Remotely mounted electric motor driving a valve pin in an injection molding apparatus
AssigneeSynventive Molding Solutions, Inc.
InventorsChristopher Lee, Vito Galati
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An injection molding apparatus comprising a valve comprised of: an actuator having a rotor interconnected to a distal end of an elongated shaft adapted to drivably transmit rotational motion of the rotor to rotational motion of the shaft, the shaft being interconnected at a proximal end to a converter adapted to transmit rotational motion of the shaft directly to driven linear motion of a valve pin, the shaft having a length or configuration selected such that the actuator is mountable on the apparatus in a position or disposition that is isolated or insulated from significant or substantial exposure to or transmission of heat from a heated manifold.
Claims39
An injection molding apparatus comprising an injection molding machine (IMM), a heated manifold (60) having a distribution channel (120) into which injection fluid (9), a mold (70) having a cavity (80) communicating with a fluid delivery channel (130) that receives injection fluid (9) from the distribution channel (120), the fluid delivery channel (130) delivering fluid (9) at a downstream end to a gate (110) that communicates with the cavity (80), the gate (110) being controllably opened and closed to control flow of the fluid (9) into the cavity (80) during the course of an injection cycle, the apparatus including a valve (50) comprised of:
- an actuator (200) having a rotor (12) rotatably driven (R1) at a rotor speed (R1s), the rotor (12) being interconnected to a distal end (22) of an elongated shaft (20) and adapted to drivably transmit rotational motion (R1) of the rotor to rotational motion (R2) of the elongated shaft (20) for rotation at a shaft speed (R2s), the actuator (200) being mounted to one or the other of a top clamp plate (140) or the injection molding machine (IMM),
- the elongated shaft (20) being interconnected at a proximal end (24) to a converter (40), the converter (40) being adapted to transmit rotational motion (R2) of the elongated shaft (20) directly to driven linear motion (A) of a linear drive member (26), the linear drive member (26) being interconnected to a valve pin (100) arranged within the fluid delivery channel for upstream and downstream movement along a linear path of travel (A) between gate closed and gate open positions via the driven linear motion (A) of the linear drive member (26),
- the elongated shaft (20) having a shaft axis (DA), a length or configuration (LC) selected and adapted such that the actuator (200) is mountable on the apparatus in a position or disposition that is isolated, separated or insulated from significant or substantial exposure to or transmission of heat from the heated manifold (60) through air or metal to metal contact between the heated manifold (60) and the actuator (200).
An injection molding apparatus comprised of an injection molding machine (IMM), a heated manifold (60) having a distribution channel (120) into which injection fluid (9), a mold (70) having a cavity (80) communicating with a fluid delivery channel (130) that receives injection fluid (9) from the distribution channel (120), the fluid delivery channel (130) delivering fluid (9) at a downstream end to a gate (110) that communicates with the cavity (80), the gate (110) being controllably opened and closed to control flow of the fluid (9) into the cavity (80) during the course of an injection cycle,
- a valve assembly (50) comprising:
- an actuator (200) having a rotor (12) rotatably driven (R1) at a rotor speed (R1s) and rotor torque (T1), the rotor (12) being interconnected to a distal end (22) of an elongated shaft (20) and adapted to drivably transmit rotational motion (R1) of the rotor to rotational motion (R2) of the elongated shaft (20) for rotation at a shaft speed (R2s) and shaft torque (T2) different from the rotor speed (R1s) and rotor torque (T1),
- the elongated shaft (20) being interconnected at a proximal end (24) to a converter (40), the converter (40) being adapted to convert rotational motion (R2) of the elongated shaft (20) to driven linear motion (A) of a linear drive member (26), the linear drive member (26) being interconnected to a valve pin (100) arranged within the fluid delivery channel for upstream and downstream movement along a linear path of travel (A) between gate closed and gate open positions,
- the elongated shaft (20) being rigid and having a shaft axis (DA) and a fixed length or configuration (LC) selected such that the actuator (200) is mountable on the apparatus in a position or disposition that is isolated or insulated from significant or substantial exposure to or transmission of heat from the heated manifold through air or through metal to metal contacts between the heated manifold (60) and the actuator (200).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.