Movable mold insert adjuster

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11433571-B2
Application number	US-201916772309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2019
Priority date	Feb 6, 2019
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A mold assembly may include a mold frame having an opening extending in a plane and a movable mold insert adjuster to move a mold insert having a slot forming protrusion within the plane within opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mold assembly comprising:
a mold frame having an opening extending in a plane; and
a movable mold insert adjuster having replaceable or interchangeable shims having different thicknesses to differently space internal sides of the opening and to move a mold insert having a slot forming protrusion within the plane within the opening.

2. A mold assembly comprising:
a mold frame having an opening extending in a plane; and
a movable mold insert adjuster to move a mold insert having a slot forming protrusion within the plane within the opening,
wherein the movable mold insert adjuster comprises a first removable pin having a first diameter and mounted relative to the mold frame to retain the mold insert in place, the removable pin being interchangeable with a second removeable pin having a second diameter different than the first diameter.

3. A mold assembly comprising:
a mold frame having an opening extending in a plane;
a movable mold insert adjuster to move a mold insert having a slot forming protrusion within the plane within the opening,
wherein the movable mold insert adjuster comprises a pair of cooperating slidable wedges along a side of the opening and to be sandwiched between the mold frame and the mold insert.

4. The mold assembly of claim 3 , wherein the movable mold insert adjuster comprises a rotatable asymmetric cam along a side of the opening and to be sandwiched between the mold frame and the mold insert.

5. The mold assembly of claim 3 further comprising a bias to exert a bias force in the plane, wherein the movable mold insert adjuster is to move the mold insert against the bias force.

6. A method comprising:
positioning mold frame having an opening extending in a plane over a fluid ejection die having a fluid passage;
moving a mold insert having a slot forming protrusion within the plane within the opening; and
supplying mold material into the opening about the slot forming protrusion while opposite sides of the mold insert are positionally retained within the plane by a movable mold insert adjuster such that a slot forming protrusion of the mold insert overlies the fluid passage.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the moving of the mold insert comprises exchanging a first pair of spacing members on opposite sides of the mold insert sandwiched between the mold insert and the mold frame with a second pair of spacing members on the opposite sides of the mold insert and sandwiched between the mold insert and the mold frame.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the moving of the mold insert comprises sliding a wedge sandwiched between the mold frame and the mold insert.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the moving of the mold insert comprises rotating an asymmetric cam sandwiched between the mold frame and the mold insert.

10. A mold assembly comprising:
a mold frame having a first opening extending in a first plane and a second opening spaced from the first opening and extending in a second plane coextensive with the first plane;
a first mold insert within the first opening and having a first plurality of parallel slot forming protrusions;
a second mold insert within the second opening and having a second plurality of parallel slot forming protrusions;
a first movable mold insert adjuster to adjust a positioning of the first mold insert within the first opening and within the first plane;
a second movable mold insert adjuster to adjust a positioning of the second mold insert within the second opening and within the second plane, independent of movement of the first mold insert; and
a base connected to the mold frame, the base comprising a fluid ejection die retainer to retain a first fluid ejection die opposite the first mold insert and to retain a second fluid ejection die opposite the second mold insert.

11. The mold assembly of claim 2 further comprising:
a base connected to the mold frame, wherein the first removable pin and the second removable pin are removably mountable to the base on a first side of the mold insert; and
a third removable pin removably mountable to the base on a second side of the mold insert.

12. The mold assembly of claim 3 , wherein the movable mold insert adjuster comprises an electrically powered linear actuator operably coupled to one of the cooperating slidable wedges to move said one of the cooperating slidable wedges relative.

13. The mold assembly of claim 4 , wherein the movable mold insert adjuster comprises a rotary actuator operably coupled to the rotatable asymmetric cam.

14. The mold assembly of claim 4 , wherein the rotatable asymmetric cam is on a first side of the movable mold insert, the mold assembly further comprising:
a second rotatable asymmetric cam on a second side of the movable mold insert, opposite the first side; and
the second rotary actuator operably coupled to the second rotatable asymmetric cam.

15. The mold assembly of claim 14 , wherein the rotatable asymmetric cam has a first major dimension along a first axis and wherein the second rotatable asymmetric cam has a second major dimension along a second axis nonparallel to the first axis.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Chen Chien-Hua
• Perez Jimmy

Classifications

• B29C33/303

  centering mould parts or halves, e.g. during mounting · CPC title

• B29C33/308 Primary

  Adjustable moulds (for injection moulding B29C45/376) · CPC title

• B29C39/26

  Moulds or cores · CPC title

• B29C33/0022

  Multi-cavity moulds (B29C33/301 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C33/306

  Exchangeable mould parts, e.g. cassette moulds, mould inserts (moulds with exchangeable mould parts for injection moulding B29C45/2673; mounting of exchangeable mould inserts for injection moulding B29C45/2675) · CPC title