Molding device and molding method of a fuel tank flange section

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011069-B2
Application number	US-201615078690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2016
Priority date	Apr 2, 2015
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A fuel tank flange section molding device including: upper and lower molds that are closed together to mold a fuel tank; a fixed section that controls an amount of molten resin flowing toward a fuel tank main body side due to the protruding portion being disposed nearer to the lower mold side than the mold face when the upper and lower molds have been closed together; a flange insert that includes a mold face capable of rotating about the fixed section to an angle sloped toward a retracting direction of the upper mold, with respect to an extension direction of the flange section; and a cut-off insert that includes a mold face that forms an end portion of the flange section at the opposite side from the fuel tank main body, and that is capable of retracting from the upper mold with respect to the lower mold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel tank flange section molding device comprising:
an upper mold and a lower mold that are closed together to mold a fuel tank;
a fixed section that is fixed to the upper mold, the fixed section includes a mold face that molds a flange section extending from an outside face of a side wall of a fuel tank main body of the fuel tank in a direction intersecting with the outside face and a protruding portion projecting out from the mold face of the fixed section toward the lower mold, and the fixed section controls an amount of molten resin flowing toward a fuel tank main body side due to the protruding portion being disposed nearer to the lower mold than the mold face of the fixed section when the upper and lower molds have been closed together;
a flange insert that is provided adjacent to the fixed section in the upper mold at an opposite side from the fuel tank main body side, and the flange insert includes a mold face capable of rotating about the fixed section to an angle sloped toward a retracting direction of the upper mold, with respect to an extension direction of the flange section; and
a cut-off insert that is provided adjacent to the flange insert in the upper mold at the opposite side from the fuel tank main body side, the cut-off insert includes a mold face that forms an end portion of the flange section at the opposite side from the fuel tank main body, and the cut-off insert is capable of retracting from the upper mold with respect to the lower mold.

2. The fuel tank flange section molding device of claim 1 , wherein the cut-off insert is configured to be driven and the flange insert follows the driving of the cut-off insert.

3. A method of molding a fuel tank flange section utilizing the fuel tank flange section molding device of claim 1 , the method comprising:
shaping sheet bodies formed from molten resin in the upper mold and the lower mold, respectively;
closing the upper mold and the lower mold together to dispose the fixed section with respect to the lower mold in a position for molding the flange section;
rotating the flange insert about the fixed section to change the mold face of the flange insert, from a state in which the mold face of the flange insert is sloped toward the retracting direction of the upper mold, with respect to the extension direction of the flange section, to a state in which the mold face of the flange insert is at a same height as the mold face of the fixed section; and
causing the cut-off insert to advance toward the lower mold, and to be abutted by the lower mold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
shaping the sheet bodies formed from molten resin in the lower mold and the upper mold includes shaping the sheet bodies in a state in which the mold face of the flange insert is sloped in the retracting direction of the upper mold, with respect to the extension direction of the flange section, an end portion of the mold face of the fixed section at the opposite side to the fuel tank main body and an end portion of the mold face of the flange insert at the fuel tank main body side are at substantially the same height as each other, and an end portion of the mold face of the cut-off insert at the fuel tank main body side and an end portion of the mold face of the flange insert at the opposite side to the fuel tank main body are at substantially the same height as each other.

5. A fuel tank flange section molding device comprising:
an upper mold and a lower mold that are closed together to mold a fuel tank;
a fixed section that is fixed to the upper mold, the fixed section includes a mold face that molds a flange section extending from an outside face of a side wall of a fuel tank main body of the fuel tank in a direction intersecting with the outside face and a protruding portion projecting out from the mold face of the fixed section toward the lower mold, and the fixed section controls an amount of molten resin flowing toward a fuel tank main body side due to the protruding portion being disposed nearer to the lower mold than the mold face of the fixed section when the upper and lower molds have been closed together;
a flange insert that is provided adjacent to the fixed section in the upper mold at an opposite side from the fuel tank main body, the flange insert includes a mold face that molds the flange section, and the flange insert is capable of advancing and retracting from the upper mold with respect to the lower mold; and
a cut-off insert that is provided adjacent to the flange insert in the upper mold at the opposite side from the fuel tank main body, the cut-off insert includes a mold face forming an end portion of the flange section at the opposite side from the fuel tank main body, and the cut-off insert is provided so as to be capable of advancing and retracting from the upper mold with respect to the lower mold.

6. A method of molding a fuel tank flange section utilizing the fuel tank flange section molding device of claim 5 , the method comprising:
shaping sheet bodies formed from molten resin in the upper mold and the lower mold, in a state in which the respective mold faces of the fixed section, the flange insert, and the cut-off insert are at substantially the same height as each other;
closing the upper mold and the lower mold together to relatively retract the mold face of the flange insert in a retracting direction of the upper mold, with respect to the mold face of the fixed section, to relatively retract the mold face of the cut-off insert in the upper mold retracting direction to the position of the mold face of the flange insert or further, and to dispose the fixed section with respect to the lower mold in a position for molding the flange section;
causing the flange insert to advance toward the lower mold, so as to be at a same height as the mold face of the fixed section; and
causing the cut-off insert to advance further toward the lower mold side than the flange insert, and to be abutted by the lower mold.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kimura Miki

Classifications

• B29K2105/256

  Sheets, plates, blanks or films · CPC title

• B29L2031/7172

  Fuel tanks, jerry cans · CPC title

• B29C51/32 Primary

  having cutting means · CPC title

• B29C51/082

  by shaping between complementary mould parts · CPC title