Ingot loading mechanism for injection molding machine
AssigneeCrucible Intellectual Property, LLC
InventorJoseph W. Stevick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is an apparatus for loading one or more alloy ingots into a molding machine. The apparatus includes a holder configured to hold a plurality of the alloy ingots and dispense one or more of the alloy ingots into a melt zone of the molding machine through an opening in a mold of the machine. The holder is moved in a perpendicular direction with respect to an axis along a center of the opening in the mold between a first position in line with the opening in the mold to dispense one or more of the alloy ingots and a second position away from the opening in the mold. The apparatus can carry ingots of amorphous alloy material so that when the machine melts and molds the material, it forms a bulk amorphous alloy containing part.
Claims26
An apparatus for loading one or more alloy ingots comprising a holder configured to hold a plurality of the alloy ingots and dispense one or more of the alloy ingots into a melt zone of a molding machine through an opening in a mold of the molding machine;
- wherein the holder comprises a drive mechanism associated therewith that is configured to selectively move at least part of the holder between a first position in line with the opening in the mold to dispense the one or more of the alloy ingots and a second position away from the opening in the mold.
A method for forming a bulk amorphous alloy containing part using a molding machine comprising a melt zone and a mold, comprising:
- loading one or more alloy ingots from a holder into the melt zone of the molding machine through an opening in the mold of the molding machine;
- melting the one or more alloy ingots in the melt zone to form a molten alloy;
- and
- introducing the molten alloy into the mold to form the bulk amorphous alloy containing part;
- wherein the holder is configured to hold a plurality of the alloy ingots and dispense the one or more of the alloy ingots into the melt zone of the molding machine through the opening in the mold of the molding machine;
- and wherein the holder comprises a drive mechanism associated therewith that is configured to selectively move at least part of the holder between a first position in line with the opening in the mold to dispense the one or more of the alloy ingots and a second position away from the opening in the mold.
An injection molding system comprising:
- a melt zone configured to melt meltable material
- a mold configured to receive molten material from the melt zone for molding into a part, and
- an apparatus for loading the meltable material into the melt zone through an opening in the mold,
- wherein the apparatus comprises a drive mechanism associated therewith that is configured to selectively move the apparatus between a first position in line with the opening in the mold to load the meltable material and a second position away from the opening in the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.