening in the nozzle contact surface, through which synthetic resin injected from the injection molding nozzle flows, wherein a hollow region surrounding the flow passage is formed in an interior region on a rear surface side of the nozzle contact surface, and a plurality of ribs are provided to extend radially outward from an inner peripheral surface of the through hole. Even more specifically, a sprue bush that is attached to a mold used to mold synthetic resin is formed by coaxially integrating a disc-shaped head and a columnar shaft having a smaller diameter than the head, a flow passage through which synthetic resin injected from an injection molding nozzle flows being formed in an axial center that extends from the head to the shaft, the head including a nozzle contact surface that is contacted by an injection molding nozzle and includes an opening into the flow passage, a hollow region formed in the interior of the head on a rear surface side of the nozzle contact surface so as to surround the flow passage in a ring shape, and a plurality of ribs extending radially toward the hollow region from a peripheral surface of the flow passage.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and needless to mention includes design modifications within a scope not departing from the spirit of the present invention, these design modifications including various modifications and amendments that could be arrived at by a person having common knowledge in the field of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2016-036549 | Feb 2016 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2016/086345, filed on Dec. 7, 2016, now pending, herein incorporated by reference. Further, this application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-036549, filed on Feb. 29, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2016/086345 | Dec 2016 | US |
Child | 15797853 | US |