Patent ID: 6503438
Filing Date: 2003-01-07
Classification: B29C,B29K

Abstract:
A method of producing significantly balanced conditions of concentric laminates of a stream of laminar flowing material from conditions which are significantly similar from side-to-side of a first plane which bisects a cross section of a flow path of the material in a tool and which are dissimilar from side-to-side of a second plane, perpendicular to the first plane, which also bisects the same cross section of the flow path of the material, so as to affect the formation of a product, comprising:providing a tool having a runner system which includes at least one branching runner which branches in at least two directions forming at least one pair of branch runners for receiving laminar flowing material for the formation of a product; flowing a stream of laminar flowing material in a flow path which includes each branch runner of the runner system, the material flowing through each branch runner having significantly similar conditions from side-to-side of a bisecting plane of that branch runner which bisects the cross section of at least a portion of the length of that branch runner, and the material having dissimilar conditions from side-to-side of a second plane which is perpendicular to the bisecting plane of each branch runner and which also bisects the cross section of the same portion of the length of that branch runner as does the bisecting plane of that branch runner; repositioning the dissimilar conditions of the laminar flowing material in circumferential directions to preselected positions around the centers of the flow paths of each runner of each pair of branch runners while maintaining continuity between laminates of the material from the center through the perimeter of each runner; and joining each pair of branch runners at a location on each runner of each pair which causes the flow from each runner to form a half of a joint stream of material which, due to the preselected positions to which the dissimilar conditions of the laminar flowing material have been repositioned around the centers of the flow paths of each runner of each pair of branch runners, has conditions across its flow path that are significantly balanced, but not necessarily symmetrical, from side-to-side of two perpendicular planes which bisect the cross section of at least a portion of the flow path of the material immediately downstream of where the joint stream of the material is formed.