Remotely mounted electric motor driving a valve pin in an injection molding apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10792849-B2
Application number	US-201815860788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2018
Priority date	Jan 5, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

An injection molding apparatus comprising a valve comprised of:
an actuator having a rotor interconnected to a distal end of an elongated shaft adapted to drivably transmit rotational motion of the rotor to rotational motion of the shaft, the shaft being interconnected at a proximal end to a converter adapted to transmit rotational motion of the shaft directly to driven linear motion of a valve pin, the shaft having a length or configuration selected such that the actuator is mountable on the apparatus in a position or disposition that is isolated or insulated from significant or substantial exposure to or transmission of heat from a heated manifold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An injection molding apparatus comprising an injection molding machine (IMM), a heated manifold ( 60 ) having a distribution channel ( 120 ) into which injection fluid ( 9 ), a mold ( 70 ) having a cavity ( 80 ) communicating with a fluid delivery channel ( 130 ) that receives injection fluid ( 9 ) from the distribution channel ( 120 ), the fluid delivery channel ( 130 ) delivering fluid ( 9 ) at a downstream end to a gate ( 110 ) that communicates with the cavity ( 80 ), the gate ( 110 ) being controllably opened and closed to control flow of the fluid ( 9 ) into the cavity ( 80 ) during the course of an injection cycle, the apparatus including a valve ( 50 ) comprised of:
an actuator ( 200 ) having a rotor ( 12 ) rotatably driven (R 1 ) at a rotor speed (R 1 s ), the rotor ( 12 ) being interconnected to a distal end ( 22 ) of an elongated shaft ( 20 ) and adapted to drivably transmit rotational motion (R 1 ) of the rotor to rotational motion (R 2 ) of the elongated shaft ( 20 ) for rotation at a shaft speed (R 2 s ), the actuator ( 200 ) being mounted to one or the other of a top clamp plate ( 140 ) or the injection molding machine (IMM),
the elongated shaft ( 20 ) being interconnected at a proximal end ( 24 ) to a converter ( 40 ), the converter ( 40 ) being adapted to transmit rotational motion (R 2 ) of the elongated shaft ( 20 ) directly to driven linear motion (A) of a linear drive member ( 26 ), the linear drive member ( 26 ) being interconnected to a valve pin ( 100 ) arranged within the fluid delivery channel for upstream and downstream movement along a linear path of travel (A) between gate closed and gate open positions via the driven linear motion (A) of the linear drive member ( 26 ),
the elongated shaft ( 20 ) having a shaft axis (DA), a length or configuration (LC) selected and adapted such that the actuator ( 200 ) is mountable on the apparatus in a position or disposition that is isolated, separated or insulated from significant or substantial exposure to or transmission of heat from the heated manifold ( 60 ) through air or metal to metal contact between the heated manifold ( 60 ) and the actuator ( 200 ),
wherein the converter ( 40 ) is mounted to the apparatus such that the converter ( 40 ) travels laterally or in a direction along a lateral axis of the shaft (LS) relative to the actuator ( 200 ) on heating of the manifold ( 60 ) or upon assembly of the apparatus, the elongated shaft ( 20 ) being interconnected to the converter ( 40 ) or the actuator ( 200 ) by one or more connectors ( 15 , 30 ) that are adapted to enable lateral movement (LS) between the converter ( 40 ) and the actuator ( 200 ) while maintaining a rotational interconnection between the elongated shaft and the converter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the valve ( 50 ) includes a torque increasing or rotational speed reducing device ( 11 ) interconnected to and between the rotor ( 12 ) and the elongated shaft ( 20 ) in an arrangement wherein rotational movement (R 1 ) of the rotor is transmitted to rotational movement (R 2 ) of the elongated shaft ( 20 ).

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the torque increasing or rotational speed reducing device ( 11 ) is adapted to convert the rotational speed (R 1 s ) and a torque (T 1 ) generated by the rotor ( 12 ) to a different rotational speed (R 2 s ) and a different torque (T 2 ) generated by the elongated shaft ( 20 ).

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the torque increasing or rotational speed reducing device ( 11 ) is adapted to convert the rotational speed (R 1 s ) and a torque (T 1 ) generated by the rotor ( 12 ) to a lower rotational speed (R 2 s ) and a higher torque (T 2 ) generated by the elongated shaft ( 20 ).

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the actuator ( 200 ) is controllably rotationally (R 1 ) drivable to controllably drive the valve pin ( 100 ) linearly (A) via the interconnection of the rotor ( 12 ) to the elongated shaft ( 20 ) and the interconnection of the elongated shaft to the converter ( 40 ) and the interconnection of the converter ( 40 ) to the linear drive member ( 26 ) and the interconnection of the linear drive member ( 26 ) to the valve pin ( 100 ).

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the shaft ( 20 ) is rigid or comprised of a rigid metal material.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 further including a position sensor (PS) that senses position of the valve pin ( 100 , 130 ) or the linear drive member ( 26 ).

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the position sensor (PS) sends a signal indicative of the position of the valve pin to a controller ( 800 ) that uses the signal in a program having instructions that use the position of the valve pin ( 100 , 130 ) or linear drive member ( 26 ) to control opening and closing of the gate ( 110 ) by the pin ( 100 , 130 ) or control rate of flow of injection fluid ( 9 ) through the gate ( 110 ) via controlled positioning of a tip end ( 100 t ) of the pin ( 100 , 130 ) relative to the gate.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the program includes instructions that instruct the actuator ( 10 , 200 ) to drive the valve pin ( 100 , 130 ), based on the use of the signal indicative of position, from a gate closed position upstream at a reduced velocity relative to a maximum velocity over the course of a selected path of travel between the gate closed position and a full upstream valve pin position.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the program includes instructions that instruct the actuator ( 10 , 200 ) to drive the valve pin ( 100 , 130 ) based on the use of the signal indicative of position, downstream from a selected position upstream of the gate closed position at a reduced velocity relative to a maximum velocity over the course of a selected path of travel between the selected position upstream and the gate closed position.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the position sensor (PS) comprises a Hall Effect Sensor that senses a magnetic field generator or magnet (M) that travels linearly together with the linear drive member ( 26 ) or valve pin ( 100 , 130 ).

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the heated manifold ( 60 ) is mounted between the upstream top clamp plate ( 140 ) and the mold ( 70 ), the heated manifold ( 60 ) being expandable or translationally movable relative to the top clamp plate ( 140 ) or the injection molding machine.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the one or more connectors ( 15 , 30 ) include a spline device ( 202 s , 32 s , 17 s , 42 s ).

14. An injection molding apparatus comprising an injection molding machine (IMM), a heated manifold ( 60 ) having a distribution channel ( 120 ) into which injection fluid ( 9 ), a mold ( 70 ) having a cavity ( 80 ) communicating with a fluid delivery channel ( 130 ) that receives injection fluid ( 9 ) from the distribution channel ( 120 ), the fluid delivery channel ( 130 ) delivering fluid ( 9 ) at a downstream end to a gate ( 110 ) that communicates with the cavity ( 80 ), the gate ( 110 ) being controllably opened and closed to control flow of the fluid ( 9 ) into the cavity ( 80 ) during the course of an injection cycle, the apparatus including a valve ( 50 ) comprised of:
an actuator ( 200 ) having a rotor ( 12 ) rotatably driven (R 1 ) at a rotor speed (R 1 s ), the rotor ( 12 ) being interconnected to a distal end ( 22 ) of an elongated shaft ( 20 ) and adapted to drivably transmit rotational motion (R 1 ) of the rotor to rotational motion (R 2 ) of the elongated shaft ( 20 ) for rotation at a shaft speed (R 2

Assignees

• Synventive Molding Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Lee Christopher
• Galati Vito

Classifications

• B29C2045/2837

  Needle valves driven by rack and pinion · CPC title

• B29C2045/2824

  Needle valves driven by an electric motor · CPC title

• B29C2045/282

  Needle valves driven by screw and nut means · CPC title

• B29C45/281 Primary

  Drive means therefor · CPC title

• B05B1/3046

  the valve element, e.g. a needle, co-operating with a valve seat located downstream of the valve element and its actuating means, generally in the proximity of the outlet orifice (B05B1/308 takes precedence) · CPC title