The present invention is directed generally to staged, sequentially separated injection molds and particularly to molds for forming container spouts having an integral panel sealing the spout and an integral pull ring to facilitate opening the spout by removal of the panel.
Certain types of containers, such as cartons and the like that have a gable-shaped top, employ separately molded plastic spouts with threaded closures. Such cartons will be recognized as those containers in which quarts, liters, and half-gallons of milk or juice are packaged. The spouts are injection molded to include a removable integral panel sealing the spout at the time of initial purchase by the consumer. Examples of such an injection molded spout are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,486; 5,735,426; 5,915,574; 5,957,312 and 6,179,147. The integral panel is view as a tamper-resistant feature of the closure system that is desired by the public to ensure the safety of the product within the container. The integral panel is joined to the spout by a frangible line, and an integral pull ring is provided to facilitate opening of the spout through removal of the integral panel by tearing the frangible line surrounding the panel. The spout includes a threaded exterior surface and a threaded closure to permit re-closing of the container after partial consumption of the contents.
To mold such spouts in an injection molding apparatus, a steel or other metallic mold of the item to be molded is first made. The mold contains a mold cavity configured to reflect the part to be molded. The mold is periodically openable, or separable, so that the molded part can be removed from the mold cavity. A plastic material, such as polypropylene, polystyrene or the like, is injected, such as by a reciprocating screw arrangement, into the mold. After the material has been allowed to cool, the mold is opened and the molded part is ejected from the mold. The mold can then be closed and used for forming a subsequent part.
The presence of the integral panel and pull ring on the interior of the spout at the time it is initially molded represents a special problem. The ejection of the part from the mold must occur in such a sequence as to preserve the frangible line surrounding the removable panel and the pull ring. This can be accomplished by having the mold include an internal mandrel-like core element or sleeve around which the plastic material is molded to conform to the desired mold shape. The mandrel-like portion must, as part of the mold opening sequence, be removed from the molded part after the part is formed. In some known injection mold apparatus, removing the mandrel-like mold element is typically done by pulling or stripping the molded part from the mandrel as part of the mold opening sequence. This, however, may cause damage to the molded parts, particularly if the parts include threads or pull rings formed therein.
One mold designed for this purpose, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,736,172 and 5,820,807, includes a plurality of concentric, separable telescopic mold elements, and an opening therein defined by one of the base portion and the mold elements for injecting a mold material into the apparatus. The elements are configured such that they can be separated or removed from the mold, from the inner most element outward. This structure is intended to provide sufficient free space for the newly molded part to flex inward as the mold elements are removed thus minimizing the possibility of damage to the molded part. Each of the mold elements includes a mold face, which in part defines a mold cavity, and flange portions opposite of their respective mold faces. The mold also includes a movable, ball bearing type to facilitate opening the mold for removal of the molded container spout. The mold apparatus also includes two intermediate mold elements positioned between the inner and outer mold elements. Each of the intermediate mold elements includes openings through their respective body portions adapted to receive a movable, locking ball bearing cam member therein.
This combination of separable telescopic mold elements and locking ball bearing cam members is rather complex and less reliable than would be desirable in a manufacturing situation. Thus, there continues to be a need for an injection molding apparatus which permits a staged, sequential separation of the mold to effect withdrawal of mold portions, which separation process eliminates the potential damage to the molded parts during the mold opening process.
Accordingly, a staged, sequentially separated injection mold of the present invention includes a base, a first mold element coupled to the base including a gate through which plastics material can be injected and a surface at least partially defining a mold cavity for receiving the plastics material. A core plate movable in a first direction with respect to the mold base has a core element fixed to the plate including an end surface confronting the first mold element partially defining the mold cavity. A sleeve surrounds the core element having an end surface confronting the first mold element, an outward facing surface, and an inward facing surface confronting the core element. The inward facing surface includes a channel coupled to the sleeve end surface and a circumferential groove. The sleeve end surface, outward facing surface and channel further defining the mold cavity. After injection of plastic into the mold cavity, the core element, sleeve and stripper ring initially move as a unit in a first direction away from the first mold element. The core element is then retracted within the sleeve by a distance sufficient to expose the channel coupled to the sleeve end surface to permit release of material from the channel.
A set of thread splits confronts the sleeve outward facing surface and the first mold element to further define the mold cavity. The set of thread splits are movable generally orthogonally to the direction of relative movement of the core and cavity plates. An inclined outer surface is included on each of the thread splits and wedge elements are fixed to the mold base. Each wedge element acts between adjacent inclined outer surfaces on adjacent thread splits to force the thread splits toward the confronting sleeve outward facing surfaces upon movement of the core plate toward the mold base. After injection of plastic into the mold cavity, the set of thread splits move away from the outer surface of the sidewall simultaneously with the moving of the core element, sleeve and stripper ring as a unit away from the first mold element. Stops are fixed to the stripper plate for limiting the movement of the thread splits away from the confronting sleeve outward facing surfaces.
A stripper ring surrounding the sleeve includes an edge positioned contiguous to the sleeve outward facing surface. The stripper ring edge includes an arcuate portion immediately adjacent to the thread splits partially defining the mold cavity. The stripper ring is movable along the sleeve to facilitate removal of material from the sleeve outward facing surface. A stripper plate coupling means couples the stripper plate to the core plate for limiting the relative movement between the stripper plate and core plate. A sleeve support plate is fixed to the sleeve and coupling means couple the sleeve support plate to the core plate for delayed movement with respect to the core plate. After the sleeve support plate has been moved by a distance sufficient to remove the sleeve from within the container spout sidewall and to remove the pull ring from the channel on the inside surface of the sleeve, the sleeve support plate is advanced relative to the stripper plate to cause the sleeve end surface to contact the pull ring and thereby separate the container spout from the stripper ring.
The structure of a mold of the present invention allows for a less complex set of relative movements betweens the various elements of the mold to permit release of the molded article and return of the mold to a position suitable to receive injected plastics. The less complex movements allows for faster and more reliable operation of the mold as compared to existing molds intended to create similar molded articles. Some of the simplicity comes from having certain elements of the mold perform two functions. For example, the set of thread splits confronting the sleeve outward facing surface to define the thread formation on the outer surface of the sidewall also cooperates with the first mold element to define the flange. Likewise, the stripper ring surrounding the sleeve to facilitate removal of the molded sidewall portion of the spout from the sleeve also has an edge positioned contiguous to the sleeve outward facing surface with an arcuate portion immediately adjacent to the thread splits at least partially defining the lip of the sidewall.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention that references the accompanying figures illustrating the best mode of the invention.
A mold 40, constructed according to the present invention for the purpose of forming the spout 14, is shown in
The mold 40 includes a mold base 42. A first mold element 44 is coupled to the base 42 and includes a gate 45 through which plastics material can be injected The first mold element 44 also includes a surface 46 partially defining a mold cavity 47 for receiving the plastics material, the mold cavity 47 having the shape of the spout 14. The surface 46 of the first mold element 44 is configured to form the obverse surface of the spout 14 from that shown in
The mold 40 also includes a first core plate 60 that is reciprocally movable in direction Y with respect to the mold base 42. A core element 62 is fixed to the core plate 60 to project toward the first mold element 44. The core element 62 includes an end surface 64 that confronts a central part of the third portion 52 of surface 46 of the first mold element 44 and defines an inner portion of the upper surface of the removable panel 30. The core element 62 also includes a cylindrical outer surface 66. A second core plate 68 is fixed to the first core plate 60, and includes lines 70 for handling cooling fluids, such as chilled water, supplied to the interior of the core element 62.
The mold 40 also includes a sleeve support plate 72 separated from the first core plate 60 by a core retaining plate 74. The core retaining plate 74 is fixed to the sleeve support plate 72. A sleeve 76 is fixed to the sleeve support plate 72 so as to surround the core element 62. As shown in
The mold 40 also includes a stripper plate 94. A stripper ring 96 is fixed to the stripper plate 94 so as to surround the sleeve 76. The stripper ring 96 includes an edge 98 positioned contiguous to the sleeve outward facing surface 80. As shown in
Wear plate 106 is fixed to a front surface 108 of the stripper plate 94 by fastener 110. Thread splits 112 move along the surface of wear plate 106 for lateral movement in the direction X. The thread splits 112 include a thread-defining surface 114 that confronts the sleeve outward facing surface 80 and the second portion 50 of the first mold element 44 to define the threaded outer surface 20 of the spout 14. The thread splits 112 are movable by a biasing means or by a cam and cam follower combination (not shown) between the position shown in
In operation, a container spout 14 as shown in
Next, the first and second core plates 60 and 68 move away from the sleeve support plate 72 and core retaining plate 74 by a distance limited by the abutment of stop 90 and shoulder 88, typically about 1.25 cm, as shown in
Next, the sleeve support plate 72 is moved forward until it abuts the stripper plate 94 as shown in
The structure of mold 40 is illustrative of the present invention in that it allows for a very simple set of relative movements betweens the various elements of the mold to permit release of the molded article 14, and then a return of the mold to a position suitable to receive a next shot of injected plastics. The simple movements of the mold 40 allow for a faster and more reliable operation of the mold as compared to existing molds intended to create similar molded articles. Various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/US02/15388 | 5/15/2002 | WO | 00 | 11/13/2003 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO02/092319 | 11/21/2002 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3020594 | Makowski | Feb 1962 | A |
3247548 | Fields et al. | Apr 1966 | A |
4456214 | Ruck et al. | Jun 1984 | A |
4465651 | Godschalk et al. | Aug 1984 | A |
4526282 | Dutt et al. | Jul 1985 | A |
4541605 | Kubota et al. | Sep 1985 | A |
4541795 | Cole | Sep 1985 | A |
4552328 | Dutt et al. | Nov 1985 | A |
4806301 | Conti | Feb 1989 | A |
4919608 | Catalanotti et al. | Apr 1990 | A |
4983346 | Curliss et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
5037290 | Curliss et al. | Aug 1991 | A |
5114655 | Cole | May 1992 | A |
5114659 | Krall | May 1992 | A |
5133486 | Moore et al. | Jul 1992 | A |
5217731 | Fallent | Jun 1993 | A |
5340304 | Nakamura | Aug 1994 | A |
5368469 | Ekkert | Nov 1994 | A |
5403179 | Ramsey | Apr 1995 | A |
5470221 | Gaiser | Nov 1995 | A |
5540582 | Catalanotti et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5735426 | Babcock et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5736172 | Urmston | Apr 1998 | A |
5820807 | Urmston | Oct 1998 | A |
5915574 | Adams et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5957312 | Adams et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
6179147 | Mogard et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6231491 | Adams et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6287106 | Learn et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6390342 | Mabee | May 2002 | B1 |
6464096 | Adams et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6591999 | Molin et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20040145084 A1 | Jul 2004 | US |