Rotational molding process for forming a closed hollow toroidal article
OwnerDeepak V. Vaidyainventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Closed hollow toroidal articles such as hollow tires, which may be caused to be thickest at the tread, are molded on the inner surface of a closed toroidal mold slowly rotating on a horizontal axis by charging a fluid elastomer material in such quantity as to fill the bottom of the mold to a level above the wheel-supporting part of the tire and continuing rotation while causing the material to set to a solid elastomer progressively inwards from the liquid contacting surface of the mold. The relative thickness of different parts can be adjusted by changes in rotation, or by inducing different rates of setting in different parts of the mold.
Claims13
A process for molding a closed hollow toroidal article thickest at its outer periphery, which comprises charging one part of a split hollow toroidal mold with a fluent material which can be caused to set to a solid, in a quantity substantially less than that required to fill the mold cavity but sufficient to fill completely the lower arc of the mold cavity such that the fluent material is in contact with all portions of the cross-sectional periphery of the lowermost radial section of the toroidal mold when its axis is horizontal, completely closing the mold, placing the mold with its axis horizontal, slowly rotating the mold on its axis, causing the material to set progressively from the inner surface of the mold until the entire charge of material is solidified, opening the mold, and removing the article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.