Bi-component drip emitter

A drip emitter for attachment to an inner surface of a wall of an irrigation hose around less than half of the periphery of the irrigation hose, the drip emitter comprising:

• A) a thermoset elastomeric component surrounded on at least three sides by a relatively rigid polymer component;
• B) a water inlet for receiving water from the irrigation hose;
• C) a drip outlet for releasing water through an opening in the wall of the irrigation hose;
• and
• D) a fluid flow pathway from said water inlet to said drip outlet, said fluid flow pathway including a flow restriction, said flow restriction being a variable geometry flow restriction formed by said thermoset elastomeric component, and
• wherein said thermoset elastomeric component and said relatively rigid polymer component are formed by bi-component injection molding, and
• wherein said thermoset elastomeric component is configured such that, when the drip emitter is attached to the inner surface of the irrigation hose, said thermoset elastomeric component is responsive to a change in a fluid pressure within the irrigation hose to modify a geometry of said variable geometry flow restriction so as to regulate a flow rate through the drip emitter, and
• wherein said thermoset elastomeric component and said relatively rigid polymer component are formed with complementary interlocking features such that, when the drip emitter is attached to the inner surface of the irrigation hose, said thermoset elastomeric component is mechanically retained in engagement with said relatively rigid polymer component.

A method of manufacturing a drip emitter, the drip emitter including two components, a relatively rigid frame component and an elastomeric flow control component, the two components molded as a unitary structure, the method comprising:

• A) initially positioning a movable divider to partition a hollow of a mold into at least two cavities including an inner cavity for forming the elastomeric flow control component and an outer cavity for forming the relatively rigid frame;
• B) injecting a first material into a first of said at least two cavities to form a first of the two components;
• C) reconfiguring said mold by repositioning said movable divider to open an interface between said first cavity and a second cavity of said at least two cavities, and
• D) injecting a second material into said second cavity to form a single integral structure including said first material and said second material.