US 11,117,297 B2Granted

Reconfigurable melt delivery system

AssigneeDME Corporation

InventorsFrank Joseph Eigler, Richard Charles Cronin

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Abstract

A reconfigurable melt delivery system is disclosed for use with a first injection unit and a second injection unit. The reconfigurable melt delivery system may include a first arm manifold configured to receive a moldable material from a second injection unit, an exchangeable second arm manifold in fluid communication with the first arm manifold that is configured to receive the moldable material from the first arm manifold and to transfer the moldable material to an outlet nozzle, and a repositionable and replaceable insert plate configured to be repositioned or replaced relative to remaining plates of the melt delivery system, wherein the outlet nozzle is secured within a mold facing surface of the insert plate and is radially offset from a central machine nozzle opening of the melt delivery system for delivering the moldable material to a corresponding offset mold gate of a two-material mold.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A reconfigurable melt delivery system suitable for use with an injection molding machine, a second injection unit, and a two-material mold, the reconfigurable melt delivery system comprising:

a mounting plate;
a frame plate attached to the mounting plate and having a frame plate central opening extending therethrough, the frame plate central opening being closed on a first side by the mounting plate to form an enclosure;
a retainer plate attached to the frame plate, the retainer plate having a retainer plate central opening extending therethrough;
an insert plate releasably attached within the retainer plate central opening;
a central opening sized to receive a molding machine nozzle, the central opening extending through the mounting plate and the insert plate, wherein in operation, the molding machine nozzle of the injection molding machine extends through the central opening and the frame plate central opening to deliver a first moldable material to a first moldable material inlet of the two-material mold;
a first arm manifold fixedly attached to the reconfigurable melt delivery system, the first arm manifold configured to receive a second moldable material from the second injection unit;
an exchangeable second arm manifold received in the enclosure, the exchangeable second arm manifold configured to receive the second moldable material from the first arm manifold;
and
an outlet nozzle in fluid communication with the exchangeable second arm manifold to deliver the second moldable material to a second moldable material inlet of the two-material mold, the outlet nozzle and the second moldable material inlet being radially offset from the central opening.

6 more elements

A reconfigurable melt delivery system suitable for use with an injection molding machine, a second injection unit, and a two-material mold, the reconfigurable melt delivery system comprising:

a first arm manifold configured to receive a moldable material from the second injection unit;
an exchangeable second arm manifold in fluid communication with the first arm manifold, the second arm manifold being configured to receive the moldable material from the first arm manifold;
an outlet nozzle at an outlet end of the second arm manifold for receiving the moldable material from the second arm manifold;
and
a replaceable insert plate configured to be replaced relative to remaining plates of the melt delivery system, wherein the outlet nozzle is secured within a mold facing surface of the replaceable insert plate to deliver the moldable material to a moldable material inlet of the two-material mold and the outlet nozzle being radially offset from a central opening of the melt delivery system, the central opening extending through the replaceable insert plate and being sized to receive a molding machine nozzle therein, wherein in operation, the molding machine nozzle of the injection molding machine extends through the central opening to deliver another moldable material to another moldable material inlet of the two-material mold.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/774,338Filed 10 Nov 2016
Published: US 2020/0247023 A16 Aug 2020
Granted: 14 Sep 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B29C 45/2727
Manifolds: modular manifolds; Connections between spaced manifold elements
B29C 45/13
Injection moulding apparatus: using two or more injection units co-operating with a single mould
B29C 2045/273
Manifolds: stacked manifolds
B29C 2045/2733
Manifolds: inserts, plugs, bushings

Family

US 2020/0247023 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Aug 2020
US 11,117,297 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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