Actuator cooling apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11007695-B2
Application number	US-201715811877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

An injection molding apparatus ( 5 ) comprising:
an actuator ( 10 ) comprising a rotor ( 60 ) driven by a drive device ( 174 ) that consumes electrical energy ( 187 ) that generates heat, a thermal conductor ( 500 ) comprised of a thermally conductive material, a clamp plate ( 80 ) being mounted in thermal communication with the thermal conductor, a conductive surface ( 500 s ) of the thermal conductor being urged into contact with the clamp plate ( 80 ) under a spring force (SF) exerted between the actuator ( 10 ) and the thermal conductor ( 500 ), the heat ( 197 ) generated by the electrical energy ( 187 ) being conducted from the actuator housing ( 12 ) to the clamp plate ( 80 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An injection molding apparatus ( 5 ) comprising a clamp plate ( 80 ), a heated manifold ( 20 ), an actuator ( 10 ) interconnected to a valve pin ( 17 ) having an axis (A), a mold ( 300 ) wherein, when assembled, the clamp plate ( 80 ) is mounted upstream of the mold ( 300 ), the manifold ( 20 ) being disposed between the clamp plate and the mold,
an actuator ( 10 ) comprising a rotor driven by a drive device ( 174 ) that consumes electrical energy ( 187 ) that generates heat ( 197 ), the rotor and drive device being housed within a heat conductive housing ( 12 ) in an arrangement such that the heat ( 197 ) generated by the electrical energy ( 187 ) is communicated to the heat conductive housing ( 12 ), the rotor being interconnected to the valve pin ( 17 ) in an arrangement such that the valve pin ( 17 ) is drivable along the axis (A) between an upstream fully gate open position and a downstream gate closed position,
a thermal conductor ( 500 ) comprised of a thermally conductive material having first ( 500 f ) and second ( 500 s ) heat conductive surfaces disposed between the clamp plate ( 80 ) and the heat conductive housing ( 12 ) of the actuator, the heat conductive housing ( 12 ) being mounted in thermal communication with the first conductive surface ( 500 f ),
the clamp plate ( 80 ) being mounted in thermal communication with the second conductive surface ( 500 s ),
the second conductive surface ( 500 s ) of the thermal conductor being urged into contact with the clamp plate ( 80 ) under a spring force (SF) exerted between the actuator ( 10 ) and the thermal conductor ( 500 ),
the heat ( 197 ) generated by the electrical energy ( 187 ) being conducted from the actuator housing ( 12 ) to the clamp plate ( 80 ) via conduction of the heat ( 197 ) from the first conductive surface ( 500 f ) to the second conductive surface ( 500 s ) and contact of the second conductive surface ( 500 s ) with the clamp plate ( 80 ).

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a spring (SPR) comprised of a heat conductive material, the spring being disposed in intimate or compressed contact with a heat conductive surface ( 12 hcs ) of the actuator housing ( 12 ) and a heat conductive surface ( 500 f ) of the thermal conductor ( 500 ), the spring (SPR) exerting the spring force (SF) between the actuator ( 10 ) and the thermal conductor ( 500 ) and conducting heat ( 197 ) generated by the electrical energy ( 187 ) to the thermal conductor ( 500 ).

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first conductive surface ( 500 f ) is adapted to be slidably engaged (SE) with an outside surface ( 120 s ) of the actuator housing ( 12 ) such that heat ( 197 ) generated by the electrical energy ( 187 ) is conducted between the actuator housing ( 12 ) and the thermal conductor ( 500 ) via the slidable engagement (SE), the second conductive surface ( 500 s ) being adjustable in distance toward and away from the actuator housing by sliding movement (SE) of the first conductive surface ( 500 f ) on the outside surface ( 12 os ) of the actuator housing.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the thermal conductor, spring, actuator, manifold and clamp plate are assembled together in an arrangement wherein the spring is loaded urging the second conductive surface of the thermal conductor into compressed engagement with the clamp plate.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a thermally conductive mount ( 600 ) to which the actuator ( 12 ) is mounted in thermally conductive contact on an upstream side (USM) of the mount ( 600 ),
the mount being mounted on a downstream side (DSM) in an arrangement in thermal communication with the manifold ( 20 ), the mount being mounted in relation to the manifold such that heat ( 607 ) generated by the manifold ( 20 ) is conducted from the manifold to the mount,
the mount including a wing ( 610 ) extending laterally or radially (RADI) away from the mount and having a wing engagement surface ( 620 ) that engages a complementary surface ( 80 cs ) of the clamp plate such that heat ( 607 ) conducted from the manifold ( 20 ) to the mount ( 600 ) is further conducted via the wing mechanism ( 610 ) to the clamp plate ( 80 ) upon assembly of the mount ( 600 ) together with the clamp plate, manifold, mold and actuator into an operating condition where the manifold is brought to elevated operating temperature.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the wing ( 610 ) is adapted to dispose the wing engagement surface ( 620 ) in compressed contact with the complementary surface ( 80 cs ) of the clamp plate when the clamp plate, manifold and mold are assembled together with the actuator and mount into an operating arrangement and the manifold is brought to elevated operating temperature.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the wing ( 610 ) is adapted to exert a spring force (SF) that disposes the wing engagement surface ( 620 ) in constant compressed contact with the complementary surface ( 80 cs ) of the clamp plate.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the spring force exerted by the wing is created by deformation of a portion (WP) of the wing,
the mount ( 600 ) comprising a highly thermally conductive base ( 630 ) to or on which the actuator housing ( 12 ) is mounted, the base ( 630 ) being disposed between the manifold ( 20 ) and the actuator housing ( 12 ) receiving heat ( 607 ) from the manifold ( 20 ) and conducting said heat ( 607 ) to the wing ( 610 ),
the wing ( 610 ) being attached to, formed together with or extending from a lateral surface ( 635 ) of the base such that heat ( 607 ) generated by the manifold ( 20 ) and received by the base ( 630 ) is transmitted to the wing ( 610 ) .

9. An injection molding apparatus comprising a clamp plate ( 80 ), a heated manifold ( 20 ), an actuator ( 10 ) interconnected to a valve pin ( 17 ) having an axis (A), a mold ( 300 ) wherein, when assembled, the clamp plate ( 80 ) is mounted upstream of the mold ( 30 ), the manifold ( 20 ) being disposed between the clamp plate and the mold,
the actuator ( 10 ) comprising a rotor driven by a drive device that consumes electrical energy that generates heat, the rotor and drive device being housed within a heat conductive housing in an arrangement such that the heat generated by the electrical energy is communicated to the heat conductive housing, the rotor being interconnected to the valve pin ( 17 ) in an arrangement such that the valve pin ( 17 ) is drivable along the axis (A) between an upstream fully gate open position and a downstream gate closed position,
the mold having a mold cavity,
a thermally conductive mount ( 600 ) to which the actuator ( 10 ) is mounted on an upstream side (USM) of the mount,
the mount being mounted on a downstream side (DSM) in an arrangement in thermal communication with the manifold, the mount being mounted in relation to the manifold such that heat ( 607 ) generated by the manifold is conducted from the manifold to the mount,
the mount including a wing ( 610 ) extending laterally or radially away (RADI) from the mount and having a wing engagement surface ( 620 ) that engages a complementary surface ( 80 cs ) of the clamp plate ( 80 ) such that heat ( 607 ) conducted from the manifold to the mount is further conducted via the wing mechanism to the clamp plate upon assembly of the mount together with the clamp plate, manifold, mold and actuator into an operating condition where the manifold is brought to elevated operating temperature.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the wing is adapted to dispose the wing engagement surface in compressed contact with the complem

Assignees

• Synventive Molding Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Lee Christopher
• Galati Vito

Classifications

• B29C45/281

  Drive means therefor · CPC title

• B29C2045/7271

  Cooling of drive motors · CPC title

• B29C45/72

  Heating or cooling · CPC title

• B29C45/73

  of the mould {(B29C45/2642 and B29C45/2737 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C45/2806

  consisting of needle valve systems (B29C45/2896 takes precedence) · CPC title