Apparatus for the manufacture of composite articles using rotating molds

Apparatus for producing a pipe fitting having a first component in the form of an annular body of thermoplastic material and a second component in the form of a seal ring of elastomer material bonded to the annular body at an end thereof, the apparatus comprising:

• a first outer mold member;
• a second outer mold member;
• means for moving said mold members towards and away from one another along a mold axis thereof;
• an intermediate support member disposed between said mold members;
• a first face on said intermediate support member;
• a first inner mold profile on said first face complementary to said first outer mold member for forming therewith a first mold cavity for molding said annular body;
• a second face on said intermediate support member on a side thereof opposite from said first face;
• a second inner mold profile on said second face complementary to said second outer mold member for forming therewith a second mold cavity for molding said seal ring;
• said support member being rotatable about an axis of rotation perpendicular to said mold axis selectively to a first rotary position in which said first inner mold profile faces said first outer mold and said second inner mold profile faces said second outer mold, and to a second rotary position in which said first inner mold profile faces said second outer mold and said second inner mold profile faces said first outer mold;
• means for rotating said support member;
• means for separately injecting thermoplastic material into said first mold cavity and for injecting elastomer material into said second mold cavity;
• said mold cavities being designed so that on axial separation of said mold members from said support after said injecting, one of said components will remain in position on the respective associated one of said mold members and the other of said components will remain in position on the respective associated one of said mold profiles;
• means for heating said second mold cavity;
• control means for effecting an operating cycle comprising
• (a) disposing said mold members in contact with said support member with the support member in said first rotary position,
• (b) injecting said thermoplastic material into said first mold cavity and substantially simultaneously injecting said elastomer material into said second mold cavity while heating said second mold cavity,
• (c) separating said mold members from said support member,
• (d) rotating said support member with said other of said components thereon through 180.degree. about said axis of rotation,
• (e) moving together said one of said mold members with said one component thereon, and said support member with said other component thereon for thereby bonding together said components by means of molding heat retained in said components to form said pipe fitting, and
• (f) separating said mold member and support member for removing said pipe fitting;
• and
• means provided on at least one of said outer mold members and said support member adjacent said one of said mold profiles for maintaining a thermal barrier between said support member and said one mold member during said bonding.