Injection molding apparatus and process for changing mold elements
AssigneeHusky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
InventorsBruce Coxhead, Robert Schad
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention covers an injection molding apparatus and injection molding process. The apparatus has at least a first and second injection molding machine adjacent one another, with each machine including upper and lower mold elements operative to form molded products; and robot adjacent said injection molding machines operative to remove and replace at least a portion of one of said mold elements from a first of said injection molding machines while the second of said injection molding machines continues to form molded products.
Claims18
Injection molding process, which comprises:
- providing at least a first and second injection molding machine adjacent one another, with each machine including fixed and movable halves and removable mold elements operative to simultaneously form molded products, wherein said molded products are discs and said mold elements include a stamper unit;
- sequentially removing and replacing said mold elements on a first and second of said injection molding machines by a first robot means while leaving the mold halves in place and, including the steps of sequentially removing and replacing a stamper unit from a first and second injection molding machines by said first robot means while the injection molding machines which does not have a stamper unit being removed continues to form discs;
- and
- unloading molded products from both the first and second machines by a second robot means positioned adjacent said first and second machines.
Injection molding apparatus, which comprises:
- at least a first and second injection molding machine adjacent one another, with each machine including fixed and movable mold halves and removable mold elements operative to simultaneously form molded products, wherein said molded products are discs, and said mold elements include a stamper unit;
- first robot means adjacent said injection molding machines operative to sequentially remove and replace said mold elements from a first and second of said injection molding machines while leaving the mold halves in place and wherein said first robot means is operative to sequentially remove and replace a stamper unit from the first and second injection molding machines while the injection molding machine which does not have a stamper unit being removed and replaced continues to form discs;
- and
- second robot means positioned adjacent said first and second machines operative to unload molded products from both the first and second machines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.