Molding process for articles having an irregular shaped internal passage
AssigneeFlex Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJames T. Quinlan, James I. Seeley, Christopher H. Corbett, Thomas A. Marcincavage
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Abstract
A process for making an article having an irregular internal passage utilizes a hollow polymer preform. The preform is filled with a relatively incompressible filler material such as a powder or a fluid, which supports the preform when it is placed in a mold, e.g. an injection mold. The filler enables the preform to withstand high molding pressures and prevents deflection and movement of the internal passage within the preform. The shell, a layer of a polymer material is then molded about the preform. After the final article has been formed, consisting of the preform and shell, the filler is removed for possible reuse.
Claims16
A process for forming a complex article having a plurality of irregular internal passages, comprising the steps of:
- fabricating a plurality of polymer preforms each having an internal passage;
- assembling said preforms into a final configuration;
- placing said assembled preforms into a mold, and
- molding a layer of a polymer material about said assembled preforms in said mold to form a shell on the assembled preforms and form said complex article, with said preforms remaining as an integral part thereof and defining said internal passages.
A molded plastic article having a complex internal passage made by the steps comprising:
- forming a plurality of thermoplastic preforms having internal surfaces which when combined substantially match the complex internal passage of the article;
- loading said plurality of preforms in a predetermined pattern into a mold with said internal surfaces forming said complex internal passage;
- molding a plastic material on said preform;
- and
- forming said article having said preforms remaining as an integral part thereof whereby said internal surfaces of the preforms form said internal passage of the molded article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.