Molding system having a residue cleaning feature and an adjustable mold shut height

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9713891-B2
Application number	US-201514945850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	Aug 4, 2011
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A method is provided of cleaning of a portion of a mold component, the portion of the mold component including a passage configured, in use, to allow passage of fluid and to prevent passage of melt, the method comprising: entering the mold component into a cleaning configuration, whereby a portion of the passage becomes part of a molding surface; performing a molding cycle to fill in at least the portion of the passage with molding material for incorporation and removal of a residue there from. Also provided is a mold having a first mold half and a second mold half, the halves being movable relative to each other. A mold shut height adjustment apparatus can provide for a change in the mold shut height.

First claim

Therefore, what is to be protected by way of Letters Patent are limited only by the scope of the following claims:

1. A mold component configured to be actuated between:
a first configuration in which the mold component comprises a passage along a split line that allows passage of fluid and prevents passage of the melt; and
a second configuration in which the passage is actuated such as to become part of a molding surface, wherein in said second configuration, at least a portion of the passage can be flooded with the melt so that to incorporate and remove a residue therefrom and the melt front stops at a predefined point on the split line of the mold component, whereby melt flooding of the portion of the passage is executed in a controlled manner.

2. The mold component of claim 1 , wherein said passage comprises a portion that is susceptible to build-up of residue.

3. The mold component of claim 1 , wherein the predefined point is a thermal stop that is configured to control one or both of a temperature or rate of cooling fluid around the predefined point for the melt front stop to effectively freeze off the melt.

4. The mold component of claim 1 , further comprising:
a primary vent area extending from the molding surface, the primary vent area is constructed and arranged to provide a variable size; and
a secondary vent area in fluid communication with the primary vent area, at least a portion of the secondary vent area is constructed and arranged to provide a generally constant size;
wherein, with reconfiguration of the mold component from a standard molding configuration to a vent cleaning configuration, a size of the primary vent area increases and a size of the portion of the secondary vent area remains generally constant such that molding material can flow into the primary vent area whereas molding material is substantially prevented from flowing into the secondary vent area.

5. The mold component of claim 4 , wherein the portion of the secondary vent area comprises an apex.

6. The mold component of claim 4 , wherein, when the mold component is in the standard molding configuration, the primary vent area and the portion of the secondary vent area are sized to provide a gap between about 0.03 mm and about 0.05 mm.

7. The mold component of claim 4 , wherein, when the mold component is in the vent cleaning configuration, the primary vent area is sized to provide a gap of about 0.28 mm and the portion of the secondary vent area remains sized to provide a gap between about 0.03 mm and about 0.05 mm.

8. The mold component of claim 4 , wherein the mold component comprises a first body portion and a second body portion, wherein each body portion comprises a first surface cooperating with each other to define the primary vent area, and wherein each body portion comprises a second surface cooperating with each other to define the portion of the secondary vent area.

9. The mold component of claim 8 , wherein the first component is a neck ring and second component is a lock ring, the neck ring having a first surface cooperating with a first surface of the lock ring to define the primary vent area, and the neck ring having a second surface cooperating with a second surface of the lock ring to define at least the portion of the secondary vent area.

Assignees

• Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Witz Jean-Christophe
• Kmoch Sven
• Fisch Ralf Walter

Classifications

• B29C45/33

  having transversely, e.g. radially, movable mould parts · CPC title

• B29C45/1753 Primary

  Cleaning or purging, e.g. of the injection unit (B29C45/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C33/72

  Cleaning {(extruder parts B29C48/27; in general B08B7/00)} · CPC title

• B29C45/34 Primary

  having venting means · CPC title

• B29C45/80

  of relative position of mould parts · CPC title