Apparatus and method for formation of multi-region articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10207440-B2
Application number	US-201414508915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2014
Priority date	Oct 7, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

An injection-molding apparatus for article formation. The injection-molding apparatus includes a single mold base supporting at least one grouping of a plurality of shape-forming configuration sets. Each set is shaped for forming one layer of a multilayered article comprising an asymmetric surface. Each set may include at least one cavity which retains each article region formed by the preceding injection-molding shot(s). The single mold base includes an internal movable part which moves within the single mold base with respect to a stationary part such that relative positions of the shape-forming configurations are advanced for each set to form a subsequent article region in the cavities. Each subsequent shot may be prior to full cooling of the article region formed in the previous shot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An injection-molding apparatus comprising a single mold base supporting at least one grouping of shape-forming configuration sets, each set being shaped for forming one layer of a multilayered article comprising an asymmetric surface with two radial sides, one of the shape-forming configuration sets having a shape of one of the radial sides, at least one other shape-forming configuration set having a shape of the other radial side, the formed article layers being retained in the single mold base at least until completion of the last-formed layer of the article.

2. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
each shape-forming configuration set includes at least one cavity, the formed article layers being retained within the cavity; and
the single mold base comprises an internal movable part which moves within the single mold base with respect to a stationary part such that relative positions of the shape-forming configurations are advanced for each set to form a subsequent article layer in each of the cavities.

3. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 2 wherein:
the single mold base defines an axis;
the movable part supports the cavities and is rotatable about the axis to form subsequent article layers in each cavity.

4. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 2 wherein all of the cavities supported by the movable part are identical.

5. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 comprising at least three shape-forming configuration sets.

6. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 wherein each shape-forming configuration set is a pair of shape-forming configurations.

7. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 6 wherein one of the shape-forming configurations of each pair is a cavity supported by a stationary part of the single mold base and retaining formed article layers.

8. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the formed layers of the article includes at least a portion of one of final surfaces of the article.

9. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 being configured such that each subsequent shot is prior to full cooling of the article region formed in the previous shot.

10. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 further comprising barrels configured for delivering injection-molding shots to the single mold base, one of the barrels being configured and positioned for delivering thermoplastic material for forming the last-formed article layer, the other of the barrels being configured and positioned for forming article layers prior to the last-formed.

11. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 10 wherein the barrel for the last-formed article layer configured for delivery of thermoplastic material for the corresponding injection-molding shot at a higher pressure than the injection-molding shots delivered by the other barrels.

12. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one grouping of nozzles each corresponding to a particular one of shape-forming configurations, one nozzle of the at least one grouping corresponding to the shape-forming configuration for forming the last-formed article layer and being positioned for delivering the corresponding injection-molding shot at a lateral edge of the finished article.

13. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 12 wherein the other of the nozzles corresponds to shape-forming configurations for forming first-formed and at least one intermediate-formed article layers, each of these nozzles being positioned for delivering thermoplastic material to such position which is over-molded with at least one of the subsequently-formed article layers.

14. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the single mold base comprises a stationary part and a movable part which moves internally within the single mold base with respect to the stationary part;
one of the movable and stationary parts supports identical shape-forming configurations of each set; and
the other of the movable and stationary parts supports shape-forming configurations each shaped for one of the article layers.

15. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 14 wherein each shape-forming configuration set is a pair of cavities.

16. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 wherein the article is a lens member for transmitting LED light therethrough, the lens member comprising a lens portion and a flange thereabout, the lens portion having the asymmetric surface which is one of inner and outer surfaces.

17. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 16 wherein the shape of each shape-forming configuration set includes at least a portion of one of the inner and outer surfaces of the lens member.

18. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 16 wherein the shape of the shape-forming configuration set for the last injection-molding shot includes the shape of the flange of the lens member for engagement by an ejection system.

19. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 1 wherein the single mold base supports a plurality of the groupings for simultaneous formation of first-formed, at least one of the intermediate-formed and last-formed article layers each for one of a plurality of the articles.

20. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 19 wherein each set includes at least one cavity retaining each article layer formed by at least one preceding injection-molding shot.

21. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 20 further comprising a valve-gate system for balancing each injection-molding shot for equal filling of the cavities, the plurality of the groupings being an even number of the groupings.

22. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 19 wherein the plurality of the groupings comprises eight of the grouping of at least three shape-forming configuration pairs for simultaneously forming eight of each of at least three article layers, thereby simultaneously forming one of the layers for each of at least twenty-four articles.

23. The injection-molding apparatus of claim 19 wherein each of the articles is a lens member for transmitting LED light therethrough, each lens member comprising a lens portion and a flange thereabout, the lens portion having inner and outer surfaces.

24. A method for article formation, the method comprising the steps of:
providing an injection-molding apparatus comprising a single mold base supporting at least one grouping of a plurality of shape-forming configuration sets, each being shaped according to one layer of a multilayered article comprising an asymmetric surface with two radial sides, one of the shape-forming configuration sets having a shape of one of the radial sides, at least one other shape-forming configuration set having a shape of the other radial side;
forming a first-formed region of the article by delivering an injection-molding shot to the respective shape-forming configuration set;
advancing a movable part of the single mold base such that the shape-forming configuration, which retains the first-formed article region, is paired with the shape-forming configuration shaped for the subsequent intermediate-formed region of the article;
delivering an injection-molding shot which forms the intermediate-formed article region at least partially over-molding the article region formed in the preceding injection-molding shot;
further advancing the movable part within the single base such that the shape-forming configuration, which retains the first-formed and the at least

Assignees

• Cree Inc

Inventors

• Raleigh Craig
• Balles Michael G
• Hubertz Craig S
• Wilcox Kurt

Classifications

• B29C2045/0027

  Gate or gate mark locations · CPC title

• B29C45/2735

  for non-coaxial gates, e.g. for edge gates · CPC title

• B29C45/162

  using means, e.g. mould parts, for transferring an injected part between moulding stations · CPC title

• B29L2011/0016

  Lenses · CPC title

• B29C45/2673

  with exchangeable mould parts, e.g. cassette moulds (B29C45/1756 takes precedence) · CPC title