Modular mold
AssigneeCrain Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsStephen B. Crain, Christopher T. Moore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mold of the present invention is capable of modular configuration and reconfiguration for producing molded objects. Many of the same mold components are reusable in the mold to increase the flexibility of the mold and reduce expense associated with molding.
Claims61
A mold member cooperable with at least one other mold member for forming a mold capable of receiving fluidized material into the mold for molding objects from said fluidized material, the mold member comprising:
- a plate defining a submold receptacle therein;
- submolds, at least some of the submolds having cavities formed therein for receiving fluidized material to mold at least a portion of an object;
- at least one partition selectively mountable on the plate in the submold receptacle for defining, in combination with the plate, submold receptacle sections into which respective submolds are capable of being received, the partition having a thermal transfer system for use in exchanging thermal energy with at least one of the submolds in the submold receptacle.
A mold member cooperable with at least one other mold member for forming a mold capable of receiving fluidized material into the mold for molding objects from said fluidized material, the mold member comprising:
- a plate defining a submold receptacle therein;
- submolds, at least some of the submolds having cavities formed therein for receiving fluidized material to mold at least a portion of an object;
- partitions selectively mountable on the plate in the submold receptacle for defining, in combination with the plate, submold receptacle sections into which respective submolds are capable of being received, the partitions being adapted for mounting on the plate so as to define arrangements of submold receptacle sections that have different numbers of submold receptacle sections in two nonparallel directions in the submold receptacle.
A mold member cooperable with at least one other mold member for forming a mold capable of receiving fluidized material into the mold for molding objects from said material, the mold member comprising:
- a plate defining a submold receptacle therein,
- submolds, at least some of the submolds having cavities formed therein for receiving fluidized material to mold at least a portion of an object, the submolds being receivable in the submold receptacle of the plate;
- at least one heat transfer member disposed generally in the submold receptacle of said plate, the heat transfer member having an internal heat transfer system therein for transporting thermal energy between the heat transfer member and at least one submold;
- at least one of the submolds as received in the submold receptacle having adjacent sides engaging the plate and the heat transfer member, respectively, such that thermal energy may be transferred between both adjacent sides of the submold and the internal heat transfer systems of the plate and heat transfer member.
A mold member cooperable with at least one other mold member for forming a mold capable of receiving fluidized material into the mold for molding objects from said material, the mold member comprising:
- a mold plate defining a submold receptacle therein;
- a base plate connected to the mold plate;
- submolds, at least some of the submolds having cavities formed therein for receiving fluidized material to mold at least a portion of an object, the submolds being receivable in the submold receptacle of the plate;
- support members adapted for reception in the submold receptacle, the support members each defining along one edge margin thereof a support ledge disposed for engaging and supporting an edge margin of one of the submolds as received in the submold receptacle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.