Method of producing a volumetric flow control valve
AssigneeAB Volvo
InventorsJan Karlsson, Jan Dahlgren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow control valve including a movable part and a housing for accommodating the movable part may be produced by molding the components in sequential steps. Preferably, the housing is molded in a first step and the movable part is molded in an at least partially closed position in a second step in the same mold. This method enables the surface of the housing to serve as at least a portion of the mold for forming a substantially sealing portion of the movable part such that a very close tolerance between these components is achieved. The movable part is preferably a butterfly disc and the housing is preferably a butterfly valve housing.
Claims12
A method of producing a flow control valve including a valve housing, a channel extending through said valve housing and defining a boundary surface, and a valve body rotatably arranged in said channel about an axis of rotation and having a peripheral surface, said peripheral surface and said boundary surface together forming an interengaging pair of surfaces in a predetermined at least partially closed position of said valve body, said method comprising the steps of molding said valve housing from a first moldable material and molding said valve body in said predetermined position from a second moldable material which does not bond to said first moldable material, said step of molding one of said vale housing and said valve body including the step of molding one of said interengaging surfaces using another of said interengaging surfaces as a mold.
A method of producing a flow control valve including a valve housing, a channel extending through said valve housing and defining a boundary surface, and a valve body rotatably arranged about an axis of rotation in said channel and having a peripheral surface, said peripheral surface and said boundary surface together forming an interengaging pair of surfaces in a predetermined at least partially closed position of said valve body, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a mold having at least two outer mold parts movable in a first plane between an extended position and a retracted position, confronting surfaces of said mold parts in said extended position contacting one another to define a through passage in said mold extending in a second plane perpendicular to said first plane, at least a portion of said through passage having a predetermined diameter in said extended position of said mold parts, said confronting surfaces of said mold parts in said retraced position being spaced from one another, opposing core members arranged in said mold parts and slidable in said through passage between an extended position and a retracted position, confronting surfaces of said core members in said extended position contacting one another to define said boundary surface of said valve housing, said confronting surfaces of said core members in said retracted position defining a portion of a molding cavity for said valve body, and opposing pin members axially aligned in said mold parts and movable in said first plane between an extended position and a retracted position, inner ends of said pin members in said extended position extending into said through passage for engagement with said core members, said inner ends of said pin members in said retracted position being spaced apart by a distance greater than said predetermined diameter, said mold having a first configuration for molding said valve housing in which said mold parts, said core members and said pin members are in said extended positions and a second configuration for molding said valve body in which said mold parts are in said extended position and said core members and said pin members are in said retracted positions,
- placing said mold in said first configuration and injecting a first moldable material to form said valve housing,
- at least partially solidifying said first moldable material,
- placing said mold in said second configuration to define a molding cavity, at least a portion of said molding cavity being delimited by said boundary surface of said channel,
- injecting a second moldable material which does not bond to said first moldable material into said molding cavity to form said valve body in said predetermined position so that said interengaging pair of surfaces are in substantially sealing contact, and
- at least partially solidifying said second moldable material.
A method of producing a flow control valve including a valve housing, a channel extending through said valve housing and defining a boundary surface, and a valve body rotatably arranged about an axis of rotation in said channel and having a peripheral surface, said peripheral surface and said boundary surface together forming an interengaging pair of surfaces in a predetermined at least partially closed position of said valve body, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing an adjustable mold having a first configuration for molding said valve housing and a second configuration for molding said valve body,
- placing said mold in said first configuration and injecting a first moldable material into said mold to form said valve housing,
- at least partially solidifying said first moldable material,
- placing said mold in said second configuration to define a molding cavity, at least a portion of said molding cavity being delimited by said boundary surface of said channel,
- injecting a second moldable material which does not bond to said first moldable material into said molding cavity to form said valve body in said predetermined position so that said interengaging pair of surfaces are in substantially sealing contact, and
- at least partially solidifying said second moldable material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.