System and method for molding complex three-dimensional articles
AssigneeNovation Iq LLC
InventorMichel Marc
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for molding complex three-dimensional articles is disclosed. The system includes a mold for receiving an article made of at least one moldable material and, in one example, the article comprises at least one flat region and at least one radial region. The mold comprises an inner bladder that conforms to an inner surface of the article when pressurized and an outer mold that contacts an outer surface of the article. The system also includes an inner electrode spaced from an outer electrode, and a generator operable to generate an alternating electric field between the electrodes and across the article in the mold to obtain substantially even heating of the moldable material in the flat region and the radial region at the end of the heating cycle.
Claims35
A system for molding a three-dimensional article during a heating cycle, comprising:
- a mold for receiving an article made of at least one moldable material, wherein the article has an inner surface and an outer surface and comprises a flat region and a radial region, wherein the article has varying thicknesses in the radial region, wherein the mold comprises an inner bladder that conforms to the inner surface of the article when pressurized and an outer mold that contacts the outer surface of the article, wherein the outer mold has a dielectric constant that is modified to match a dielectric constant of the moldable material;
- an inner electrode spaced from an outer electrode, wherein the outer electrode has a radius (R) in the radial region that is calculated to enable substantially the same current to be provided through the inner surface of the article in the radial region and through the flat region of the article, and wherein the outer mold in the radial region is configured to be externally heated during the heating cycle to compensate for a temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the article in the radial region, and wherein the spacing between the electrodes is adjusted to compensate for the varying thicknesses of the article in the radial region;
- and
- a generator operable to generate an alternating electric field between the inner and outer electrodes and across the article in the mold to obtain substantially even heating of the moldable material in the flat region and the radial region of the article at the end of the heating cycle.
A system for molding a three-dimensional article during a heating cycle, comprising:
- a mold for receiving an article made of at least one moldable material, wherein the article has an inner surface and an outer surface and comprises a flat region and a radial region, wherein the mold comprises an inner bladder that conforms to the inner surface of the article when pressurized and an outer mold that contacts the outer surface of the article;
- and
- an inner electrode spaced from an outer electrode, wherein the outer electrode has a radius (R) in the radial region that is calculated to enable substantially the same current to be provided through the inner surface of the article in the radial region and through the flat region of the article, and wherein the outer mold in the radial region is configured to be externally heated during the heating cycle to compensate for a temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the article in the radial region;
- a generator operable to generate an alternating electric field between the inner and outer electrodes and across the article in the mold to obtain substantially even heating of the moldable material in the flat region and the radial region of the article at the end of the heating cycle.
A system for molding a three-dimensional article during a heating cycle, comprising:
- a mold for receiving an article made of at least one moldable material, wherein the article has an inner surface and an outer surface and comprises a flat region and a radial region, wherein the mold comprises an inner mold that contacts the inner surface of the article and an outer mold that contacts the outer surface of the article;
- an inner electrode spaced from an outer electrode, wherein the outer electrode has a radius (R) in the radial region that is calculated to enable substantially the same current to be provided through the inner surface of the article in the radial region and through the flat region of the article, and wherein the outer mold in the radial region is configured to be externally heated during the heating cycle to compensate for a temperature difference between the inner and outer surfaces of the article in the radial region;
- and
- a generator operable to generate an alternating electric field between the inner and outer electrodes and across the article in the mold to obtain substantially even heating of the moldable material at the end of the heating cycle, wherein the inner and outer molds are each preheated and maintained at a substantially constant temperature during the heating cycle so as to neutralize thermal conductivity losses between the moldable material and the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.