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US 2003/0201575 A1Published application
Apparatus and method for rotatably molding a formed millwork product
OwnerMohammed Peer Khaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for rotatably molding a formed millwork product includes lower and upper mold parts for defining a mold cavity therebetween, a support arrangement for rotatably supporting the lower mold part about a longitudinal axis, a clamping arrangement for releasably clamping the mold parts together, a feeding unit for supplying molding material in a liquid form into the mold cavity, a drive unit for rotating the mold parts about the longitudinal axis, and a cooling arrangement for circulating a coolant medium to and from the rotating mold parts so as to control the temperature of the mold parts in view of the exothermic reaction of the molding material in the mold cavity.
Claims20
An apparatus for rotatably molding a formed millwork product, comprising:
- (a) a pair of mold parts each defining a portion of a mold cavity and being movable toward and away from one another between mated and unmated relationships with respect to one another so as to correspondingly place said mold cavity portions in closed and opened conditions with respect to one another such that said mold cavity is formed when said mold parts are in said mated relationship with said mold cavity portions in said closed condition;
- (b) means for supplying a molding material in a liquid form into said mold cavity;
- (c) means for rotatably supporting at least one of said mold parts about a longitudinal axis such that when said mold parts are in said mated relationship with said mold cavity portions in said closed condition said mold parts can together undergo rotation about said longitudinal axis;
- (d) means for rotating said mold parts when in said mated relationship so as to provide for substantially uniform distribution of the molding material throughout said mold cavity such that the molding material will expand and substantially uniformly fill said mold cavity due to the occurrence of the expansive nature of an exothermic reaction in the molding material so as to produce a formed millwork product in said mold cavity;
- (e) means for releasably clamping said mold parts together when in said mated relationship so as to maintain said mold cavity portions in said closed condition as said mold parts are rotated and as the formed millwork product is produced in said mold cavity;
- and
- (f) means for circulating a coolant medium to and from said rotating mold parts so as to control the temperature of said mold parts in view of the exothermic reaction of the molding material in said mold cavity.
4 more elements
A method for rotatably molding a formed millwork product, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a pair of mold parts each defining a portion of a mold cavity and being movable toward and away from one another between mated and unmated relationships with respect to one another so as to correspondingly place the mold cavity portions in closed and opened conditions with respect to one another such that the mold cavity is formed when the mold parts are in the mated relationship with the mold cavity portions in the closed condition;
- (b) placing an elongated central stiffening member on at least one of the mold parts so as to extend across the mold cavity when the mold parts are in the mated relationship;
- (c) moving the mold parts relative to one another and into the mated relationship such that the mold cavity portions are placed in the closed condition forming the mold cavity between the mold parts;
- (d) supplying a molding material in a liquid form from exteriorly of to within the mold cavity when the mold parts are in the mated relationship;
- (e) rotatably supporting at least one of the mold parts about a longitudinal axis such that when the mold parts are in the mated relationship with the mold cavity portions in the closed condition the mold parts can together undergo rotation about the longitudinal axis;
- (f) rotating the mold parts together when in the mated relationship so as to provide for substantially uniform distribution of the molding material throughout the mold cavity and about the central stiffening member such that the molding material will expand and substantially uniformly fill the mold cavity due to the occurrence of the expansive nature of an exothermic reaction in the molding material so as to produce a formed millwork product in the mold cavity which incorporates the central stiffening member;
- (g) releasably clamping the mold parts together when in the mated relationship so as to maintain the mold cavity portions in the closed condition as the mold parts are rotated and as the formed millwork product is produced in the mold cavity;
- and
- (h) circulating a coolant medium to and from the rotating mold parts so as to control the temperature of the mold parts in view of the exothermic reaction of the molding material in the mold cavity.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.