Mold insert

An insert assembly for a mold comprising:

• a first plug having 1) a first outer axial face that is contoured to affect a hardenable material by causing an indicia to be embossed directly into the hardenable material, and 2) a cavity in the outer axial face;
• a receiver having a cavity therein for receiving the first plug;
• a second plug received in the cavity in the first plug and having a second outer axial face that is contoured to affect a hardenable material by causing indicia to be embossed directly into the hardenable material;
• wherein the hardenable material comprises one of a plastic and a polymer;
• wherein a) one of the plugs has a generally cylindrical body that comprises 1) an outer sidewall with a radially extending bore that connects with an axially extending hollow therein, 2) a biasing element that is comprised of a non-metallic material and which is disposed in the axially extending hollow, and 3) a locator disposed in the bore that is urged outwardly by the biasing element such that a portion of the locator extends outwardly from the outer sidewall, and b) the cavity of the receiver in which the one of the plugs is received is defined by an interior sidewall that has a channel therein that receives the locator when the one of the plugs is disposed in the cavity;
• and
• wherein a) the other one of the plugs has a generally cylindrical body that comprises an outer sidewall with a channel in its exterior with the channel 1) having a first portion i) that is transverse to an axis of rotation of the other one of the plugs and ii) which extends no more than 360° around the outer sidewall, and 2) having a second portion that is inclined at an acute angle relative to the first portion of the channel, b) the receiver in which the other one of the plugs is received has a guide in its cavity that extends outwardly into the cavity and which is received in the channel when the other one of the plugs is disposed in the cavity, and c) wherein the other one of the plugs is rotatable without axial displacement when the other one of the plugs is disposed in the cavity and the guide is disposed in the first portion of the channel.

An insert for a mold having a pair of mold halves and an ejector pin comprising:

• a rotatable plug having a head at one end with an axially outer face, a generally cylindrical body that has a free end at an opposite end, that is diametrically smaller than the head, and that has a groove therein that 1) is of arcuate cross section, 2) has a transverse portion that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of rotation of the plug and that extends no more than 360 degrees around the cylindrical body and 3) has an entranceway portion i) that is inclined relative to the transverse portion, ii) that leads to the transverse portion, and iii) that extends adjacent the free end of the plug body, and a shoulder formed where the head and body adjoin;
• a fixed receiver having a cavity therein for receiving the plug with the cavity defined by a sidewall that has a radial shoulder disposed inside the cavity that divides the cavity into a first portion for receiving the head of the plug and a second portion that is diametrically smaller than the first portion for receiving the body of the plug;
• a ball carried by the sidewall and disposed in a generally radially extending bore in the sidewall, wherein a portion of the ball is received in the groove when the plug is received in the cavity to permit the plug to rotate relative to the receiver while opposing axial motion of the plug relative to the receiver when the portion of the ball that is received in the groove is received in the transverse portion of the groove;
• a detent assembly that permits the plug to be selectively indexed, the detent assembly comprising an axially extending spring plunger that is at least partially disposed in the radial shoulder of the receiver and that includes a ball that has at least a portion that extends from the radial shoulder of the receiver outwardly into the cavity and bears against the shoulder of the plug when the plug is received in the cavity of the receiver to oppose rotation of the plug relative to the receiver;
• and
• a fastener that removably attaches the receiver to one of the mold halves or the ejector pin.

An insert assembly for a mold comprising:

• a first plug having 1) a first outer axial face that is contoured to affect a hardenable material by embossing an indicia into the hardenable material, and 2) a cavity in the outer axial face;
• a receiver having a cavity therein for receiving the first plug;
• a first rotating mechanism that operably cooperates with the first plug and the receiver to permit the first plug to be rotated relative to the mold;
• a second plug received in the cavity in the first plug and having a second outer axial face that is contoured so as to affect a hardenable material by embossing an indicia into the hardenable material;
• a second rotating mechanism that operably cooperates with the second plug and the first plug to permit the second plug to be rotated relative to the first plug;
• wherein the hardenable material comprises one of a plastic and a polymer;
• and
• wherein a) one of the plugs has a generally cylindrical body that comprises an outer sidewall with a channel in its exterior with the channel 1) having a first portion i) that is transverse to an axis of rotation of the one of the plugs and ii) which extends no more than 360° around the outer sidewall, and 2) having a second portion that is inclined at an acute angle relative to the first portion of the channel, b) the receiver in which the one of the plugs is received has a guide in its cavity that extends outwardly into the cavity and which is received in the channel when the one of the plugs is disposed in the cavity, and c) wherein the one of the plugs can be rotated without axial displacement when the one of the plugs is disposed in the cavity and the guide is disposed in the first portion of the channel.

An insert that is disposed in a mold that includes a pair of mold halves, at least one of which defines a mold cavity, the insert comprising:

• (a) a plug having an axial face that is exposed toward one of the mold halves when the mold halves are disposed in a closed position, the plug having a generally cylindrical body and an axis about which the plug can rotate, the axial face three dimensionally contoured so as to affect hardenable molding material comprising a plastic or a polymer, the body having an outer wall that includes a groove that extends no more than one and one half times around the periphery of the body, the groove comprising a transverse portion that extends no more than a single time around the body and which is generally perpendicular to the axis about which the plug can rotate, and the groove comprising an entranceway portion that is disposed at an acute angle relative to the transverse portion that leads to the transverse portion;
• (b) a pocket in which at least the body of the plug is received, the pocket defined by a sidewall that includes a locator that is received in the groove when the body of the plug is received in the pocket;
• (c) wherein the axial face of the plug remains substantially planar during rotation of the plug when the locator is disposed in the transverse portion of the groove;
• and
• (d) further comprising a cup that has a recess that defines the pocket and wherein the cup is removably received in a receptacle in one of the mold halves.

An insert that is disposed in a mold that includes a pair of mold halves, at least one of which defines a mold cavity, the insert comprising:

• (a) a plug having an axial face that is exposed toward one of the mold halves when the mold halves are disposed in a closed position, the plug having a generally cylindrical body and an axis about which the plug can rotate, the axial face being three dimensionally contoured so as to affect a hardenable molding material comprising a plastic or a polymer, the body having a sidewall that defines a hollow therein and which has a bore therethrough, a locator disposed in the bore, and a non-metallic biasing element disposed in the hollow that urges the locator outwardly from the sidewall;
• (b) a pocket in which at least the body of the plug is received, the pocket defined by a sidewall that includes a groove that has a portion transverse to the axis of rotation of the plug that does not extend completely around the periphery of the sidewall, the groove receiving the locator when the body of the plug is received in the pocket, the groove including a helical entranceway portion that permits the locator to register with the groove during assembly of the body of the plug into the pocket;
• and
• (c) wherein the axial face of the plug remains substantially planar during rotation of the plug when the locator is disposed in the transverse portion of the groove.

An insert disposed in a mold that includes a mold cavity, the insert comprising:

• (a) a plug having an axial face that is exposed to a hardenable molding material that flows into the mold cavity, the plug having a body and an axis about which it can rotate, the axial face contoured so as to affect the hardenable molding material;
• (b) a plug receiver disposed in the mold, the plug receiver having a plug-receiving cavity therein;
• (c) (1) a groove in one of the plug and the plug receiver that encircles the plug and which includes (i) a single circumferential band portion that does not extend completely around the plug and that is transverse to the axis of plug rotation, and (ii) an entranceway portion disposed at an angle relative to the circumferential band portion of the groove and which connects with the circumferential band portion of the groove, (2) a locator that extends from the other one of the plug and the receiver and that (i) is received in the entranceway portion of the groove when the plug is being inserted the plug receiver, (ii) is received in the circumferential band portion of the groove when the plug has been inserted into the plug receiver, and (iii) opposes removal of the plug from the plug receiver when the plug is received in the plug receiver and the locator is disposed in the circumferential band of the groove, and (3) wherein the groove has an arcuate cross sectional contour and the locator has a rounded end that is received in the groove when the plug is disposed in the receiver.

An insert disposed in a mold that includes a mold cavity, the insert comprising:

• (a) a plug having an end that is exposed to a hardenable molding material, the plug having a body and an axis about which it can rotate, the exposed end of the plug contoured so as to affect the hardenable molding material;
• (b) a plug receiver disposed in the mold, the plug receiver having a plug-receiving cavity therein;
• (c) (1) a groove in one of the plug and the plug receiver that encircles the plug and which includes (i) a single circumferential band portion that does not extend completely around the plug and that is transverse to the axis of plug rotation, and (ii) an entranceway portion disposed at an angle relative to the circumferential band portion of the groove and which connects with the circumferential band portion of the groove, and (2) a locator that extends from the other one of the plug and the receiver and that (i) is received in the entranceway portion of the groove when the plug is being inserted the plug receiver, (ii) is received in the circumferential band portion of the groove when the plug has been inserted into the plug receiver, and (iii) opposes removal of the plug from the plug receiver when the plug is received in the plug receiver and the locator is disposed in the circumferential band of the groove;
• and
• (d) a ball received in a bore in one of the plug and the plug receiver with a portion of the ball extending from the one of the plug and the plug receiver that is received in the groove when the plug is received in the plug receiver.