Single-piece injection molded rack

An injection mold for the manufacture of a single-piece rack having top, bottom, and intermediate tiers selectively interconnected in spaced-apart superposed relation by supports, said intermediate tier being a lattice defined by intersecting top and bottom sets of bars, the bars within each set being substantially parallel, said top set of bars being superposed over said bottom set of bars, said mold comprising:

• an injection mold half and an ejection mold half, said ejection mold half being movable along a predetermined axial path relative to said injection mold half between a mold closed position and a mold open position, said ejection mold half cooperating with said injection mold half in the mold closed position to define a mold cavity corresponding to said rack, wherein:
• said injection mold half includes a first slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said lower surface portion of said first slide having parallel channels corresponding in dimensions to the dimensions of the top set of bars of said intermediate tier, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said ejection mold half;
• and wherein:
• said ejection mold half includes left and right core slides each having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion said core slides being movable between a slide open position and a slide closed position, said slides being movable along predetermined coaxial paths in opposed directions relative to one another and at an angle relative to the path of movement of the ejection mold half, said upper surface portion of each of said left and right core slides including parallel channels corresponding in cross-sectional dimensions to the cross-sectional dimensions of said bottom set of bars, said channels being aligned parallel to the coaxial paths of movement of said core slides, the channels of the left core slide cooperating with the channels of the right core slide in the mold closed position to define a portion of the mold cavity corresponding to the bottom set of bars of the intermediate tier of said rack, said portion of the mold cavity cooperating with the channels in the slide of said injection mold half to define the portion of the mold cavity corresponding to the lattice of the intermediate tier of said rack,
• first means for cooperating with said upper surface portion of said first slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said top tier,
• second means for cooperating with said lower surface portion of each of said core slides to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said bottom tier,
• third means for cooperating with said first slide and said core slides to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said supports.

An injection mold for the manufacture of a single-piece rack having top, bottom, and intermediate tiers selectively interconnected in spaced-apart superposed relation by supports, said intermediate tier being a lattice defined by intersecting top and bottom sets of bars, the bars within each set being substantially parallel, said top set of bars being superposed over said bottom set of bars, said mold comprising:

• an injection mold half and an ejection mold half, said ejection mold half being movable along a predetermined axial path relative to said injection mold half between a mold closed position and a mold open position, said ejection mold half cooperating with said injection mold half in the mold closed position to define a mold cavity corresponding to said rack, wherein:
• said injection mold half includes a rear slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said lower surface portion of said rear slide having parallel channels corresponding in cross-sectional dimensions to the cross-sectional dimensions of the top set of bars of said intermediate tier, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said ejection mold half;
• and wherein:
• said ejection mold half includes a retainer block, said retainer block having a front slide, said front slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said lower surface portion of said front slide having parallel channels corresponding in cross-sectional dimensions to the cross-sectional dimensions of said top set of bars, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said ejection mold half and cooperating in the mold closed position with the channels of the rear slide to define a first portion of the mold cavity corresponding to the top set of bars of the intermediate tier of said rack;
• a core slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said core slide being releasably retained within said retainer block and movable between a slide open position and a slide closed position, said slide being movable along a predetermined axial path at an angle relative to the path of movement of the ejection mold half, said upper surface portion of said core slide including parallel channels corresponding in dimensions to the dimensions of said bottom set of bars, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said core slide, the channels in said core slide cooperating with the first portion of the mold cavity to define the portion of the mold cavity corresponding to the lattice of the intermediate tier of said rack,
• first means for cooperating with said upper surface portions of said front slide and said rear slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said top tier,
• second means for cooperating with said lower surface portion of said core slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said bottom tier,
• third means for cooperating with said front, rear slide and said core slide to define the outer surface portion of said mold cavity corresponding to said supports.

An injection mold for the manufacture of a single-piece rack having top, bottom, and intermediate tiers selectively interconnected in spaced-apart superposed relation by supports, said intermediate tier being a lattice defined by intersecting top and bottom sets of bars, the bars within each set being substantially parallel, said top set of bars being superposed over said bottom set of bars, said mold comprising:

• an injection mold half and an ejection mold half, said ejection mold half being movable along a predetermined axial path relative to said injection mold half between a mold closed position and a mold open position, said ejection mold half cooperating with said injection mold half in the mold closed position to define a mold cavity corresponding to said rack, wherein:
• said injection mold half includes a first slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said lower surface portion of said first slide having parallel channels corresponding in dimensions to the dimensions of the top set of bars of said intermediate tier, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said ejection mold half;
• and wherein:
• said ejection mold half includes a core slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said core slide being movable along a predetermined axial path at an angle relative to the path of movement of the ejection mold half, said upper surface portion of said core slide including parallel channels corresponding in cross-sectional dimensions to the cross-sectional dimensions of said bottom set of bars, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said core slide, the channels in said core slide cooperating with the channels in the slide of said injection mold half to define the portion of the mold cavity corresponding to the lattice of the intermediate tier of said rack,
• first means for cooperating with said upper surface portion of said first slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said top tier,
• second means for cooperating with said lower surface portion of said core slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold corresponding to said bottom tier,
• third means for cooperating with said first slide and said core slide to define the outer surface portion of said mold cavity corresponding to said supports.

An injection mold for the manufacture of a single-piece rack having top, bottom, and intermediate tiers selectively interconnected in spaced-apart relationship by supports, said intermediate tier being a lattice defind by intersecting top and bottom sets of bars, the bars within each set being substantially parallel, said top set of bars being superposed over said bottom set of bars, said mold comprising:

• an injection mold half and an ejection mold half, said ejection mold half being movable along a predetermined axial path relative to said injection mold half between a mold closed position and a mold open position, said ejection mold half cooperating with said injection mold half in the mold closed position to define a mold cavity corresponding to said rack, wherein:
• said ejection mold half includes:
• a first slide having an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, said lower surface portion of said first slide having parallel channels corresponding in dimension to the dimensions of the top set of bars of said intermediate tier, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said ejection mold half;
• and
• a core slide having an upper surface portion and lower surface portion, said core slide being movable along a predetermined axial path at an angle relative to the path of movement of the ejection mold half, said upper surface portion of said core slide including parallel channels corresponding in cross-sectional dimension to the cross-sectional dimension of said bottom set of bars, said channels being aligned parallel to the axial path of movement of said core slide, the channels in said core slide cooperating with the channels in said first slide to define the portion of the mold cavity corresponding to the lattice of the intermediate tier of said rack,
• means for cooperating with said upper surface portion of said first slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said top tier;
• second means for cooperating with said lower surface portion of said core slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said bottom tier;
• and
• third means for cooperating with said first slide and said core slide to define the outer surface portion of the mold cavity corresponding to said supports.