Injection molded cutlery and method and system therefor
AssigneeDart Container Corporation
InventorsDaniel A. Blundy, Gregory A. Warner, Marcus Jeffery Norman, Kyle Coutchie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to injection molded cutlery having a body defining a handle portion and a utensil portion, with an injection gate mark located at a center section of the body. The body can be made from a bio-material injected at a pressure that is less than 60% of an injection pressure required for injection at an end of the body.
Claims11
A method of injection molding plastic cutlery in a mold having at least two mold portions forming a cutlery-shaped mold cavity, the method comprising injecting a molten biodegradable plastic into a center section of the cutlery-shaped mold cavity at an injection pressure that is less than 60% of an injection pressure required for injection at an end of the cutlery-shaped mold cavity.
A system for forming compostable injection molded cutlery from a bio-material, the system comprising:
- a mold including a plurality of cutlery-shaped mold cavities each having a center section corresponding to the center section of a body of the cutlery;
- a plurality of gates in fluid communication with the center sections of the plurality of mold cavities;
- an injector assembly coupled to the mold to provide the bio-material to the plurality of mold cavities via the plurality of gates;
- and
- a press operably coupled with the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.