MOLD-TOOL SYSTEM HAVING HEAT-TRANSFER OBSTRUCTION
TECHNICAL FIELD
An aspect generally relates to (but is not limited to) a mold-tool system including (but not
limited to) a molding system having the mold-tool system.
BACKGROUND
United States Patent Number 7 1601 0 1 discloses a radiant energy source for a nozzle in
which the nozzle is partially transparent. The nozzle, or parts thereof, is at least partially
transparent to allow radiant energy to pass therethrough.
United States Patent publication Number 2007/01 8 1282 discloses an injection molding
system for molding metal alloy above alloy solidus temperature.
United States Patent publication Number 2004/01 661 95 discloses an injection molding
device useful for dissipating heat from a manifold comprises dissipation device having first
end coupled to the manifold and second end bent towards cooling member prior to
introducing heat to the manifold.
SUMMARY
The inventors have researched a problem associated with known molding systems that
inadvertently manufacture bad-quality molded articles or parts. After much study, the
inventors believe they have arrived at an understanding of the problem and its solution,
which are stated below, and the inventors believe this understanding is not known to the
public.
A problem identified by the inventors is that a cooling layout of a mold-tool system may
result in the nozzle assemblies that are located at the outer positions of a manifold
assembly may be subjected to increased surface area of cooling when compared to the
inner positioned nozzle assemblies or drops of the manifold assembly of a runner system.
The result may be for the outer located nozzle assemblies to have smaller part weights than
the inner positioned nozzle assemblies. The increased cooling to the nozzle assemblies
may results in a colder operating manifold plate, which cools the nozzle housing, which
reduces the plastic flow to a mold assembly.
According to one aspect, there is provided a mold-tool system, comprising: a manifold
assembly; a plate assembly defining a manifold-receiving space receiving the manifold
assembly; a nozzle assembly; a nozzle-locating assembly positionally locating the nozzle
assembly relative to the manifold assembly and to the plate assembly; and a heat-transfer
obstruction being positioned between the plate assembly and the nozzle-locating assembly,
the heat-transfer obstruction being configured to obstruct transfer of heat from the plate
assembly toward the nozzle-locating assembly.
Other aspects and features of the non-limiting embodiments will now become apparent to
those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the non-limiting
embodiments with the accompanying drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The non-limiting embodiments will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following
detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1, 2, 3 depict schematic representations of a mold-tool system (100).
The drawings are not necessarily to scale and may be illustrated by phantom lines,
diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details not
necessary for an understanding of the embodiments (and/or details that render other details
difficult to perceive) may have been omitted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENT(S)
FIGS. 1, 2, 3 depict the schematic representations of the mold-tool system (100). The moldtool
system (100) may be used in a molding system (not depicted).The mold-tool system
(100) may include components that are known to persons skilled in the art, and these
known components will not be described here; these known components are described, at
least in part, in the following reference books (for example): (i) "Injection Molding
Handbook ' authored by OSSWALD/TURNG/G RAMANN (ISBN: 3-446-21 669-2), (ii)
"Injection Molding Handbook authored by ROSATO AND ROSATO (ISBN: 0-41 2-99381 -
3), (iii) "Injection Molding Systems" 3rd Edition authored by JOHANNABER (ISBN 3-446-
17733-7) and/or (iv) "Runner and Gating Design Handbook ' authored by BEAUMONT
(ISBN 1-446-22672-9). It will be appreciated that for the purposes of this document, the
phrase "includes (but is not limited to)" is equivalent to the word "comprising". The word
"comprising" is a transitional phrase or word that links the preamble of a patent claim to the
specific elements set forth in the claim which define what the invention itself actually is. The
transitional phrase acts as a limitation on the claim, indicating whether a similar device,
method, or composition infringes the patent if the accused device (etc) contains more or
fewer elements than the claim in the patent. The word "comprising" is to be treated as an
open transition, which is the broadest form of transition, as it does not limit the preamble to
whatever elements are identified in the claim.
The definition of the mold-tool system (100) is as follows: a system that may be positioned
and/or may be used in an envelope defined by a platen system of the molding system (not
depicted), such as an injection-molding system for example. The platen system may include
a stationary platen and a movable platen that is moveable relative to the stationary platen.
By way of example, the mold-tool system (100) may be included in (and is not limited to): a
runner system, such as a hot runner system or a cold runner system.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the mold-tool system (100) may include (by way of example and is
not limited to): (i) a manifold assembly (102), (ii) a plate assembly (104), (iii) a nozzle
assembly (106), (iv) a nozzle-locating assembly (108), and (v) a heat-transfer obstruction
(110). The plate assembly (104) may define a manifold-receiving space (105) that is
configured to receive the manifold assembly (102). Generally, the plate assembly (104)
may be configured to house and to support the manifold assembly (102). The manifold
assembly (102) is a tooling system that is used to distribute a resin or melt froma melt
preparation system (not depicted) to a mold assembly (904). The mold assembly (904) is
used to mold and form a molded article, with assistance from other components of the
molding system. The nozzle assembly (106) may be operatively connected to the manifold
assembly (102). Generally, the nozzle assembly (106) may be configured to interface with
the manifold assembly (102). The nozzle-locating assembly (108) may positionally locate
the nozzle assembly (106) relative to the manifold assembly (102) and to the plate
assembly (104). The heat-transfer obstruction (110) may be positioned between the plate
assembly (104) and the nozzle-locating assembly (108). The heat-transfer obstruction (110)
may be configured to obstruct transfer of heat from the plate assembly (104) toward the
nozzle-locating assembly (108). The plate assembly (104) may include (by way of example
and is not limited to) a backing-plate assembly (900) and manifold plate (902) that may abut
the backing-plate assembly (900). The mold-tool system described above may improve
balance of the manifold assembly by reducing and/or eliminating cold nozzle assemblies
that are located at corner positions of or at the intersection of cooling channels that may be
defined in a plate assembly.
The nozzle assembly (106) may include or may have a stem-actuation assembly (204). The
plate assembly (104) may have a cooling line (300). It is understood that a cooling line
(300) may be one or more cooling lines (300). A technical effect of the mold-tool system
(100), amongst other effects, is that the heat-transfer obstruction (110) may improve
balance of the manifold assembly (102) by reducing relative coolness of the nozzle
assembly (106). A support mechanism (116), which may be also called a back-up pad, may
support the nozzle-locating assembly (108) with the heat-transfer obstruction (110). The
heat-transfer obstruction (110) may be configured, amongst other things, to locally reduce
heat-transfer efficiency of the cooling line (300) in the plate assembly (104). A drop block
(906) may be received in the manifold assembly (102). The drop block (906) may define
part of the melt channel (201). A dowel 908 may be used to positional locate the manifold
assembly (102) with the plate assembly (104). An orientation dowel (910) may be used to
positionally orient the drop block (906) with the manifold assembly (102). A spring assembly
(912) may be used to bias the nozzle assembly (106) to the manifold assembly (102). A
nozzle-locating pin (913) may be used to (that is, configured to) locate the nozzle assembly
(106) relative to the manifold assembly (102). A locating pin (914) may positionally locate
the backing-plate assembly (900) with the manifold plate (902). A locating pin (916) may
positionally locate the manifold plate (902) with the mold assembly (904).
Referring again to FIG. 1, the mold-tool system (100) may be adapted so that the nozzle
assembly (106) may include (by way of example and is not limited to): (i) a nozzle-body
assembly (200), (ii) a stem assembly (202), (iii) a stem-actuation assembly (204), and (iv) a
support mechanism (206). The nozzle-body assembly (200) may interact with a melt
channel (201) of the manifold assembly (102). The stem assembly (202) may be slidably
received in the nozzle-body assembly (200). The stem-actuation assembly (204) may be
operatively connected with the stem assembly (202). The support mechanism (206) may
positionally support the stem-actuation assembly (204) relative to the manifold assembly
(102). The support mechanism (206) may abut the heat-transfer obstruction (110). The
nozzle-locating assembly (108) may be positioned between the stem-actuation assembly
(204) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110).
Referring once again back to FIG. 1, the mold-tool system (100) may be further adapted
such that the nozzle-locating assembly (108) may be positioned between the nozzle-body
assembly (200) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110).
Referring once again back to FIG. 1, the mold-tool system (100) may be further adapted
such that (i) the nozzle-locating assembly (108) may be positioned between the stemactuation
assembly (204) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110), and (ii) the nozzlelocating
assembly (108) may be positioned between the nozzle-body assembly (200) and
the heat-transfer obstruction (110). The manifold assembly (102) may include a header
assembly (500).
Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that for FIG. 2, the heat-transfer obstruction
(110) depicted in FIG. 1 is removed for easier understanding of the example of the moldtool
system (100) depicted in FIG. 2. According to the example depicted in FIG. 2, the moldtool
system (100) may be adapted such that the plate assembly (104) has a cooling line
(300). The heat-transfer obstruction (1 10) may include (by way of example and is not
limited to) a cooling-obstructive member (302) that may be located proximate to the cooling
line (300). The cooling-obstructive member (302) may be configured to reduce a cooling
efficiency the cooling line (300). A technical effect of the mold-tool system (100) depicted in
FIG. 2, amongst other effects, is that the heat-transfer obstruction (110) may improve
balance of the manifold assembly (102) by reducing relative coolness of the nozzle
assembly (106), for the case where the nozzle assembly (106) is located proximate to a
corner of an intersection of at least one cooling line (300) with at least another cooling line
(300) in the plate assembly (104), for example.
Referring once again back to FIG. 2, the mold-tool system (100) may be further adapted so
that the cooling-obstructive member (302) may have a thermal conductivity less than seven
(7) W/mK (watts per kelvin-metre). The cooling-obstructive member (302) may be, for
example (and not limited to), an insulating tube that surrounds, at least in part, the cooling
line (300). The cooling-obstructive member (302) may be configured to cool down the
nozzle assembly (106) that may be located at a corner position of the manifold assembly
(102).
Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that for FIG. 3, the heat-transfer obstruction
(110) depicted in FIG. 1 is removed for easier understanding of the example of the moldtool
system (100) that is depicted in FIG. 3. In addition, it will be appreciated that for FIG. 3,
the cooling-obstructive member (302) depicted in FIG. 2 is removed for easier
understanding of the example of the mold-tool system (100) depicted in FIG. 3.
Referring once again to FIG. 3, the heat-transfer obstruction (110) may include (by way of
example and is not limited to) an insulation pocket (400). The insulation pocket (400) may
be defined by the plate assembly (104). The insulation pocket (400) may be positioned
between the cooling line (300) and the nozzle-locating assembly (108). The insulation
pocket (400) may be configured to locally reduce heat transfer from the cooling line (300) to
the nozzle-locating assembly (108).
According to one option, the insulation pocket (400) may be positioned proximate to the
nozzle-body assembly (200). According to another option, the insulation pocket (400) may
be positioned proximate to the stem-actuation assembly (204). According to another option,
(i) the insulation pocket (400) may be positioned proximate to the nozzle-body assembly
(200), and (ii) the insulation pocket (400) may be positioned proximate to the stemactuation
assembly (204). The insulation pocket (400) may also be called a cut out. The
insulation pocket (400) may be any one of a thru pocket and a blind pocket and a
combination thereof.
It will be appreciated that the mold-tool system (100) may be adapted, for example and not
limited to) the following arrangement: the heat-transfer obstruction (1 10) may include (by
way of example and is not limited to) all of the following components in combination: (i) the
cooling-obstructive member (302), and (ii) the insulation pocket (400).
It will be appreciated that installation of plastic tubes in the cooling line (300) may be used
(or may be configured) to reduce the cooling efficiency of a corner drop (nozzle assembly).
The tube may be installed to a block or reduce cooling to a corner drop - that is a nozzle
assembly that may be located at a corner position of the manifold assembly (102). The
insulation pocket (400) or the insulation pockets (400) may be configured to block or reduce
heat transfer from the nozzle assembly to a header. The insulator spacer may be
positioned between the header lines and the plate to thermally insolate the headers from
the nozzle assemblies.
It is understood that the scope of the present invention is limited to the scope provided by
the independent claim(s), and it is also understood that the scope of the present invention
is not limited to: (i) the dependent claims, (ii) the detailed description of the non-limiting
embodiments, (iii) the summary, (iv) the abstract, and/or (v) description provided outside of
this document (that is, outside of the instant application as filed, as prosecuted, and/or as
granted). It is understood, for the purposes of this document, the phrase "includes (and is
not limited to)" is equivalent to the word "comprising". It is noted that the foregoing has
outlined the non-limiting embodiments (examples). The description is made for particular
non-limiting embodiments (examples). It is understood that the non-limiting embodiments
are merely illustrative as examples.

CLAIMS
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A mold-tool system (100), comprising:
a manifold assembly (102);
a plate assembly (104) defining a manifold-receiving space (105) receiving the
manifold assembly (102);
a nozzle assembly (106);
a nozzle-locating assembly (108) positionally locating the nozzle assembly
(106) relative to the manifold assembly (102) and to the plate assembly (104); and
a heat-transfer obstruction (110) being positioned between the plate assembly
(104) and the nozzle-locating assembly (108), the heat-transfer obstruction (110)
being configured to obstruct transfer of heat from the plate assembly (104) toward
the nozzle-locating assembly (108).
2. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the nozzle assembly (106) includes:
a nozzle-body assembly (200) interacting with a melt channel (201) of
the manifold assembly (102);
a stem assembly (202) being slidably received in the nozzle-body
assembly (200); and
a stem-actuation assembly (204) being operatively connected with the
stem assembly (202); and
a support mechanism (206) positionally supporting the stem-actuation
assembly (204) relative to the manifold assembly (102), the support
mechanism (206) abutting the heat-transfer obstruction (110), and
the nozzle-locating assembly (108) being positioned between the stemactuation
assembly (204) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110).
3. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the nozzle assembly (106) includes:
a nozzle-body assembly (200) interacting with a melt channel (201) of
the manifold assembly (102);
a stem assembly (202) being slidably received in the nozzle-body
assembly (200); and
a stem-actuation assembly (204) being operatively connected with the
stem assembly (202); and
the nozzle-locating assembly (108) being positioned between the
nozzle-body assembly (200) and the heat-transfer obstruction (1 10).
4. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the nozzle assembly (106) includes:
a nozzle-body assembly (200) interacting with a melt channel (201) of
the manifold assembly (102);
a stem assembly (202) being slidably received in the nozzle-body
assembly (200); and
a stem-actuation assembly (204) being connected with the stem
assembly (202); and
a support mechanism (206) positionally supporting the stem-actuation
assembly (204) relative to the manifold assembly (102), the support
mechanism (206) abutting the heat-transfer obstruction (110), and
the nozzle-locating assembly (108) being positioned between the stemactuation
assembly (204) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110), and
the nozzle-locating assembly (108) being positioned between the
nozzle-body assembly (200) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110).
5. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the plate assembly (104) has a cooling line (300); and
the heat-transfer obstruction (110) includes:
a cooling-obstructive member (302) being located proximate to the
cooling line (300), the cooling-obstructive member (302) being configured to
reduce a cooling efficiency the cooling line (300).
6. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the plate assembly (104) has a cooling line (300); and
the heat-transfer obstruction (110) includes:
a cooling-obstructive member (302) being located proximate to the
cooling line (300), the cooling-obstructive member (302) being configured to
reduce a cooling efficiency the cooling line (300), the cooling-obstructive
member (302) having a thermal conductivity less than seven watts per kelvinmetre.
7. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the plate assembly (104) has a cooling line (300); and
the heat-transfer obstruction (110) includes:
an insulation pocket (400) being defined by the plate assembly (104),
the insulation pocket (400) being positioned between the cooling line (300)
and the nozzle-locating assembly (108), the insulation pocket (400) being
configured to locally reduce heat transfer from the cooling line (300) to the
nozzle-locating assembly (108).
8. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 7, wherein:
the insulation pocket (400) is positioned proximate to a nozzle-body
assembly (200).
9. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 7, wherein:
the insulation pocket (400) is positioned proximate to a stem-actuation
assembly (204).
10. The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the manifold assembly (102) includes a header assembly (500);
the plate assembly (104) has a cooling line (300); and
the heat-transfer obstruction (110) includes:
a cooling-obstructive member (302) being located proximate to the
cooling line (300), the cooling-obstructive member (302) being configured to
reduce a cooling efficiency the cooling line (300);
an insulation pocket (400) being defined by the plate assembly (104),
the insulation pocket (400) being positioned between the cooling line (300)
and the nozzle-locating assembly (108), the insulation pocket (400) being
configured to locally reduce heat transfer from the cooling line (300) to the
nozzle-locating assembly (108).
11 . The mold-tool system (100) of claim 1, wherein:
the nozzle assembly (106) includes:
a nozzle-body assembly (200) interacting with a melt channel (201) of
the manifold assembly (102);
a stem assembly (202) being slidably received in the nozzle-body
assembly (200); and
a stem-actuation assembly (204) being connected with the stem
assembly (202); and
a support mechanism (116) positionally supporting the stem-actuation
assembly (204) relative to the manifold assembly (102), the support
mechanism (116) abutting the heat-transfer obstruction (1 10), and the nozzlelocating
assembly (108) being positioned between the stem-actuation
assembly (204), and the heat-transfer obstruction (110), and
the nozzle-locating assembly (108) being positioned between the
nozzle-body assembly (200) and the heat-transfer obstruction (110);
the manifold assembly (102) includes a header assembly (500);
the plate assembly (104) has a cooling line (300); and
the heat-transfer obstruction (110) includes:
a cooling-obstructive member (302) being located proximate to the
cooling line (300), the cooling-obstructive member (302) being configured to
reduce a cooling efficiency the cooling line (300);
an insulation pocket (400) being defined by the plate assembly (104),
the insulation pocket (400) being positioned between the cooling line (300)
and the nozzle-locating assembly (108), the insulation pocket (400) being
configured to locally reduce heat transfer from the cooling line (300) to the
nozzle-locating assembly (108).