Heating apparatus for fluid flow channel
AssigneeSynventive Molding Solutions, Inc.
InventorsVito Galati, Michael Lewis Vasapoli, Mark Robert Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus for heating a fluid being injected in an injection molding system, the apparatus comprising a mold having a cavity, a fluid flow distribution manifold, a fluid flow channel body, a coiled heater tube comprised of a thermally conductive wall, a heater device disposed within the coiled tube; the coiled tube having an upstream, downstream and intermediate coiled portions, the upstream and downstream coiled portions of the coiled tube being selectively movable away from each other along the coil axis to cause the intermediate coiled portion of the coiled tube to stretch or extend in coil axial length.
Claims8
In an injection molding system, a method of heating a fluid flow channel body that defines a fluid flow channel that communicates fluid flow to a mold of a cavity mounted in the system, the fluid flow channel having an axis, the method comprising:
- forming a hollow tube having a thermally conductive wall that surrounds and forms a hollow interior bore housed by the wall of the tube;
- forming the hollow tube into a coil configuration having a coil axis, an upstream coiled portion and a downstream coiled portion interconnected by an intermediate coiled portion and disposing a heating device within the bore of the hollow tube;
- mounting the coiled tube around an outside surface of the fluid flow channel body in thermally conductive communication with the fluid flow body;
- attaching one of the upstream or downstream coiled portions to the fluid flow channel body
- moving the upstream and downstream coiled portions axially away from each other a selected distance along the coil axis, the intermediate coiled portion extending in coil axial length on movement of the upstream and downstream coiled portions away from each other;
- controllably heating the heating device to a selected temperature.
In an injection molding system, a method of heating a fluid flow channel body that defines a fluid flow channel that communicates fluid flow to a mold of a cavity mounted in the system, the fluid flow channel having an axis, the method comprising:
- forming a hollow tube having a thermally conductive wall that surrounds and forms a hollow interior bore housed by the wall of the tube;
- forming the hollow tube into a coil configuration having a coil axis, an upstream coiled portion and a downstream coiled portion interconnected by an intermediate coiled portion;
- disposing a heating device within the bore of the hollow tube;
- mounting the coiled tube around an outside surface of the fluid flow channel body;
- attaching one of the upstream or downstream coiled portions to the fluid flow channel body and rotating the other of the upstream and downstream coiled portions around the axis of the coiled tube to cause the intermediate coiled portion to reduce in radial diameter so as to engage the outside surface of the fluid flow channel;
- controllably heating the heating device to a selected temperature.
In an injection molding system, a method of heating a fluid flow channel body that defines a fluid flow channel that communicates fluid flow to a mold of a cavity mounted in the system, the fluid flow channel having an axis, the method comprising:
- forming a hollow tube having a thermally conductive wall that surrounds and forms a hollow interior bore housed by the wall of the tube;
- forming the hollow tube into a coil configuration having a coil axis, an upstream coiled portion and a downstream coiled portion interconnected by an intermediate coiled portion;
- disposing a heating device within the bore of the hollow tube;
- mounting the coiled tube around an outside surface of the fluid flow channel body;
- attaching one of the upstream or downstream coiled portions to the fluid flow channel body;
- moving the upstream and downstream coiled sections axially away from each other a distance sufficient to reduce the intermediate coiled portion in radial diameter so as to engage the outside surface of the fluid flow channel;
- controllably heating the heating device to a selected temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.