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US 2003/0075840 A1Published application
Vacuum assisted molding
AssigneeThyssenKrupp Budd Company
InventorsRon Brown Hahn, Kim Robert Hamner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Vacuum assisted molding apparatus provides reliable sealing about the mold cavity while minimizing the area of the plant floor space occupied by the mold.
Claims20
Apparatus for molding parts comprising:
- an upper die having a generally horizontal molding surface and vertically extending sides;
- a lower die having a generally horizontal molding surface cooperating with the upper die to form a mold cavity;
- a vacuum source;
- and
- a sealing assembly for creating a vacuum chamber surrounding the mold cavity, said sealing assembly including:
- a first member located adjacent the sides of the upper die, said first member being a generally rectangular tube having long sides thereof generally paralleling the sides of the upper die, said die having upper and lower short sides;
- a generally hollow second member fixed laterally adjacent the lower die and vertically aligned with the first member;
- a flexible seal on one of the members;
- and
- a device inboard of the seal for restricting movement of the seal when the vacuum source is activated to create a vacuum in the vacuum chamber thereby maintaining sealing engagement between the upper and lower members.
7 more elements
Apparatus for molding parts comprising:
- a first mold and a second mold, each mold including:
- an upper die having a generally horizontal molding surface and vertically extending sides, a lower die having a horizontal molding surface cooperating with the upper die to form a mold cavity, and a sealing assembly for creating a vacuum chamber surrounding the mold cavity;
- a vacuum source for evacuating the mold cavity;
- said sealing assembly including a frame with a seal, said seal being generally P-shaped having a leg portion and a bulbous portion, the bulbous portion being located on an inboard lower side of the frame;
- and
- said sealing assembly being arranged so that the first and second molds are located sufficiently close to one another that the upper dies thereof can be simultaneously actuated by a common RAM.
3 more elements
A method for molding parts comprising:
- placing first and second molds within at least three feet from each other;
- each mold including:
- an upper die having a generally horizontal molding surface and vertically extending sides, a lower die having a generally horizontal molding surface cooperating with the upper die to form a mold cavity for receiving a resinous charge, and a sealing assembly for creating a vacuum chamber surrounding the mold cavity;
- bridging the upper dies of the first and second molds with a common platen;
- providing a P-shaped seal on a lower side of the sealing assembly for making a sealing engagement with a hollow member surrounding the lower die, the seal being oriented so that a bulbous portion thereof extends towards the mold cavity;
- using a common vacuum source connected to the hollow members of the first and second molds to draw a vacuum within the mold cavity of each mold of at least ten inches of mercury before the upper die contacts the charge on the lower die;
- and
- simultaneously compressing the charges in the first and second molds to concurrently form parts therein.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.