Method and device for making a multi component product

A method to produce a multi component injection molded product, comprising:

• providing an injection molding device having an injection mold, the injection mold having a middle mold part arranged in a first direction between a first outer mold part and a second outer mold part, the middle mold part having a substantially polyhedral shape and a plurality of side face regions, one or more of the side face regions being defined by an access point into a corresponding recess inside the middle mold part;
• opening a cavity module;
• temporarily positioning a first component in a first cavity of the open cavity module, the first cavity being at least partially arranged between a first side plate and a second side plate, wherein the first side plate and the second side plate of the cavity module are movable with respect to each other between an open position of the cavity module and a closed position of the cavity module, and wherein the cavity module is arranged to be joinable to and separable from the middle mold part in the closed position of the cavity module;
• closing the cavity module;
• closing the injection mold by linearly moving the first outer mold part and the second outer mold part with respect to the middle mold part in the first direction between an open position and a closed position of the injection mold;
• via the injection mold being in the closed position, forming a second cavity, wherein one or more parts of the second cavity are arranged in one or more of the first and second outer mold parts;
• receiving the closed cavity module into the middle mold part from outside of the injection mold and from a lateral direction through the respective access point of at least one side face region, said lateral direction being at an angle of about 90° with respect to the plurality of side face regions during injection molding;
• injecting liquefied first plastic material into the second cavity to form a second component interconnected to the first component of the multi component injection molded product, wherein the first cavity at least in the closed position of the injection mold communicates with at least one part of the second cavity;
• opening the injection molding device after the first plastic material is sufficiently cured;
• rotating, at least partially, the middle mold part about a rotation axis that is arranged perpendicular to the first direction in a vertical direction and substantially parallel to the plurality of side face regions wherein after the at least partial rotation of the middle mold part around the rotation axis, the cavity module is separable from the respective side face region;
• closing the injection mold;
• injecting liquefied second plastic material into a third cavity to form a third component of the multi component injection molded product;
• opening the injection mold;
• and
• removing the multi component injection molded product.

An injection molding system to produce a multi component injection molded product, comprising:

• an injection molding device having a first outer mold part and a second outer mold part arranged to linearly move in a first direction with respect to each other between an open position and a closed position;
• an injection mold arranged in the first direction between the first and the second outer mold parts of the injection molding device, the injection mold having a middle mold part with a substantially polyhedral shape and a plurality of side face regions, one or more of the side face regions being defined by an access point into a corresponding recess inside the middle mold part, the middle mold part further arranged to rotate, at least partially, about a rotation axis that is arranged perpendicular to the first direction in a vertical direction and substantially parallel to the plurality of side face regions;
• a plurality of cavity modules, each cavity module having one or more first cavities, each first cavity being at least partially arranged between a first side plate of the cavity module and a second side plate of the cavity module, wherein the first and second side plates of the cavity module are movable with respect to each other between an open position of the cavity module and a closed position of the cavity module, wherein each first cavity is arranged to temporarily receive a first component of a multi component injection molded product when the cavity module is in the open position;
• a second cavity formed when the injection molding device is in the closed position, the second cavity having one or more parts arranged in one or more of the first and second outer mold parts, wherein at least one part of the second cavity is arranged to communicate with at least one first cavity during injection molding;
• a handling system arranged to handle the plurality of cavity modules during injection molding, wherein handling the plurality of cavity modules includes advancing a closed cavity module in a lateral direction through the respective access point of at least one side face region after at least a partial rotation of the middle mold part around the rotation axis, said lateral direction being at an angle of about 90° with respect to the plurality of side face regions;
• and
• at least one injection molding fluid source arranged to provide a liquefied first plastic material into the second cavity during injection molding to form a second component interconnected to a respective first component of a respective multi component injection molded product.