Preform post-mold cooling method and apparatus
AssigneeHusky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
InventorsWitold Neter, Faisal Oueslati, Tiemo Dietmar Brand, Gordon R. Elliott, Richard Matthias Unterlander, Gheorghe Olaru
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for injection molding and cooling molded articles such as preforms so as to avoid crystallinity. The apparatus and method make use of a take-off plate for removing articles from a mold, which plate may include heat transfer devices for cooling exterior surfaces of the molded articles or preforms, and a system for cooling in a controlled manner interior surfaces of the molded articles or preforms.
Claims47
A method for producing molded articles comprising the steps of:
- forming a plurality of molded articles in an injection mold;
- removing said molded articles from said injection mold while said molded articles each retain an amount of heat;
- said removing step comprising transferring said molded articles from said injection mold to a carrier plate having a plurality of receptacles for said molded articles and withdrawing said carrier plate with said molded articles therein from said injection mold;
- providing a frame having a plurality of pins for applying a cooling fluid to interior surfaces of said molded articles;
- relatively moving said frame and said carrier plate so as to insert said cooling pins into the interiors of said molded articles in said receptacles immediately after said molded articles have been removed from said injection mold and interior cooling said molded articles after insertion of said cooling pins into said interiors of said molded articles;
- and
- removing said cooled molded articles from said carrier plate by applying a vacuum to said cooled molded articles via said cooling pine and moving said frame relative to said carrier plate.
An apparatus for producing molded articles comprising:
- an injection mold for forming a plurality of molded articles;
- a carrier plate for transferring molded articles from said injection mold, said carrier place including a plurality of receptacles for receiving and transporting said molded articles;
- and
- a frame having a plurality of pins for applying a cooling fluid to interior surfaces of said molded articles, said frame being movable relative to said carrier plate so as to insert said cooling pins within the interiors of said molded articles immediately after said carrier plate with said molded articles has been withdrawn from said injection mold,
- each of said cooling pins being configured to communicate with a vacuum source to remove a respective molded article from said carrier plate by applying a vacuum to the interior of said molded article and by movement of said frame relative to said carrier plate.
A device for cooling molded articles recently removed from an injection mold, said device comprising:
- a frame;
- a plurality of cooling pins attached to said frame;
- and
- each said cooling pin having a tip portion with a nozzle for dispensing cooling fluid onto an interior surface of a respective molded article and having a length sufficient to position said nozzle in said molded article, each of said cooling pins configured to communicate with a vacuum source to remove a respective molded article from said carrier plate by application of a vacuum to the interior of said molded article and by movement of said frame relative to said carrier plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.