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US 12,202,038 B2Granted
Device for marking a moulded or cast form
AssigneeUniversity of Limerick
InventorsJennifer Hennessy, John Harris, Mark Southern
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for real-time in-mould marking of a moulded or cast form with an identifier in which a configurable marking module (1) with phase change actuators (23) in the form of a multi-layered printed circuit board assembly (1) with a vertical element (33) having a marker (21) is installed in a mould (2), (35), the marker (21) being remotely configurable by a controller to create a unique identifier which is applied to the form in the mould.
Claims21
A device for marking a moulded form with patterning comprising:
- a marking module locatable in a mould, the marking module comprising:
- a multi-layered printed circuit board;
- and
- a plurality of phase change actuators, each phase change actuator being housed in a cell defined in the multi-layered printed circuit board,
- wherein each phase change actuator comprises:
- a sealed vertical tubular or cylindrical chamber containing a phase change material in the marking;
- and
- a heating element contiguous with a vertical sidewall of the vertical tubular or cylindrical chamber,
- wherein a first end of each phase change actuator is sealed by a flexible membrane that is configured to be displaced by the corresponding phase change material during phase transitions.
6 more elements
A phase change actuator in a matrix of phase change actuators, comprising:
- a sealed tubular or cylindrical chamber formed in a cell defined in a printed circuit board;
- a phase change material provided within the tubular or cylindrical chamber;
- a flexible membrane configured to seal a first end of the tubular or cylindrical chamber, the flexible membrane being further configured to seal one end of each phase change actuator in the matrix of phase change actuators;
- and
- a heating element provided in or contiguous with a vertical sidewall that encloses the tubular or cylindrical chamber, the heating element being coupled to connectors provided on the printed circuit board.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.