Modular molding method and associated mold
AssigneeDow-UT Composite Products, Inc.
InventorsJames Leitch, Richard Olds
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for fabricating molded parts utilizing a plurality of mold details having respective molding surfaces defining respective contours. The method selecting a first group of the mold details and disposing the selected mold details adjacent to one another in a first predetermined spatial relationship so that the molding surfaces of the selected mold details are contiguous, to define a first molding cavity for producing a first desired molded part. A hardenable polymeric material is injected into the molding cavity and hardened to form the desired molded part. Various combinations of mold details can be assembled to produce multiple parts in a common mold frame.
Claims22
A fabrication method consisting essentially of:
- providing a mold detail family comprising a plurality of mold details having respective molding surfaces defining respective contours;
- selecting a first subset of said mold details from the detail family to form a first part;
- locating the selected first subset of mold details adjacent to one another in a first predetermined spatial relationship so that the molding surfaces of the selected first subset of mold details are contiguous, to define a first molding cavity for producing the first part;
- placing the selected first subset of mold details into a mold frame;
- injecting a hardenable polymeric material into the first molding cavity to form the first part;
- at least partially disassembling the selected first subset of mold details from one another;
- extracting the first part from the first molding cavity;
- selecting a second subset of mold details from the detail family to form a second part which differs in shape from the first part;
- locating the selected second subset of mold details adjacent to one another in a second predetermined spatial relationship so that the molding surfaces of the selected mold details are contiguous to define a second molding cavity for producing the second part;
- placing the selected second subset of mold details into the mold frame;
- and
- injecting a hardenable polymeric material into the second molding cavity to form the second part.
A method for fabricating molded parts consisting essentially of:
- providing a detail family comprising a plurality of mold details having respective molding surfaces defining respective contours;
- selecting a first subset of said mold details from the detail family to form a first part;
- locating the selected first subset of mold details adjacent to one another in a first predetermined spatial relationship so that the molding surfaces of the selected mold details are contiguous, to define a first molding cavity for producing the first part;
- placing the selected first subset of mold details into a mold frame;
- injecting a hardenable polymeric material into the first molding cavity to form the first part;
- at least partially disassembling the selected first subset of mold details from one another;
- extracting the first part from the first molding cavity;
- removing at least one of the selected mold details of the first subset from said mold frame;
- by the removal of the at least one mold detail from the mold frame, defining a third molding cavity conforming to a third part, the third molding cavity being defined by surfaces on the mold details remaining in the mold frame;
- injecting a hardenable polymeric material into the third molding cavity to form the third part.
A method for fabricating molded parts consisting essentially of:
- providing a detail family comprising a plurality of mold details having respective molding surfaces defining respective contours;
- selecting a first subset of said mold details from the detail family to form a first part;
- locating the selected first subset of mold details adjacent to one another in a first predetermined spatial relationship so that the molding surfaces of the selected mold details are contiguous, to define a first molding cavity for producing the first part;
- placing the selected first subset of mold details into a mold frame;
- injecting a hardenable polymeric material into the first molding cavity to form the first part;
- at least partially disassembling the selected first subset of mold details from one another;
- extracting the first part from the first molding cavity;
- inserting at least one additional mold detail into the mold frame;
- by the insertion of the at least one mold detail, defining a fourth molding cavity conforming to a fourth part, the fourth molding cavity being defined by surfaces on the mold details in the mold frame;
- injecting a hardenable polymeric material into the fourth molding cavity to form the fourth part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.