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US 2003/0188844 A1Published application
Method and apparatus for molding wind chimes with glass inserts
OwnerSteven J. Ballorinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for molding wind chimes reduces the likelihood that a glass insert will fracture when they are placed in a mold and the mold is charged with molten metal. The casting temperature of the molten metal is adjusted to compensate for the surface area of the glass insert that is contacted by the molten metal. The glass insert are annealed prior to molding. A flexible mold is utilized. The tolerances of the glass insert are carefully controlled. The molded wind chime is carefully cooled.
Claims4
A method for manufacturing a wind chime, including the steps of
- (a) designing a wind chime support member including at least one glass insert and metal, said glass insert having a selected shape and dimension;
- (b) providing a mold to support said glass inserts in position while a selected molten metal is poured into the mold to contact the glass insert;
- (c) obtaining a supply of glass inserts with said shape and dimension;
- (d) sizing the glass inserts in said supply to insure the glass inserts in said supply are within plus or minus three percent of said selected shape and dimension;
- (e) heating metal to produce molten metal having a temperature in the range of 150 degrees F. to 600 degrees F.;
- (f) heating said glass insert to a temperature in the range of 100 degrees f to 300 degrees f;
- (g) placing said glass insert in said mold;
- (h) pouring said molten metal into said mold.
5 more elements
A method for manufacturing a wind chime, including the steps of
- (a) designing a wind chime support member including at least one glass insert and metal, said glass insert having a selected shape and dimension;
- (b) providing a mold to support said glass inserts in position while a selected molten metal is poured into the mold to contact the glass insert;
- (c) obtaining a supply of glass inserts with said shape and dimension;
- (d) heating metal to produce molten metal;
- (e) heating said glass insert to an elevated temperature greater than 100 degrees F.;
- (f) placing said glass insert in said mold;
- (g) pouring said molten metal into said mold;
- (h) allowing said molten metal to solidify into a wind chime member and cool to less than about 200 degrees F.;
- (i) removing said wind chime member, including said glass insert, from said mold;
- placing said wind chime member in a soap bath heated to a temperature in the range of 150 degree F. to 200 degrees F.;
- (k) removing said wind chime member from said soap bath;
- (l) allowing said wind chime member to cool to within at least 50 degrees F. of room temperature;
- and,
- (m) rinsing said wind chime member in an aqueous solution.
11 more elements
A method for manufacturing a wind chime, including the steps of
- (a) designing a wind chime support member including at least one glass insert and metal, said glass insert having a selected shape and dimension;
- (b) providing a flexible mold to support said glass inserts in position while a selected molten metal is poured into the mold to contact the glass insert;
- (c) obtaining a supply of glass inserts with said shape and dimension;
- (d) heating metal to produce molten metal;
- (e) heating said glass insert to an elevated temperature greater than 100 degrees F.;
- (f) placing said glass insert in said flexible mold;
- (g) pouring said molten metal into said flexible mold;
- (h) allowing said molten metal to cool and solidify into a wind chime member;
- and,
- (i) removing said wind chime member, including said glass insert, from said flexible mold.
7 more elements
A method for manufacturing a wind chime, including the steps of
- (a) designing a wind chime support member including at least one glass insert and metal, said glass insert having a selected shape and dimension;
- (b) generating a correlation table correlating the surface area of the glass insert to be contacted by molten metal to the casting temperature to reduce the likelihood that the glass insert will fracture during molding;
- (c) determining the proportion of the surface area of said glass insert to be contacted by metal;
- (d) providing a mold to support said glass insert in position while a selected molten metal is poured into the mold to contact each of the glass inserts;
- (e) using said correlation table to determine the casting temperature of the metal to be poured into the mold and contact the glass insert;
- (f) obtaining a supply of glass inserts with said shape and dimension;
- (g) sizing the glass inserts in said supply to insure the glass inserts in said supply are within a selected tolerance of said selected shape and dimension;
- (h) heating metal to said casting temperature to produce molten metal;
- (i) pre-heating said glass insert to a temperature in the range of 100 degrees F. to 300 degrees F.;
- (j) placing said heated glass insert in said mold;
- (k) pouring said molten metal into said mold to contact said pre-heated glass insert.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.