Method of making composite ratchet wrench
AssigneeSnap-on Technologies, Inc.
InventorGregory A. Zurbuchen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ratchet wrench includes a body formed entirely of glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material with a gear insert molded therein and a ratchet mechanism mounted on the insert and retained in place by retaining rings. The body includes layers of random discontinuous glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material and a band of unidirectional continuous glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material which are subjected to compression molding around the insert to form a composite wrench structure.
Claims10
A method of making a composite hand tool structure comprising the steps of:
- providing a gear insert having an axis and an outer side surface with a plurality of recesses formed therein, positioning the gear insert in a mold cavity in a compression molding apparatus, preparing a plurality of layers of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material having the shape of the outline of the hand tool, stacking the layers together to provide a mold charge, positioning the mold charge in the mold cavity around the insert, subjecting the mold charge to heat and pressure in the compression molding apparatus for a predetermined interval of time to form a composite hand tool structure with the insert molded therein with the mold charge filling the recesses, and mounting a ratchet mechanism in the insert after formation of the composite hand tool structure.
A method of making a composite ratchet hand tool structure comprising the steps of:
- providing a gear insert having an axis and an outer side surface with a plurality of recesses formed therein, preparing a plurality of layers of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material each having the shape of the outline of the hand tool and having an opening through one end thereof, stacking the layers with the openings therein aligned to provide a mold charge, positioning the insert in the aligned openings of the stacked layers, then subjecting the mold charge to heat and pressure in a compression molding apparatus for a predetermined interval of time to form a composite hand tool structure with the insert molded therein with the mold charge filling the recesses, and mounting a ratchet mechanism in the insert after formation of the composite hand tool structure.
A method of making a composite hand tool structure comprising the steps of:
- positioning a gear insert in a mold cavity in a compression molding apparatus, preparing a plurality of layers of a random discontinuous glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material having the shape of the outline of the hand tool, stacking the layers together to form a core for the hand tool, placing a band of unidirectional continuous glass-fiber-reinforced plastic material in the core to provide a mold charge, positioning the mold charge in the mold cavity around the insert, and subjecting the mold charge to heat and pressure in the compression molding apparatus for a predetermined interval of time to form a composite hand tool structure with the insert molded therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.