Apparatus for manufacturing a composite product

An apparatus for injection molding plastics material, the apparatus comprising:

• an injection unit for delivering a plasticized melt through a nozzle;
• a press unit for urging a mold together at a predetermined pressure;
• said mold mounted to the press unit and comprising a stationary mold section and a moveable mold section, said press unit adapted for reciprocating the moveable mold section between an open position and a closed position, said mold defining a mold cavity when said moveable mold is in said closed position, said stationary mold section having an inlet for receiving said melt, said inlet communicating with a plurality of ports at pre-selected points relative to the mold cavity, each of said ports having a controllable gate for selectively opening and closing said ports for passing said melt to the mold cavity until the melt fully occupies the mold cavity while controlling and minimizing melt lines formed when a flow from one of said ports meets with a flow of melt from another of said ports;
• and
• a programmable control means operably connected to the injection unit and the press unit for automatically controlling the operation of the apparatus for repetitively producing uniform articles;
• wherein said press unit comprises
• an elongated stationary frame having an end plate and a base plate and slide rods extending therebetween, said end plate having said stationary mold section mounted thereon, the end plate having at least one orifice adapted to sealingly receive the nozzle and communicate with said inlet of said stationary mold section,
• a moveable frame slidably mounted on the slide rods for reciprocal movement between the end plate and the base plate, the moveable frame having a first drive means mounted between said base plate and the moveable plate for effecting the reciprocal movement therebetween,
• a base mold section slidably mounted on the slide rods for reciprocal movement between the end plate and the moveable frame, said base mold section having said moveable mold section mounted thereon, said base mold section having a second drive means mounted between the moveable frame and the base mold section for effecting the reciprocal movement therebetween, said base mold section having a plurality of locking bars adapted to engage said moveable frame, said moveable frame having locking means for releasably securing said locking bars when the moveable mold section is in the closed position, wherein one of said first and second drive means positions said moveable mold section in the closed position and the other of said first and second drive means urges the mold sections together at said predetermined pressure.