Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Direct application of fluid pressure differential to... – Producing multilayer work or article
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-30
2001-04-24
Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Direct application of fluid pressure differential to...
Producing multilayer work or article
C264S267000, C264S275000, C425S126100, C425S127000, C425S129100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06221304
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for loading a pre-molded film into a mold. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus that enables the high speed loading and unloading of large automotive size components into an injection molding machine.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In-mold mold film laminates have been manufactured using movable molds and stationary cores as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,034('034). The '034 patent teaches placing a decorative laminate within a mold and then injection molding a polymeric material behind the laminate. The polymeric material heats, softens and finally fuses to the backing on the laminate.
The finished article includes a rigid substrate of a polymeric material and an exterior surface that displays the decorative laminate. Heretofore, methods for manufacturing molded articles having this type of decorative surface have required hand placement of the laminate within the tool prior to molding. Hand placement requires that the operator have direct access to the molding surfaces. These surfaces are not always accessible, especially when molding larger parts as commonly used in the automotive industry. It is desirable to automate the process by providing an apparatus that automatically loads the film into the mold press. A difficulty arises when attempting to automate the process of transferring the film into the mold because the film is flexible and may be damage by folding or scuffing in robotic equipment that manipulates the film.
Earlier automation relating to film handling usually involves handling the film prior to its thermoforming. The film handling occurs when the film is still in a sheet form. The flat sheets are easily manipulated by the film handling equipment. A problem arises in handling this film after it has been thermoformed into the shape of the finished article. The film displays a highly contour shape with three-dimensional surfaces that generally lack attachment points for film handling equipment. Further, it is necessary to handle the film by the decorative surface. The decorative surface is easily damaged because it is not rigid or self-supporting.
If the film is not properly transferred to the molding press, it may be either damaged or display a wrinkled appearance after molding. Properly positioning the film in the mold has been a significant impediment to the wide spread use of film transfers in large-molding applications. Conventional mold presses are encapsulated in closed off areas and are not accessible to the equipment operator. These presses require that a robotically controlled arm remove the article. It is desirable that the robotically controlled arm normally used to remove the molded articles from a mold be modified to include a mechanism that enables the arm to transfer a pre-molded film into a mold. It is further desirable that the robotically controlled arm accept the film for transfer into a mold and dispense the finish molded articles to the same location so that one equipment operator may both supply the molding press with pre-molded film and remove finished molded articles. It is a further desirable that the cycle time for manufacturing a film-coated article be approximately the same cycle time of manufacturing an article without a film coating.
These deficiencies and problems are overcome by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a film-coated article by the following steps. A pre-molded film is placed into a loading station. The film has a decorative surface and a backing surface. The decorative surface is positioned juxtaposed the loading station. The film is transferred to a loader. The loader is positioned juxtaposed the backing surface. The loader and film are positioned in an open mold press between a cavity and a core. The film is transferred from the loader to the cavity. The decorative surface of the film is positioned juxtaposed the cavity. The cavity mates with the film and retains the film in position during the molding operation. The press is closed and a polymeric material is injected against the backing surface of the film. The polymeric material produces a molded article having a rigid substrate fused to the backing of the film and displaying the decorative surface. The press is opened and the molded article is transferred from the cavity to an unloader. The decorative surface of the article is positioned juxtaposed the unloader. The molded article is transferred to an unloading station and the unloader releases the molded article.
In addition to method described above, the present invention also includes an apparatus for transferring the pre-molded film to the press and removing the finished molded article. The apparatus includes a loading station that receives a pre-molded film. The film has a decorative surface and a backing surface. A first retainer within the loading station retains the decorative surface of the film. The robotic loader is secured to a moveable end of a robotically controlled arm. The loader has a second retainer that contains the backing surface of the film. A mold press being moveable between open and closed positions receives the loader and film between the open cavity and core. The film is placed against the cavity with the decorative surface position juxtaposed the cavity. A polymeric resin is injected between the film and backing and forms a molded article displaying the decorative surface. An unloader attached to the moveable end has a third retainer retaining the decorative surface of the article. The unloader unloads the molded article from the core and the arm moves the molded article to an unloading station.
The invention enables a single operator to both load and unload a mold press from a single location. The robotically controlled loader enables the use of thin flexible films that are not rigid or self-supporting to be accurately positioned within a cavity. Accurately positioning these thin films within the cavity is critical to manufacturing a film-coated article without flaws. By enabling the use of thin films, the invention produces large molded articles that are lighter and lower cost than articles produced with rigid or self-supporting films.
The present invention enables an automated film-loading process by providing an apparatus that automatically loads the flexible film into the mold press. A robotically controlled arm normally used to remove the molded articles from a mold has been modified to include a mechanism that enables the arm to transfer a pre-molded film into a mold. The robotically controlled arm accepts the film for transfer into a mold and dispenses the finish molded articles to the same location so that one equipment operator may both supply the molding press with pre-molded film and remove finished molded articles. By using the same arm to both load the film into the mold and remove the finished molded article from the core while the press is open, the cycle time needed to mold a film-coated article is approximately the same cycle time of manufacturing an article without a film coating.
These and other desired objects of the present invention will become more apparent in the course of the following detailed description and appended claims. The invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein illustrative embodiments are shown.
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Chernyak Zinoviy
Harris Mark Alan
Lee Edmund H.
Shelton Larry I.
Silbaugh Jan H.
Visteon Global Technologies Inc.
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