Cartridge heater clamp for mold

Abstract

A clamp is used to secure a heating element to an outside face of a mold. The clamp includes a frame portion which holds a commercially available cartridge heater. The frame portion is sized to mate with the cartridge heater for efficient conduction heating from the cartridge heater. The clamp attaches to the mold via recesses that can be machined into the mold on a three-axis mill, such as cylindrical opening machined in a direction parallel to and slightly intersecting the side face on which attachment occurs. The clamp includes a biasing mechanism for pressing the clamp into heat conducting contact with the outside face of the mold block to which it is attached, for efficient transfer of heat between the cartridge heater and the mold. The preferred biasing mechanism is through a screw lengthening/shortening mechanism, with the clamp attached on two side faces around a corner of the mold block. The biasing force is enhanced by a fulcrum ledge. By turning the screw and shortening the length between two attachment points, the clamp tightly presses into conducting contact with the mold block.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.