Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Female mold and charger to supply fluent stock under... – Including feeder to supply stock to charger
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-09
2001-08-14
Heitbrink, Tim (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Female mold and charger to supply fluent stock under...
Including feeder to supply stock to charger
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273707
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a means for feeding the inlet port of an injection machine. Such a means is commonly called a stuffer.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a means to discharge a preformed charge of a thermoplastic material enveloped in a congealed skin in a container into the injection chamber of an injection molding machine through the open end of the container by applying compressed air to the closed end of the container. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,376 to George Wacker issued on Sep. 21, 1954.
It is also known to provide a material supply device for an injection molding machine which is mounted to and movable with a movable sheath containing an inlet for the injection screw or cylinder and for a container which may be filled separately mountable to the supply funnel of the injection machine inlet port. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,842 to Bernard Monnet issued on Dec. 27, 1983.
It is further known to provide a rotary processor for plasticating polymeric material, an accumulator chamber adapted to receive the plasticated material having a piston in a cylinder biased toward a reduced volume, an injection unit comprising a barrel and an injector ram reciprocable in the barrel and valving means between these three portions to direct the pasticated material toward the accumulator chamber or the injection unit. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,683B1 to Meeker, et al. issued on Dec. 10, 1985.
Additionally, it is known to provide a machine for making a slug of raw rubber stock for use in an injection molding process by continuously feeding an extruder with strip stock, masticating and heating the stock in the extruder barrel and discharging same into an expanding cavity having a moving bottom bolster. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,210 to James Jennett issued on Jul. 8, 1986.
Finally, it is known to provide a means to advance a solid rod form of thermoplastic to a hot glue gun by mechanical means within the glue gun wherein the solid rod is fed through a flexible conduit from a reel dispensing device. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,110 to Charles R. Sperry issued on Feb. 14, 1989.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A stuffer mounted on an injection molding machine is described in the Monnet patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,842, but requires an operator to place a slug of material in the stuffer atop the machine. Since the inlet port of an injection molding machines is often elevated above the floor mounted machine, the operator may need to climb a ladder in order to feed the stuffer. It is difficult to transport a significant weight of material and climb a ladder without creating a dangerous situation for the operator. Therefore, the injection machine must be continually fed with small slugs of material by the operator or by a helper thereby resulting in a lowered production rate and/or a higher production cost.
It is an object of this invention to provide a stuffer device for supplying a substantially continuous stream of elastomeric feed stock in a fluid state to an inlet port of at least one injection molding machine.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device at operator level for supplying an inlet port of an injection molding machine.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a cartridge for use with a device for supplying a substantially continuous stream of elastomeric feed stock in a fluid state to an inlet port of an injection molding machine.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a stuffer device for supplying a substantially continuous stream of elastomeric feed stock in a fluid state to an inlet port of an injection molding machine wherein the device has a feed stock advancing unit remote from the injection molding machine.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a system of injection molding elastomeric compound, wherein the system comprises at least one injection molding machine, a mold for the injection molding machine and a stuffer device for supplying a substantially continuous stream of elastomeric feed stock in a fluid state to an inlet port of the injection molding machines where the stuffer device comprises a feed stock advancing unit remote from the injection molding machine and has a conduit associated therewith connecting the feed stock advancing unit to each inlet port, the system further having means for controlling the feed stock advancing unit to provide a measured amount of feed stock to the inlet ports commensurate with the needs of each injection cycle.
An additional object of this invention is to provide a flexible conduit connecting the feed stock advancing unit of a stuffer device to each inlet port of associated injection molding machines.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide flexible conduit comprising a high pressure hose having an elastomeric inner tube, multiple wire reinforcement layers and an elastomeric outer cover.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a cartridge for a stuffer device for supplying a substantially continuous stream of elastomeric feed stock in a fluid state to an inlet port of at least one remote injection molding machine wherein the cartridge comprises a right circular cylinder having a first open end, a second open end and a length greater than the diameter thereof, a means for transporting associated therewith, a means for being captured in the device and means for permitting discharge of entrapped volatile material, the means for permitting discharge associated with the ends.
A further object of this invention is to provide a cartridge which is received in a register recess in a lower plate, an upper plate having a register recess disposed in a lower surface thereof, the upper plate being then moved toward the lower plate, the lower plate having received the cartridge in the register recess therein, the upper plate further advancing and clamping the cartridge between the recesses.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means to receive an elongated cartridge which comprises means to guide one end of a cartridge within the receiving station.
Yet an additional object of this invention is to provide a stuffer device having a means to guide one end of a cartridge which comprises an elongated converging slot in a plane below a top surface of a lower plate of the device wherein the slot terminates in a circular register recess in the lower plate constituting means to initially center the cartridge.
Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a cartridge which is received in a register recess centrally disposed about a means to transfer in an upper plate comprising a discharge port formed through the upper plate adapted to direct flow of viscous feed stock.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a stuffer device having a receiving station with means to capture an elongated cartridge between a piston and a discharge port, means to clamp the elongated cartridge between a discharge port plate and lower receiving plate, means to advance the piston into the cartridge through the lower plate forcing the fluid polymer feed stock into contact with the discharge port and any remaining polymer contained therein, the advance of the piston causing any volatile material entrained in the polymer to be forced under high pressure to vent through a means for discharging volatile gasses associated with the discharge port.
Those skilled in the art will recognize an object of this invention is to provide a means to transfer comprising a tapering section converging from an upper register recess to a discharge port having at least one conical section and may further comprise a plurality of conical sections, each successive conical section having an increasing angle of convergence.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2689376 (1954-09-01), Wacker
patent: 4422842 (1983-12-01), Monnet
patent: 4557683 (1985-12-01), Meeker et al.
patent: 4599210 (1986-07-01), Jennett
patent: 4804110 (1989-02-01), Sperry
Doweidt Dennis P.
Doweidt Jo
Heitbrink Tim
Marsh Richard L.
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