Mould and method for flexible holding inserts in the mold during molding
AssigneeGeneral Electric Technology GmbH
InventorLukas Treier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a mould for moulding a component with one or more inserts, the mould comprising a mould body for defining in part the shape of the component, and at least one insert holder for holding an insert within the mould body. Each insert holder is movably supported such it can move relative to the mould body in a direction of shrinkage of the component, and wherein the mould further comprises a biasing means to bias each insert holder to a first position relative to the mould body. The invention also relates to a method of moulding.
Claims11
A mould for moulding an insulator component associated with a gas-insulated switchgear with one or more inserts positioned within moulding material, the mould comprising a mould body defining a disc-shaped cavity for defining in part the shape of the insulator component, and at least one insert holder for holding an insert within the mould body, wherein the at least one insert holder is movably supported such that it can move relative to the mould body in a radial direction of the insulator component, and in that the mould further comprises a biasing means to bias the at least one insert holder to a first position relative to the mould body in the radial direction, wherein the mould when filled with an epoxy resin, and after the epoxy resin is removed from the mould, provides a moulded insulator component for a gas-insulated switchgear.
A method of moulding an insulator component for a gas-insulated switchgear with one or more inserts while accommodating for shrinkage of the component during the moulding process, the method comprising:
- providing a mould with a mould body defining a disc-shaped cavity for defining in part the shape of the component insulator and at least one insert holder,
- providing an insert to the at least one insert holder and holding it using its respective insert holder positioned within moulding material,
- providing the moulding material into the mould body,
- wherein that the method further comprises:
- supporting the at least one insert holder movably relative to the mould body,
- biasing the at least one insert holder to a first position relative to the mould body in a radial direction, and
- allowing the at least one insert holder to be drawn by the inserts to a second position in the radial direction during the cooling phase, wherein the mould when filled with a moulding material, and after the moulding material is removed from the mould, provides a moulded insulator component for a gas-insulated switchgear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.