Shell Mold
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorJose Isse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-part mold formed from a shell mold and a mold base provides efficiency in a manufacturing process. The shell mold may be formed on a positive mold article. The positive mold article may be formed from a rapid manufacturing process. The shell mold may then be formed on a surface of the positive mold article through a coating process that builds a relatively thin coating that results in a mold surface for molding an object represented, at least in part, by the positive mold article. The shell mold is then joined with a mold base effective to support the shell mold for the molding operation.
Claims20
A method of forming a mold, the method comprising:
- forming a positive mold article;
- coating at least a portion of the positive mold article with a mold-forming material to form a shell mold, wherein the shell mold is comprised of a molding surface adjacent the positive mold article and a non-molding surface nonadjacent the positive mold article;
- detaching the shell mold from the positive mold article;
- and
- joining the shell mold with a mold base, wherein an internal volume is formed between the non-molding surface and the mold base.
A mold, the mold comprising:
- a mold base having a bottom surface and a plurality of side surfaces extending from the bottom surface;
- and
- a shell mold having a molding surface and an opposite non-molding surface, wherein the shell mold has a thickness between the molding surface and the non-molding surface within a range of 20 millimeters to 0.5 millimeters,
- the shell mold coupled with the mold base proximate the mold base side surfaces, wherein the shell mold and the mold base define an internal volume between the mold base bottom surface, mold base side surfaces, and the shell mold non-molding surface.
The mold of claim 216, wherein the internal volume is comprised of a non-compressible material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.