Tooling and method of making

Tooling for use in forming articles and a method for making same wherein the tooling includes a mold. The mold has a mold surface having an interior and an exterior. A plurality of metallic strands are positioned adjacent to the interior of the mold surface. The mold further includes at least one metallic heat transfer tube for containing a fluid cooling agent. One or more heat transfer rods can also be positioned in the mold. A layer of a plastic material is placed adjacent the interior of the mold surface. The plastic material surrounds the metallic strands and the metallic heat transfer tubes and rods. When heat is produced on the mold during a molding operation, the heat is transferred through the metallic strands and the heat exchange tubes and rods. The heat is dissipated by the cooling affect caused by the cooling fluid in the tubes. The method of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) applying a first layer of a plastic material on a form mold to form a mold surface, the mold surface having an interior and an exterior; (b) placing a plurality of metallic strands near the interior of the mold surface after curing the first layer; (c) positioning at least one metallic heat transfer tube in communication with the metallic strands; (d) applying additional plastic material to cover the metallic strands and the heat transfer tubes; and (e) releasing the mold from the form mold. Preferably the mold halves are received and supported by metal bases.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to tooling for use in forming articles. 
More specifically, the invention is directed to a plastic or polymer 
composite mold that incorporates metallic strands, metallic heat transfer 
rods and metallic tubes that contain a fluid cooling agent. The metallic 
components of the mold allow for the efficient transfer of heat away from 
the mold surface. The invention is also directed to a method for making 
such a mold. 
Prior art plastic or polymer composite molds do not include effective means 
to transfer heat away from the mold surface during a molding operation. 
These prior art molds had a relatively short production life and were only 
capable of producing a small number of parts. Often, these prior art molds 
were used for making a limited number of prototypes. 
The present invention relates to an improved plastic or polymer composite 
mold which incorporates metallic components, usually made of copper, that 
act as heat transfer mechanisms to draw heat away from the mold surface. 
This extends production life of the mold thereby enabling the plastic 
tooling to used for limited production runs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a polymer composite or plastic mold 
for use in forming articles and a method of making same. The plastic mold 
includes a mold surface having interior and exterior layers. A layer of 
interconnecting metallic strands are positioned adjacent to the interior 
wall of the mold surface. The mold further includes several metallic tubes 
in communication with the metallic strands for containing a fluid cooling 
agent. At least one metallic heat transfer rod can also be in 
communication with the metallic strands and the metallic tube. A layer of 
a plastic material is placed adjacent to the interior wall of the mold 
surface. The plastic material surrounds the metallic strands and the 
metallic tube. Preferably the rods and tubes are pre-wrapped with the 
metallic strand material to ensure maximum heat transfer contact. When 
heat is produced on the mold surface, such as during a molding operating, 
the heat is transferred through the metallic strands, into the tubing and, 
if used, into the metallic rod. The heat is then dissipated by the heat 
transfer through the fluid cooling agent in the metallic tube or tubes. 
The method of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) applying a 
first layer of a plastic material on a mold form to construct an 
acceptable mold surface, the mold surface having an interior wall; (b) 
placing metallic strands near the interior wall of the mold surface; (c) 
positioning at least one metallic tube in communication with the metallic 
strands; (d) applying a second layer of a plastic material to cover the 
metallic strands and the metallic tube; and (e) releasing the mold from 
the mold form. 
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a limited 
production mold and a method for making same. 
It is an another object of the invention to provide a plastic mold that is 
durable with improved heat transfer characteristics. 
It is an still another object of the invention to provide a method for 
making a mold that is efficient. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the 
invention is described hereinafter in detail with reference being made to 
the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, the plastic mold 
according to the present invention is indicated by the reference number 
10. The term plastic mold as used herein includes plastic composite molds. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the mold 10 includes the female half 11 and the male 
half 12. When the mold is used to form a part, such as plastic part 14, 
the mold halves 11 and 12 are positioned within and surrounded by metal 
bases 16 and 18. The metal bases 16 and 18, for example steel bases, 
support the mold halves to resist pressures during material injection into 
the mold halves. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the mold 10 includes a first layer forming a mold 
surface 20 having an interior wall 22 and an exterior wall 24. The mold 
surface 20 is made of a plastic material. It has been found that a 
suitable plastic material is an epoxy resin because of its tough, 
dimensionally stable and chemically resistant properties. It has also been 
found that epoxy resin is particularly advantageous because of its low 
shrinkage and the absence of volatiles. As described in further detail 
below, the mold surface is formed using a pour-and-cure technique. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, a layer of metallic filaments or strands 30 are 
adjacent to the interior wall 22 of the mold surface 20. The metallic 
strands 30 should have physical properties that allow them to conduct 
heat. It has been found that pure copper has such properties thereby 
making it particularly suitable for use in the present invention. The 
strands 20 can be individual filaments or strands formed into wool as 
shown in FIG. 8. If the strands are in the form of wool, as shown in FIG. 
8, the wool can be composed of a plurality of woven loops. The individual 
loops preferably are from about 5 to 10 mm in length to from about 3 to 7 
mm in width. The layer of metallic strands 30 serve as heat exchange means 
to remove heat from the mold surface 20. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mold 10 includes additional heat exchange 
means including at least one metallic tube 40. As shown in the FIG. 1 
embodiment, the mold 10 includes three heat exchange tubes 40. However, it 
should be understood that the number of tubes 40 used with a mold 10 
varies. It has been found that a variety of metals can be used to 
construct the tubes 40. However, copper is a preferred material. Referring 
to FIG. 2, the tube 40 is formed to follow the contour of the mold surface 
20. This allows for a more efficient heat dissipation along the surface of 
the interior mold surface 22. A straight heat exchanger tube 40' can also 
be used as shown in FIG. 2 with male mold 12 or female mold 11. The tube 
40 is usually positioned approximately 1 cm from the interior wall 22 of 
the mold surface 20 for maximum efficiency. However, the positioning of 
the tube 40 in relation to the interior wall 22 is sometimes limited and, 
therefore, heat transfer rods 46 are incorporated. When the mold 10 is 
used in a molding operation, a fluid cooling agent, such as water, is 
passed through the tube 40 to create a cooling affect. This allows for 
rapid heat transfer and dissipation. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, the mold 10 shown in this embodiment includes 
still additional heat exchanger means including at least one solid heat 
transfer rod 46. In the FIG. 2 embodiment of the mold 10, four rods 46 are 
included. However, any number of rods can be used depending on situations 
where placement of tubes 40 are limited. The heat transfer rod 46 can be 
made of a variety of metals. However, it has been found that copper has 
the necessary heat conductivity properties for use in most applications. 
The rod 46 is in communication with and extends outwardly from the tube 40 
to a point adjacent to the interior wall 22 of the mold surface 20. The 
rod 46 when so positioned is in heat transfer communication with the 
metallic strands 30. This allows for the heat produced on the mold surface 
20 to be transferred to the metallic strands 30 and the metallic rod 46 
(or rods). The heat is then dissipated by the cooling affect caused by the 
fluid cooling agent passing through the metallic tube 40, which is in heat 
transfer communication with the rod 46. 
Referring to FIG. 9, a rod 46 is shown being pre-wrapped with metallic 
strand material 30. Referring to FIG. 10, the heat exchange tubes 40 can 
also be pre-wrapped with metallic strands 30. The pre-wrapping ensures 
maximum heat transfer contact. 
As shown in FIG. 2, a second layer or core 50 made of plastic material is 
positioned adjacent to the interior wall 22 of the mold surface 20. If 
desired, the first layer of plastic forming the mold surface 20 and the 
second layer of plastic forming the core 50 can be combined and the mold 
surface 20 and core 50 formed at the same time during a single application 
of plastic material. The core has an interior surface 52 and an exterior 
surface 54. The core 50 surrounds the metallic strands 30, the metallic 
tubes 40 and the metallic rods 46. It has been found that a variety of 
plastic materials can be used to form the core 50 and the mold surface 20. 
It is important, however, that the plastic material for the core and the 
mold surface have a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of 
metallic components that may be protruding from the face of the mold, 
which are replacing otherwise plastic features to extend tool life. It has 
been found that epoxy resin is a material having the necessary thermal 
resistance, surface porosity and toughness for use in the present 
invention. 
Another material which can be used to form the mold surface 20 and the core 
layer 50 is a P.E.A. material. One P.E.A. material (1,3 phenylene 
bisoxazoline) which can be used is manufactured by Ashland Chemical and 
sold under the designation AEOTECH 6000 SERIES. 
The metallic strands 30, such as copper strands, should preferably be 
treated to enhance the bond between the strands and the resin. Etching the 
strands with acid or pre-coating are viable enhancement methods. 
The method of the present invention will now be described with reference 
being made to FIGS. 3 through 7. Referring now to FIG. 3, a first layer of 
a plastic material 60, such as an epoxy resin, is applied to a mold form 
62. The word "apply", "applied" or "applying" as used herein is defined as 
the act of applying by pouring, spraying, brushing, injecting or otherwise 
placing the plastic material in the mold form. In the present embodiment, 
a conventional pour-and-cure method is used. Similarly while a container 
is showing in FIGS. 3 and 6, this is not meant to exclude other methods of 
application, such as brushing and spraying. The mold form 62 can be made 
of a variety of materials, including steel. In many constructions the mold 
will be formed using a stereolithography model. The contact surface 64 of 
the mold form 62 is usually treated with a release agent that eases in the 
removal of the final mold when it is complete. The plastic material 60 
forms a mold surface 20 having an interior surface 22 and an exterior 
surface 24. 
As shown in FIG. 4, after curing of the layer 60, metallic filaments or 
strands 30 are placed or packed near the interior wall 22 of the mold 
surface 20. The strands 30 can be made from a variety of materials, as 
described above, with copper being preferred. The strands 30 can be 
individual strands or a woven wool. If the strands 30 are in the form of 
woven wool, the wool is composed of a plurality of loops wherein the 
individual loops are from about 5 to 10 mm in length to from about 3 to 7 
mm in width. 
Referring to FIG. 5, metallic tubes 40 and profiled heat transfer rods 46 
are positioned so that the rods 46 are in thermal communication with the 
metallic strands 30. For greater heat conductivity, it is preferred that 
the rods 46 are positioned adjacent to the interior wall 22 of the mold 
surface 20. It is also preferable that the metallic strands 30 are 
compressed together to achieve maximum density and conductivity. It has 
been found that the metallic tubes 40 and the metallic rods 46 can be made 
of a variety of metals, with copper being preferred. 
As shown in FIG. 6, a second layer of plastic material 70 is applied 
adjacent to the interior surface 22 of the mold surface 20 to form the 
core 50. In the present embodiment, the pour-and-cure method is used to 
form the core 50. The core 50 surrounds the metallic strands 30, which 
have been wrapped tightly around the metallic tubes 40 and the metallic 
rods 46. The metallic strands 30 are also compressed into the remaining 
areas, maintaining contact between all components. As described above, the 
plastic material 70 can be an epoxy resin material or a P.E.A. material 
depending on the application. 
After curing, the female mold half 11 is removed from the mold form 62 and 
positioned in the steel base 16 (see FIG. 1 ). The male mold half 12 is 
constructed in the same manner is described above with respect to the 
female mold half 11. 
In some embodiments, the mold surface is hardened with high energy ion 
bombardment. 
The completed mold 10, according to the present invention, is illustrated 
in FIG. 1. 
The above detailed description of the present invention is given for 
explanatory purposes. Numerous changes and modifications can be made to 
the invention described above. The scope of the invention is defined 
solely by the appended claims.