Metal mold for molding a honeycomb structure and method of producing the same

A method of producing a metal mold for molding a hexagonal honeycomb structure, having feed holes for feeding a material, pool grooves formed in the shape of a triangular lattice and communicated with said feed holes, and slit grooves formed in the shape of a hexagonal lattice and communicated with said pool grooves, each hexagonal lattice of said slit grooves being so formed as to come into agreement with a hexagon shaped by combining six triangular lattices of said pool grooves;

• wherein a metal mold base for forming said feed holes, and a groove-forming member having a pool groove-forming surface and a slit groove-forming surface, are prepared;
• said feed holes are formed in said metal mold base so as to penetrate therethrough, and a plurality of pool grooves intersecting at an angle of about 60 degrees relative to each other are formed in the shape of a triangular lattice in said pool groove-forming surface of said groove-forming member;
• said pool groove-forming surface of said groove-forming member is joined to said metal mold base;
• and
• said slit grooves of the shape of a hexagonal lattice are formed in said slit groove-forming surface of said groove-forming member so as to be communicated with said pool grooves.

A method of producing a metal mold for molding a hexagonal honeycomb structure, having feed holes for feeding a material, pool grooves formed in the shape of a triangular lattice and communicated with said feed holes, and slit grooves formed in the shape of a hexagonal lattice and communicated with said pool grooves, each hexagonal lattice of said slit grooves being so formed as to come into agreement with a hexagon shaped by combining six triangular lattices of said pool grooves;

• wherein a metal mold blank having a feed hole-forming surface and a slit groove-forming surface is prepared;
• feed holes of a predetermined depth are formed in said feed hole-forming surface of said metal mold blank;
• and
• a plurality of pool grooves intersecting at an angle of about 60 degrees relative to each other are formed in the shape of a triangular lattice in said slit groove-forming surface of said metal mold blank, and the pool grooves except those of the hexagonal lattice portion where said slit grooves are to be arranged are closed thereby to form said slit grooves.