Coating apparatus – Work surface shields – masks or protectors
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-27
2004-08-10
Crispino, Richard (Department: 1734)
Coating apparatus
Work surface shields, masks or protectors
C118S301000, C118S505000, C427S282000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06773511
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molded product in which a coating or the like is applied on a surface of a skin portion or the like of a steering wheel, parting surface covering masks for using to mold the product, and producing methods of these.
2. Description of the Related Art
A steering wheel of a vehicle generally includes a core metal, which is composed of a ring-shaped rim, a boss that is provided at the center of the rim and is disposed at a position in an axial direction of the rim, and spokes that integrally connect the rim and the boss. Further, resin molding using a synthetic resin material such as a urethane resin is provided in the core metal around portions of the rim and around spokes.
The resin molding for the core metal uses a kind of insert molding. Namely, the resin molding is provided at predetermined portions of the core metal, e.g., the rim, by mounting the core metal to a mold corresponding to portions of the core metal at which the resin molding is provided, and by filling a molten synthetic resin material into the mold after the core metal has been mounted to the mold.
At present, a coating mainly intended to improve weather-resistance and wear-resistance is applied on surfaces of the resin molding portions of the steering wheel. The coating is generally formed on the surfaces of the resin molded portions after the resin molding has been completed, by applying a coating agent to an internal peripheral surface of a cavity of the mold by a spray gun or the like when the resin molding is conducted.
Since the coating agent is sprayed on the mold by the spray gun or the like as described above, the coating agent is applied not only to the cavity but also to a parting line (parting surfaces of the mold). The coating agent applied to the parting line remains as flash such as a flange at the steering wheel after the molding has been completed. Therefore, a cutting operation for the flash has been required. This causes a problem of increased operation processes, and thus, increased cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a molded product which is free of the flash resulting from application of the coating agent or the like, parting surface covering masks for preventing the flash, and producing methods of the molded product and the parting surface covering masks.
A first aspect of the present invention is a molded product comprising: a molded body, which is formed by filling a molding material into molds composed of a plurality of molding member components, with molding portions being formed at some of the molding member components; and a coating, which is formed on surfaces of the molded body by a predetermined coating agent; wherein the coating is formed by mounting masks to coated-portion molding members of some of the plural molding member components before the molding material is filled, the coated-portion molding members corresponding to portions of the molded body to which the coating is applied, the masks being capable of covering parting surfaces of the coated-portion molding members and being formed by using the mold-shapes of the coated-portion molding members; applying the coating agent to the molding portions of the coated-portion molding members in the state in which the masks have been mounted; and removing the masks from the coated-portion molding members after the coating agent has been applied, clamping the molds together, and molding the molded body.
In the molded product having the above structure, the coating is applied on at least a portion of the surface of the molded body which is formed of the molding material. The coating is formed; by applying the coating agent to the molding portions of the coated-portion molding members, which correspond to the portions of the molded body to which the coating is applied, of a plurality of molding member components such as core molds, cavity molds and plate molds, which compose the mold used to mold the molded body, and by filling the molding material into the mold in the state in which the coating agent has been applied.
When the coating agent is applied to the molding portions of the coated-portion molding members in order to mold the molded product, the masks formed by using shapes of the coated-portion molding members are mounted onto the parting surfaces of the coated-portion molding members so as to cover the parting surfaces. Therefore, when the coating agent is applied in the state in which the parting surfaces have been covered with the masks, the coating agent is applied to the molding portions and the masks, but not to the parting surfaces covered with the masks. In other words, the coating agent which would be applied to the parting surfaces if the masks were not mounted is applied to the masks when the masks are mounted. Accordingly, when the masks are removed from the coated-portion molding members, the coating agent remains essentially only at the molding portions of the coated-portion molding members. Further, when the molding material is filled into the mold in the state in which the coating agent has been applied only to the molding portions, so as to mold the molded body, the coating is applied onto the surface of the molded body.
As described above, according to the present invention, the coating agent is not applied to the parting surfaces, because the coating agent which would be applied to the parting surfaces if the masks were not mounted is applied to the masks. Therefore, after the molding has been completed, the coating agent does not remain as flash or the like, which would result from application of the coating agent to the parting surfaces. Accordingly, a removing operation for the flash formed of the coating agent can be eliminated, and thus, producing processes can be considerably reduced.
In the present invention, the coating (and the coating agent) merely needs to be formed as a film or as a layer/layers on the surface of the molded body, and does not need limited functions and effects. The coating may be intended to provide various functions and effects, for example, weather-resistance, wear-resistance, antibacterial properties and reinforcement. Further, the coating (and the coating agent) may be intended to provide color paint, and colorless paint so-called clear paint for glaze or the like, or to decorate the molded body.
In the present invention, the molding material for forming the molded body does not need limited properties or forms (liquid, solid, powder or the like), and the molding material may be a synthetic resin material used for resin molding or a metal powder used for powder metallurgy molding or the like.
A second aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a molded product, wherein a coating comprising a predetermined coating agent is applied on a surface of a molded body formed by filling a molding material into a mold, the method comprising the steps of: a) mounting masks onto parting surfaces of coated-portion molding members of some of plural molding member components which compose the mold, with molding portions that mold the molded body being formed at some of the molding member components, the coated-portion molding members corresponding to portions of the molded body to which the coating is applied, the masks being capable of covering the parting surfaces of the coated-portion molding members and being formed by using the mold-shape of the mold of the coated-portion molding members; b) applying the coating agent to the molding portions of the coated-portion molding members in the state in which the masks have been mounted; c) removing the masks from the coated-portion molding members after the coating agent has been applied; and d) filling the molding material into the mold.
In the producing method of the molded product having the above structure, in the mask mounting process prior to the molding material filling process, the masks formed by using shapes of the coated-portion molding members are mounted t
Ishii Koji
Ono Akio
Takefuji Tomohiro
Yamauchi Takemichi
Crispino Richard
Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
Lazor Michelle Acevedo
Nixon & Peabody LLP
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