Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Including readily dissociable fastener having numerous,... – Having mounting surface and filaments constructed from...
Patent
1999-03-17
2000-12-26
Brittain, James R.
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Including readily dissociable fastener having numerous,...
Having mounting surface and filaments constructed from...
24450, A44B 1800
Patent
active
061639397
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to molding methods, apparatus and products especially hook fasteners for engaging loops.
In the field of molded hook fasteners, typically a series of adjacent rows of hooks forms one side or element of a fastener closure and a mating element provides loops or anchored fibers with which the hooks engage.
A fastener element with rows of hook members is typically formed with a molding tool that has no moving parts. The hooks are pulled from their mold cavities by distorting the hooks. For molding continuous strips of such hook members a rotating mold roll is employed, while for discrete items injection molding techniques are employed. Improvements applicable to such molds and to the processes of molding these hook members may be useful in molding other products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Important aspects of the invention concern molding a multiplicity of devices, especially fasteners and in particular, touch fastener hooks extending from a common base, by use of a large multiplicity of mold plates held face to face, the method comprising forming mold cavities of the shape of the devices in the edges of the mold plates, assembling the plates face-to-face to provide a mold surface, the sides of some of the plates closing cavities in the sides of other of the plates, positioning the mold surface opposite another surface with a gap (G) therebetween, filling the volume between the mold surface and the opposed surface with molten resin, and, after hardening of the resin, withdrawing the molded devices and integral base from the mold surface.
According to an important aspect of the invention, the mold cavities are formed by photochemical techniques employing, upon the sides of the plates, a mask, the shape of which approximates, but varies from, the desired profile of the devices or a portion of the device to be molded to compensate for nonuniformities of a predetermined etching process, and with the predetermined process, etching the exposed metal of the plate as defined by the mask to provide the desired mold cavity.
According to another aspect of the invention, a plurality of plates are etched using corresponding masks to form a single device or fastener and the plates are assembled in registry with one another. Preferably at least some of the plurality of plates are laminated together to form a thicker plate assembly.
According to another feature, at least two of the plates have mating mold cavity portions that together define a relatively sharp point, in the case of a hook component of a hook and loop fastener, the sharp point residing on a portion of the hook exposed to engage loops or fibers of a mating component.
Preferably, in certain cases the sharp point is defined at the top of the hook, positioned to be the first portion of the hook to contact the loop or fibers of a loop component against which the hook component moves face-wise; in other cases the sharp point is at the distal tip of a crook of the hook, for engaging a loop and directing it into a loop capture area of the hook.
Preferably, in the latter case, the tip portion of the crook lies within an included angle .alpha. of less than 30 degrees. In certain preferred cases the forming method is adapted to produce a tip that tapers to a relatively sharp point in both end and side views.
According to one embodiment the mold cavity defines a hook component of a hook and loop fastener. The hook component has a crook ending in a distal tip, the edge or edges of the mask defining the distal tip being oversized and the edge or edges of the mask defining the concave curve being undersized. The inner surface of the crook is concave and encloses a loop capture area. The edge or edges of the mask defining the concave curve are undersized while the upper edge of the crook is convex and the edge or edges of the mask defining this convex edge are oversized.
According to another aspect of the invention, the hook component has a crook portion ending in a distal tip, the tip directed toward the base. The crook h
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"What is the Photo Chemical Machining Process and What Can It Do For You?", Photo Chemical Machining Institute San Clemente, CA.
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Condon Mark Joseph
Dowd Clinton
Filion Scott M.
Grulke Peter E.
Jens Stephen C.
Brittain James R.
Velcro Industries B.V.
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