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US 12,030,225 B2Granted
Transparent tooling for UV radiation curable rubber
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorJay Constantinou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mold, a molding apparatus, and a method for manufacturing articles or components is used to manufacture an article or component of the article that at least partially comprises an ultraviolet (UV) curable material. The mold and apparatus comprise at least one mold wall formed of a cyclic olefin copolymer, which is in contact with UV radiation curable material and allows the article or component of the article to be exposed to UV radiation for a period of time in order to provide for at least partial cure thereof.
Claims19
A method for forming a molded footwear, apparel, or sporting goods component, the method comprising:
- contacting an article-forming material with a molding surface of a mold wall of a mold, wherein the molding surface comprises a cyclic olefin copolymer, and the article-forming material is an ultraviolet (UV) radiation curable polyurethane;
- placing a first textile into the mold in contact with the article-forming material;
- while the article-forming material remains in contact with the molding surface and the first textile, exposing the article-forming material to pressure and UV light passing through the molding surface;
- and
- curing the UV radiation curable polyurethane of the article-forming material in response to the exposure to the UV light, thereby forming the molded component and affixing the first textile to the molded component.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.