Method and apparatus for removing flash of polymeric molded products
AssigneeToyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
InventorsToshinori Kurita, Masaaki Enomoto, Hidetoshi Nagamatsu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flash removing method is provided for cutting off flash with a reamer which is freely movable while in contact with a polymeric molded product within a predetermined range of pressing forces. The reamer is provided with blades having normal clearance angles of substantially zero degree and the flanks of the blades follow the flash-forming region. The reamer is controlled in radial position according to the shape of the polymeric molded product, so that the reamer always receives a constant radial load from the product to leave even traces after the flash removal. A solidified gate is cut off before the flash removal. A flash removing apparatus for performing the method is also disclosed.
Claims5
A method for removing flash from a flash-forming region of a polymeric molded product, comprising:
- (a) rotating a cutting reamer which has a plurality of blades which are angularly spaced from one another about a rotation axis about which said reamer is being rotated, each blade having a circularly arcuate cutting flank which is curved about said rotation axis, so that each said cutting flank has a normal clearance angle which is substantially 0.degree.;
- and
- (b) contacting said rotating cutting reamer to said flash-forming region of said product while permitting said rotating cutting reamer to move within a predetermined range of pressing force towards said product, whereby said cutting flanks of said blades of said reamer effect follow movements along said flash-forming region of said product while removing flash from said flash-forming region of said product;
- and
- further comprising the step of cutting off a solidified gate of the polymeric molded product before conducting step (a).
An apparatus for cutting a solidified gate from an arcuate surface of a polymeric molded product comprising:
- (a) a pivotal member movable along the arcuate surface;
- (b) follower means including two rollers installed to the pivotal member to be capable of moving along the arcuate surface of the polymeric molded product while being brought into contact with said surface;
- (c) cutter means installed between the two rollers to cut off a root of the solidified gate of the polymeric molded product according to a movement of the follower means, the cutter means including a cutting surface that lies substantially tangent to the arcuate surface when both said rollers contact the arcuate surface of the polymeric molded product;
- (d) a fixing member for rotatably supporting the pivotal member;
- (e) a holding member installed to the pivotal member to the fix the cutter means;
- (f) a spring fastened between the fixing member and the pivotal member under a tensional condition to bias both the fixing and pivotal members;
- and
- (g) holding means for holding an end of the solidified gate disposed away from the arcuate surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.