Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Obtaining plural product pieces from unitary workpiece
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-13
2003-11-04
Vidovich, Gregory (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Obtaining plural product pieces from unitary workpiece
C029S455100, C264S219000, C264S297100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640411
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates primarily to a method for manufacturing a mould body serving as an original or master or, alternatively, a matrix.
Mould bodies of this type are used preferably in the manufacture of various plastic objects wherein the manufacture may primarily be permitted to occur in die-casting, hob-moulding or injection-moulding equipment.
An original or master must be used to enable the manufacture and shaping of a matrix.
A matrix is used to enable the manufacture and shaping of one or more objects wherein a (negative) surface structure of the matrix will be reproduced against the object as a (positive) complementary surface structure.
More specifically the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a mould body having at least one,surface area in the form of a microstructure. This surface area shall be so designed that it can be transferred as a complementary surface area to a matrix or, alternatively, an object.
The invention relates secondarily to a mould body, or a mould body arrangement, that can be manufactured by means of the method with at least one chosen surface area formed as a microstructure, designed so that it can be transferred as a complementary surface area to a matrix or, alternatively, to an object.
The method and the mould body produced thereby may be used in the manufacture of an origin al or a master and also in the manufacture of matrices. For the sake of simplicity substantially only the former will be described in the following.
When the mould body in accordance with the invention is used as an original or a master, a surface area of the mould body with a positive microstructure will form a complementary surface area of the matrix with a negative structure, against which the microstructured object can subsequently be formed having a complementary surface area of the object with a positive microstructure.
The terms positive and negative surface structure should be understood in the first place to mean surfaces having irregular microstructures but, in the second place, also plane surfaces.
If the mould body is used for manufacturing a matrix having a surface area with a negative microstructure, objects manufactured via the matrix will have a surface area with a positive microstructure having a pattern complementary to the pattern of the matrix.
A matrix consists of a unit or an arrangement of units designed for use in mould parts for die-casting, hob-moulding and/or injection moulding or equivalent procedure.
BACKGROUND ART
Machines for manufacturing objects in the form of plastic components and the like, based on die-casting, hob-moulding and/or injection moulding or equivalent procedures are already known in various forms.
In the case of die-casting a hot (approx. 400° C.) liquid plastic compound is pressed under high pressure into a cavity defined by mould parts placed together, the plastic compound being allowed to cool to solid form before the mould parts are opened.
Die-casting also includes the insertion of a plastic compound between the mould parts, the plastic compound being caused to cure and solidify by its constituents.
In the case of hob-moulding a solid plastic component is embossed by the structure of the matrix.
In the case of injection moulding the plastic compound is permitted to pass through a nozzle, the peripheral shape of which is reproduced as the cross section of a bar, rod or ribbon.
With machines for die-casting it is known for only one or both mould parts to be provided with one or more matrices and to allow the hot liquid plastic compound to solidify (at approx. 140° C.) between the clamped mould parts before they are opened and the solidified component can be pushed out.
Machines with said mould parts thus comprise one or more matrices with one or more negative surface structures, in order to be able to reproduce the negative surface structure against the plastic component or object as a positive surface structure.
When reproducing a microstructure belonging to the matrix on a plastic component or object manufactured in a machine it is known to first have an original or master manufactured in suitable manner and then manufacture a matrix belonging to and adapted for the machine, from this master.
Although the present invention may be used as an arrangement in a machine for manufacturing objects of substantially optional form, in the form of plastic components, for the sake of simplicity and by way of example, the following description will deal with the manufacture of plastic components having a single surface section provided with a positive microstructure.
A previously known method for having a master or matrix manufactured is to apply and secure a number of units and/or discrete elements on a base plate, forming a desired positive or negative surface structure.
Another previously known method for having a master manufactured is to utilise lithographic methods, in which case it is advantageous to make use of lithographic methods that have been developed primarily within the microelectric field.
A previously known method for the manufacture of an original or master, the manufacture of a matrix and the manufacture of an object, will be described in more detail in the following, with reference to
FIGS. 1-3
.
It is also known that, when die-casting or hob-moulding plastic components in a machine wherein one or more surface portions of the plastic component shall have a microstructure, mould parts pertaining to the machine using one or more matrices pertaining to the mould parts, must be made from a stable material that will withstand the high pressures prevailing during the manufacturing process and will not become worn unnecessarily quickly by the thermal and mechanical wear to which the mould parts and matrices are subjected during the actual casting process.
The method shown in
FIGS. 1-3
is intended to illustrate the “LiGA method” which is designed to enable the creation of a deep lithograph-related structure with the aid of X-rays, with galvanoplating for plastic casting or embossing.
The known LiGA technology is capable of giving an edge area a shape in a two-dimensional plane corresponding to a silhouette, where the thickness or depth chosen provides the three-dimensional height or structure. In the following this structure is termed a 2D-structure.
The object of the invention is, when necessary, to give the edge area a three-dimensional surface structure, such as a high-rise area, and this will be termed a 3D-structure in the following.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Technical Problems
Taking into consideration the fact that the technical deliberations a person skilled in the relevant art must perform in order to offer a solution to one or more technical problems posed, constitute initially an insight into the measures and/or sequence of measures to be taken, and also a selection of the means required, and as a result thereof the following technical problems are probably relevant to the development of the present invention.
Taking into consideration the background art as described above and as will be explained more fully with reference to the following description of the method illustrated in
FIGS. 1-3
, it should appear as a technical problem to be able to conceive a method for having a mould body manufactured that serves as an original or master or, alternatively as a matrix, said mould body having at least one surface area formed to a microstructure, wherein this surface area of the mould body is designed to be transferred as a complementary surface area to a matrix or an object, and also a mould body therefor wherein the method and manufacturing procedure is considerably simpler, quicker and/or less expensive than the method shown to be previously known through the LiGA technology.
It is a technical problem to be able, using simple measures, to create such criteria that an object produced, without considerable expense, can show a deep lithograph-related structure, without the need to use X-rays or the like that demand high energy levels.
It is also a technical proble
Lundbladh Lars
Martin Hans
Öhman Ove
LandOfFree
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