Systems and methods for employing magnetic assistance in precision wire placement when producing overmolded products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9314948-B2
Application number	US-201213668199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2012
Priority date	Nov 2, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A system and method are provided for using magnetic elements to secure thin wires precisely in an injection molding process in a manner that matches a three-dimensional shape of the an injection molded product produced by the injection molding (overmolding) process. The thin wires are substantially immobilized in a manner that is designed to generally overcome the tendency of the thin wires, which have little mechanical strength, to normally deflect during an injection molding process by employing the magnetic forces produced by embedded magnets. Magnets are integrated into either the cavity or core of a mold structure and the thin wires are placed on those magnets to keep the wires in place during an injection molding process that allows the thin wires to be overmolded. A balance of the core and/or cavity of the mold will be formed of a non-magnetic material.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for molding a product, comprising:
magnetizing a portion of a molding mold, the magnetized portion of the molding mold having the shape of multiple wire-like lines;
emplacing at least one wire on the magnetized portion of the molding mold such that the at least one wire has the same shape as the magnetized portion;
controlling, with a processor, a flow of molding material into the molding mold to form an molded product that overmolds the at least one wire; and
removing the molded product from the molding mold.

2. The method of claim 1 , the magnetizing comprising embedding one or more magnetic elements in at least one of an outer wall, an inner core or an inert component of the molding mold, the magnetic elements having the shape of multiple wire-like lines.

3. The method of claim 2 , the magnetizing further comprising embedding a magnetic trace in the at least one of the outer wall and the inner core component of the molding mold according to a predetermined pattern for wiring to be embedded in the molded product.

4. The method of claim 2 , the one or more magnetic elements comprising a ferromagnetic material.

5. The method of claim 4 , the ferromagnetic material having a Curie temperature higher than a highest temperature to which the molding mold may be elevated or exposed during a molding process.

6. The method of claim 4 , the ferromagnetic material being Samarium Cobalt.

7. The method of claim 2 , the one or more magnetic elements comprising one or more electromagnetic elements.

8. The method of claim 7 , the one or more electromagnetic elements being individually controllable to form a predetermined magnetized pattern in the molding mold.

9. The method of claim 1 , the molded product being a heatable solid ink melting component for use in an image forming device.

10. The method of claim 9 , the emplacing the at least one wire comprising emplacing a pattern of resistive wires on the magnetized portion of the injection molding mold according to a predetermined pattern, the pattern of resistive wires being overmolded with the molding material.

11. The method of claim 1 , the emplacing the at least one wire comprising executing an automated process for positioning a predetermined wire pattern on the magnetized portion of the molding mold.

12. The method of claim 11 , the automated process comprising directing movements of an automated device for positioning the predetermined wire pattern on the magnetized portion of the molding mold.

13. The method of claim 1 , the molding mold being an injection molding mold and the molding material being an injection molding material for producing injection molded product in an injection molding process.

14. An injection molding process control device, comprising:
a storage device for storing at least one predetermined pattern for emplacing at least one wire on a magnetized portion of a molding mold, the magnetized portion of the molding mold having the shape of multiple wire-like lines; and
a mold control device that controls (1) the emplacing of the at least one wire on the magnetized portion of the molding mold by referencing the stored at least one predetermined pattern such that the at least one wire has the same shape as the magnetized portion, and (2) a flowing of a molding material into the molding mold to form a molded product that overmolds the at least one wire in a product molding process.

15. The device of claim 14 , the magnetized portion comprising at least one of magnetic elements and magnetic traces embedded in at least one of an outer wall or an inner core component of the molding mold, the magnetic elements or magnetic traces having the shape of multiple wire-like lines.

16. The device of claim 15 , the at least one of the magnetic elements and magnetic traces comprising a ferromagnetic material having a Curie temperature higher than a highest temperature to which the molding mold may be elevated or exposed during the product molding process.

17. The device of claim 14 , the magnetized portion comprising one or more electromagnetic elements, the one or more electromagnetic elements being individually controllable to form the at least one stored predetermined pattern, the device further comprising a magnet control device that energizes the one or more electromagnetic elements according to the at least one stored predetermined pattern securing the at least one wire in the product molding process.

18. The device of claim 14 , wherein the mold control device controls the flowing to form a heatable solid ink melting component for use in an image forming device.

19. The device of claim 18 , the mold control device controlling the emplacing a pattern of resistive wires on the magnetized portion of the molding mold according to the stored predetermined pattern, the pattern of resistive wires being overmolded with the molding material.

20. The device of claim 19 , the mold control device controlling an automated process for emplacing the pattern of resistive wires by directing movements of an automated device for positioning the stored predetermined wire pattern on the magnetized portion of the molding mold.

21. The device of claim 14 , the mold control device controlling injection of an injection molding material into an injection molding mold to form an injection molded product that overmolds the at least one wire in an injection molding process.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute the steps of a method for controlling a molding process, the method comprising:
magnetizing a portion of a molding mold, the magnetized portion of the molding mold having the shape of multiple wire-like lines;
emplacing at least one wire on the magnetized portion of the molding mold such that the at least one wire has the same shape as the magnetized portion;
flowing a molding material into the molding mold to form a molded product that overmolds the at least one wire; and
removing the molded product from the molding mold,
the magnetizing comprising at least one of embedding one or more magnetic elements and a magnetic trace in at least one of an outer wall and an inner core component of the molding mold according to a predetermined pattern for wiring to be embedded in the molded product.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Johnson David
• Shrader Eric

Classifications

• B29L2031/3481

  Housings or casings incorporating or embedding electric or electronic elements · CPC title

• B29C45/14549

  Coating rod-like, wire-like or belt-like articles (B29C45/14426 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2/17593

  Supplying ink in a solid state · CPC title

• B29C45/14639

  for obtaining an insulating effect, e.g. for electrical components · CPC title

• B29C45/14065 Primary

  Positioning or centering articles in the mould · CPC title