Mold for molding decorative outer panel of refrigerator and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682503-B2
Application number	US-201214359911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2012
Priority date	Nov 21, 2011
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a mold for molding a decorative outer panel of a refrigerator. A molding part is processed on a surface of the mold formed of a metal or engineering plastic material, but not formed of a glass material, to mold the decorative outer panel of a refrigerator having at least partial three-dimensional shape. Thus, the decorative outer panel having a three-dimensional shape or pattern may be formed through a simple process without performing a post-processing process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mold for molding a decorative outer panel having a plate shape of a refrigerator by injecting an acrylic monomer material, the mold comprising:
an upper mold defining a portion of a cavity for molding the decorative outer panel;
a lower mold disposed under the upper mold to correspond to each other, the lower mold being coupled to the upper mold to define a portion of the cavity;
a molding part processed on an inner surface of the lower mold to form a roughness shape on the decorative outer panel; and
a gasket disposed between the lower mold and the upper mold to prevent the acrylic monomer material from leaking, the gasket defining the cavity.

2. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein each of the upper mold and the lower mold is formed of a nonferrous metal material.

3. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein a top surface of the lower mold on which the molding part is provided and a bottom surface of the upper mold corresponding to the top surface of the lower mold are sand-blasted to smoothly mirror-treat the surfaces of the lower mold and the upper mold.

4. The mold according to claim 3 , wherein the sand-blasted top surface of the lower mold and the sand-blasted bottom surface of the upper mold are gloss-treated through a plating or deposition process.

5. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the upper mold has a plane shape.

6. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the decorative outer panel has the plate shape to define front outer appearances of a door and a main body of the refrigerator.

7. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein an injection hole through which the acrylic monomer material and a polymerization initiator are injected and communicating with a space in which the decorative outer panel is molded is defined in the mold.

8. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein a vent hole for exhausting air generated when the decorative outer panel is molded is further defined in the mold.

9. The mold according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature adjustment device which circulates a heat transfer medium including water or oil is into the mold to adjust a temperature of the mold.

10. The mold according to claim 9 , wherein the temperature adjustment device is defined by a plurality of passages horizontally passing through the mold.

11. The mold according to claim 9 , wherein the temperature adjustment device is defined by a passage having an inlet and an outlet outside the mold and bent several times at a predetermined distance within the mold.

12. The mold according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one intermediate mold successively stacked between the upper mold and the lower mold to mold a plurality of decorative outer panels above and below the intermediate mold at the same time,
wherein the gasket is disposed on the intermediate mold to define a space in which the acrylic monomer material is injected to mold the decorative outer panel, and a molding part which is cut to form a three-dimensional shape on the decorative outer panel, is further disposed on the intermediate mold.

13. The mold according to claim 12 , wherein the molding part is disposed on all of top and bottom surfaces of the intermediate mold.

14. The mold according to claim 12 , wherein at least one surface of a bottom of the upper mold and a top surface of the lower mold has a plane shape.

15. The mold according to claim 13 , wherein upper and lower molding parts which are processed in the same shape as the molding part are further disposed on a bottom surface of the upper mold and a top surface of the lower mold.

16. The mold according to claim 12 , wherein facing surfaces of the upper, intermediate, and lower molds are sand-blasted.

17. The mold according to claim 16 , wherein the sand-blasted surfaces are gloss-treated by a plating or deposition process.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Shim Jinwoo
• Jeong Seokjae
• Kim Youngkyu
• Hwang Minkyu
• Hong Seokki

Classifications

• B29C33/56

  Coatings {, e.g. enameled or galvanised}; Releasing, lubricating or separating agents {(in-mould coating B29C37/0028; using or applying separating agents B29C37/0067)} · CPC title

• B29C45/73

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

• B29C45/372

  provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles · CPC title

• B29C33/38 Primary

  characterised by the material or the manufacturing process (B29C33/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C33/10

  with incorporated venting means · CPC title