Apparatus and method for producing a fiber-reinforced injection molded component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230041-B2
Application number	US-201916267551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2019
Priority date	Feb 7, 2018
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for producing a fiber-reinforced injection molded component includes an injection mold half with a mold cavity and a receiving chamber open to the mold cavity. A band section of a fiber-reinforced plastics band is fed into the receiving chamber through a feed channel and a first clamping device arranged in an initial region of the receiving chamber and a second clamping device arranged in an end region of the receiving chamber clamp the fiber-reinforced plastics band section within the receiving chamber. A first cut-through device arranged in the initial region of the receiving chamber and a second cut-through device arranged in the end region of the receiving chamber cut the band section such that an injection molded component formed in the cavity of the mold includes the cut fiber-reinforced plastics band section and a fiber-reinforced injection molded component is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing a fiber-reinforced injection molded component comprising:
an injection mold half with a cavity part and at least one receiving chamber partially open to the cavity part;
at least one feed channel extending through a wall of the injection mold half and open to the at least one receiving chamber and communicatingly connected to a surroundings of the injection mold half;
at least one feed device for feeding a band section of a fiber-reinforced plastics band from outside the injection mold half into the at least one receiving chamber via the feed channel;
at least one first clamping device arranged in an initial region of the receiving chamber arranged closer to the feed channel and at least one second clamping device arranged in an end region of the receiving chamber at a further distant from the feed channel than the at least one first clamping device, wherein the at least one first and second clamping devices are configured to clamp the band section fed into the receiving chamber; and
at least one first cut-through device arranged in the initial region and at least one second cut-through device arranged in the end region, wherein the at least one first and second cut-through devices are configured to cut and separate an intermediate portion of the band section located between the first and second clamping devices from the band section fed into the receiving chamber.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feed device has at least one mount arranged on the outside of the injection mold half and at least one unwindable plastics band coil arranged exchangeably on the mount.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the feed device has at least one electrically controllable drive for unwinding the plastics band coil.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one receiving chamber partially open to the cavity part of the injection mold half comprises a first receiving chamber partially open to the cavity part of the injection mold half and a second receiving chamber partially open to the cavity part of the injection mold half.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one feed channel comprises a first feed channel open to the first receiving chamber and communicatingly connected to a surroundings of the injection mold half and a second feed channel open to the second receiving chamber and communicatingly connected to a surroundings of the injection mold half.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one first clamping device comprises a first clamping device arranged in an initial region of the first receiving chamber, a second clamping device arranged in an end region of the first receiving chamber, another first clamping device arranged in an initial region of the second receiving chamber, and another second clamping device arranged in an end region of the second receiving chamber.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one first cut-through device comprises a first cut-through device arranged in the initial region of the first receiving chamber and another first cut-through device arranged in the initial region of the second receiving chamber, and the at least one second cut-through device comprises a second cut-through device arranged in the end region of the first receiving chamber and another second cut-through device arranged in the end region of the second receiving chamber.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the injection mold half is configured to rotate such that the at least one feeding device is connected to the first feed channel in a first state and connected to the second feed channel in a second state.

9. An apparatus for producing a fiber-reinforced injection molded component comprising:
an injection mold half with a first receiving chamber partially open to a cavity part of the injection mold half and a second receiving chamber partially open to the cavity part of the injection mold half;
a first feed channel open to the first receiving chamber and communicatingly connected to a surroundings of the injection mold half and a second feed channel open to the second receiving chamber and communicatingly connected to a surroundings of the injection mold half;
at least one feed device for feeding a first band section of a fiber-reinforced plastics band from outside the injection mold half into the first receiving chamber via the first feed channel and a second band section of the fiber-reinforced plastics band into the second receiving chamber via the second feed channel;
a first clamping device arranged in an initial region of the first receiving chamber arranged closer to the first feed channel, a second clamping device arranged in an end region of the first receiving chamber at a further distant from the first feed channel than the first clamping device, another first clamping device arranged in an initial region of the second receiving chamber arranged closer to the second feed channel, another second clamping device arranged in an end region of the second receiving chamber at a further distant from the first feed channel than the first clamping device, wherein the first clamping device and the second clamping device are configured to clamp the first band section fed into the first receiving chamber and the another first clamping device and the another second clamping device are configured to clamp the second band section fed into the second receiving chamber; and
a first cut-through device arranged in the initial region of the first receiving chamber, a second cut-through device arranged in the end region of the first receiving chamber, another first cut-through device arranged in the initial region of the second receiving chamber, and another second cut-through device arranged in the end region of the second receiving chamber, wherein the first and second cut-through devices are configured to cut and separate an intermediate portion of the first band section located between the first and second clamping devices from the first band section fed into the first receiving chamber, and the another first and another second cut-through devices are configured to cut and separate an intermediate portion of the second band section located between the another first and another second clamping devices from the second band section fed into the second receiving chamber,
wherein the injection mold half is configured to rotate such that the at least one feed device is connected to the first feed channel in a first state and connected to the second feed channel in a second state.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one feed device has at least one mount arranged on the outside of the injection mold half and at least one unwindable plastics band coil arranged exchangeably on the mount.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one feed device has at least one electrically controllable drive for unwinding the plastics band coil.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Baranowski Thomas
• Broda Maik
• Franzen Markus
• Rebmann Pascal

Classifications

• B29C70/00

  Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts · CPC title

• B29C45/762

  the sequence of operations of an injection cycle · CPC title

• B29C45/2681

  with rotatable mould parts · CPC title

• B29C45/18 Primary

  Feeding the material into the injection moulding apparatus {, i.e. feeding the non-plastified material into the injection unit} · CPC title

• B29K2105/10

  Cords, strands or rovings, e.g.} oriented {cords, strands or rovings · CPC title