Female mold for plastic sanitaryware

A female mold for plastic sanitaryware manufacture has an open top to promote improved air escape from the mold as resinous backing resin fills the mold in order to reduce the number of gas inclusions within the backing material after it is cured. The female mold also provides thermal insulation for the curing backing material to permit better curing and to reduce the potential for delamination in the finished product. A production fixture is equipped with a gas impermeable lid for selective contact with the female mold, after the air has been expelled from the mold, in order to control undesirable styrene emissions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION For a more complete appreciation of the invention, attention is invited to FIG. 1 which shows an acrylic shell 10 in which two lavatory shells 11 , 12 have been vacuum molded. The shell 10 has two primary surfaces, a finished side 18 ( FIG. 5 ) that will constitute the exposed surface of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 in the completed sanitaryware fixture. Illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing, however, are unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the respective lavatory shells 11 , 12 that are opposite to the finished surface of which only the finished surface 18 ( FIG. 5 ) is shown in the drawing. Each of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 ( FIG. 1 ), moreover, is provided with individual drain holes 15 , 16 , respectively, for the purpose of enabling waste water to drain from the fixtures, when these fixtures are completed and installed. The two lavatory shells 11 , 12 are joined together by means of a web 17 that facilitates handling of the acrylic shell 10 because as joined at the web 17 , both of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 can be processed as a single unit until final finishing and trimming, as described subsequently in more complete detail. The acrylic shell 10 also has a peripheral flange 20 that rests on a horizontally disposed base 21 for a production fixture 22 ( FIG. 3 ). Turning now to FIG. 2 , two female molds 23 , 24 are shown on a vertically movable stage 25 . The stage 25 has apertures 26 , 27 that are aligned with corresponding openings 30 , 31 in the respective molds 23 , 24 . Mold wall or walls 32 , 33 , generally perpendicular to the plane of the stage 25 have inner surfaces 34 , 35 that define the dimensions of the perimeters of the respective openings 30 , 31 . These dimensions are adequate to encompass the lavatory shells 11 , 12 ( FIG. 1 ) within the confines of the respective inner surfaces 34 , 35 ( FIG. 2 ) of the female molds 23 , 24 and to provide gaps between the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 and the inner surfaces 34 , 35 of the female molds 23 , 24 to enable a suitably thick layer of resinous backing material 19 ( FIG. 5 ) to form between the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 and the inner surfaces 34 , 35 of the female molds 23 , 24 . To prepare a female mold, wood 36 ( FIG. 4 ), preferably balsa wood, is applied to the outside of the male mold 37 , the thickness of the wood 36 establishing a predetermined gap between the male mold and the inner surfaces 34 , 35 ( FIG. 2 ) of the female molds 23 , 24 that are under construction. This gap is equal to the desired thickness of the resinous backing material 19 ( FIG. 5 ). Primer 40 ( FIG. 4 ) is sprayed on exposed surface of the wood. The primed wood then is sanded to 150 grit with wax and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) 41 being applied subsequently to the primed and sanded wooden surface. In accordance with a feature of the invention, a tooling lubricant, preferably Gelcoat 42 , is sprayed onto the prepared wax 41 on the sanded and waxed surface of the wood 36 mounted on the male mold 37 . The Gelcoat 42 is sprayed to a desired thickness and dried to the touch before a mixture of polyester resin and fiberglass 43 is sprayed into place on the Gelcoat 42 . Finally, balsa wood 44 is placed and sprayed with an adhesive 45 to the cured, exposed surface of the polyester resin and fiberglass mixture 43 . The cured and layered structure of polyester resin and fiberglass 43 to which the balsa wood 44 is joined through the adhesive 45 , then is ground and demolded. A gasket 46 ( FIG. 2 ), moreover, is glued to the perimeters of the respective female molds 23 , 24 , the dimensions of the gasket 46 being essentially the same as the corresponding dimensions of the web 17 ( FIG. 1 ) and peripheral flange 20 of the acrylic shell 10 . To complete the female mold structure, a layer of Teflon, nickel plate, ceramic finish or stainless steel (not shown in the drawing) is secured to the inner surface 34 ( FIG. 4 ) of the illustrative mold wall 32 ( FIG. 2 ). The female molds 23 , 24 ( FIG. 3 ), treated in the foregoing manner, are waxed and then mounted on the vertically movable stage 25 in the production fixture 22 . In this way, the female molds 23 , 24 conserve heat generated through exothermic reactions in the catalyzed resin 19 ( FIG. 5 ) that is deposited within the mold walls 32 , 33 ( FIG. 2 ) for adherence to the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 . Thus, the layered structure of the mold wall 32 shown in FIG. 4, a layered combination of Teflon, nickel plate or stainless steel, the resin and fiberglass mixture 43 , completely covered with the layer of balsa wood 44 and the adhesive 45 provide an improved, more effective thermal insulation that enables the catalyzed and curing resin 19 ( FIG. 5 ) within the female molds 23 , 24 ( FIG. 3 ) to harden in a manner that promotes better adherence between the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 and the cured resin 19 ( FIG. 5 ). Finished product quality is improved and occurrences of delamination between the cured resin and the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 is significantly reduced. As mentioned above, and best shown in FIG. 3 , the peripheral flange 20 of the acrylic shell 10 is mounted horizontally on a stationary base 21 that is joined, at longitudinal ends 47 , 50 to respective, fixed vertical supports 51 , 52 . The tops of the vertical supports 51 , 52 , moreover, are joined to a horizontal support 53 . Four actuators, or pneumatic cylinders 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 are secured to the upper surface of the horizontal support 53 to enable respective piston rods 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 to protrude vertically through the horizontal support 53 for individual and selective vertical movement. Each of the pneumatic cylinders 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 has a respective control element 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 connected to a control panel 70 that is secured to the outer surface of the vertical support 51 . The control panel enables the piston rods 60 and 63 to be moved simultaneously and through the same distances in vertically upward and downward directions, as illustrated by means of arrows 71 , 72 . The pneumatic cylinders 55 , 56 , however, and in accordance with another salient feature of the invention, are each separately operable through the control panel 70 to move individually in the directions of the arrows 71 , 72 as described subsequently, in more complete detail. To complete the description of the production fixture 22 , it should be noted that the free ends of the piston rods 60 , 63 are connected to the movable stage 25 for selective vertical movement in the directions of the arrows 71 , 72 under the control of the respective pneumatic cylinders 54 , 57 with which the piston rods 60 , 63 are associated. As described above, the gasket 46 is mounted, in fluid-tight relation, on the movable stage 25 , the mold walls in the female molds 23 , 24 being aligned with the individual openings 30 , 31 ( FIG. 2 ) in the movable stage 25 . Two flat, horizontally arranged lids 73 , 74 , spaced below the horizontal support 53 are connected, individually, to piston rods 61 , 62 , respectively. In accordance with the invention, the lids 73 , 74 are separately movable in the vertical directions of the arrows 71 , 72 under control from the panel 70 . The range of motion for the lids 73 , 74 is defined by the gap between the inner and lower surface of the horizontal support 53 and corresponding top edges 75 , 76 of the female molds 23 , 24 . In operation, the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 are activated by automatically or otherwise spraying a barrier coat 28 ( FIG. 5 ) on the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 . Illustratively, a typical barrier coat 28 can have the following composition: 1 Acrylic Barrier Coat Resin Mix Product Weight per Weight Per % Component Supplier Code U.S. Gallon Recipe (lbs.) Recipe Resin Hydrex 33348-15 10.5 237.5 59.26% Filler Performance Minerals SPT N/A 100 24.95% Dancing Bear Minerals PDT-325 N/A Gelcoat Neste WG-2X1984 10.8 35 8.73% Interplastics W-663B-IUU Pigment American Colors PC-47173 19.9 19 4.74% Cabosil Composite One 20913 N/A 3 0.75% Catalyst Norac 925 8.0 5.92278 1.48% 6% Cobalt Composite One 23820-MG 7.0 0.352 0.09% For the purpose of this illustrative example, about five to seven pounds of barrier coat material should be sprayed on each of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 in order to properly bond the barrier coat not only to the unfinished surfaces 13 , 14 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 but also to bond the barrier coat to the subsequently applied catalyzed resin and fiberglass mixture 19 ( FIG. 5 ) that constitutes the backing material for the finished product. The pneumatic cylinders 54 , 57 are activated to draw the stage 25 upward until the stage 25 reaches about two-thirds of the height of the vertical supports 51 , 52 from the bottom of these supports 51 , 52 . The female molds 23 , 24 are cleaned and waxed with TR 214 mold release wax. Then, the female molds 23 , 24 are placed on the vertically movable stage 25 in alignment with respective openings 30 , 31 ( FIG. 2 ) in the stage 25 . The gasket 46 ( FIG. 3 ), moreover, forms a fluid-tight seal between the stage 25 and the female molds 23 , 24 . The pneumatic cylinders 54 , 57 next are activated to lower the stage 25 downwardly in the direction of the arrow 72 to permit the stage 25 to settle firmly on the peripheral flange 20 , establishing a fluid-tight seal with the flange 20 . Because the openings 30 , 31 in the stage 25 also are aligned with corresponding lavatory shells 11 , 12 , the shells 11 , 12 are nested within their associated female molds 23 , 24 with a clearance between the mold walls 32 , 33 and the opposite unfinished surfaces 12 , 13 of the lavatory shells 11 , 12 to accommodate a predetermined thickness of the backing material 19 ( FIG. 5 ). A typical resin mix for the backing 19 on the lavatory shells 11 , 12 is: 2 Resin Mix Resin Mix Product Weight per Weight Per % Component Supplier Code U.S. Gallon Recipe (lbs.) Recipe Resin Reichhold 33348-15 1.8 19 35.31% Reichhold 32144-08 Interplastics COR44-201-034 Filler Performance Minerals SPT N/A 33.5 62.25% Dancing Bear Minerals PDT-325 N/A Pigment American Colors PC-47173 10.7 0.15625 0.29% Glass Owens Corning 360-RR N/A 0.5 0.93% Catalyst NORAC 925 8.0 0.66 1.23% NORAC 9H Reichhold 46771 This catalyzed resin mixture is poured either manually or through an automated delivery system into the female molds 23 , 24 to fill the volume between the barrier coat on the lavatory shells 11 , 12 and the corresponding mold walls 32 , 33 . A vibrator 80 attached to the fame 21 agitate the mold and shell structure as the backing resin is pouring into the molds. The vibrations fill the cavity in the mold more swiftly and promote escape of trapped air. The vibrator 80 can be applied to the molding apparatus and resin at any suitable place beside that shown on FIG. 3 . Other salient features of the invention are characterized not only by the open tops to the female molds 23 , 24 , but also by the fluid-tight seals between the gasket 46 on the female molds 23 , 24 and the stage 25 with the peripheral flange 20 . Thus, as the catalyzed resin 19 ( FIG. 5 ) is flowing into the respective female molds 23 , 24 ( FIG. 3 ), the air within the molds 23 , 24 is displaced by the resin, the air so displaced being ejected from the female molds 23 , 24 through the open tops of these molds that are defined by the mold walls 32 , 33 . In this manner, air does not become trapped within the backing resin 19 ( FIG. 5 ) to form quality-degrading bubbles and void spaces in the hardened resin. Because the heat from the exothermic curing of the resin 19 is conserved by the structure of the molds 23 , 24 ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), the curing resin also maintains a degree of fluidity for a period somewhat longer than that which has characterized the prior art, thereby permitting the escape of even more air displaced by or entrained within the resin. The tight seals that are established between the female molds 23 , 24 and the peripheral flange 20 also reflect a further improvement that characterizes the invention. By establishing fluid-tight sealing, the catalyzed resin 19 ( FIG. 5 ) within the female molds 23 , 24 does not leak beyond the confines of the seals. In this way, expensive resin is not wasted and the labor that heretofore had been required to trim this excess resin from the finished product is no longer required. With the aid of the thermally insulated female molds 23 , 24 , the curing resin within the molds reaches a temperature of 150° F. to 200° F. and, after a setting time of approximately twenty to thirty minutes, the resin is 95% cured. The curing resin 19 in the female molds 23 , 24 emits environmentally unacceptable styrene fumes. To prevent the dispersion of these fumes into the atmosphere, after suitable volumes of the resinous backing material 19 have been deposited in the molds 23 , 24 and air, entrained within the resin 19 has been allowed to escape in the manner described above, the pneumatic cylinders 55 , 56 are activated to lower the respective lids 73 , 74 in the direction of the arrow 72 , onto the top edges 75 , 76 , of the female molds 23 , 24 to establish therewith an air tight relation. Styrene fumes emanating from the curing resin 19 within the molds 23 , 24 are thus trapped within the void space (not shown in the drawing) between the resin 19 , the exposed mold walls 32 , 33 and the respective lids 73 , 74 . The styrene fumes, so trapped, can be off-gassed through a vacuum system (also not shown in the drawing) and stored safely for later, suitable disposal. After off-gassing is complete, the pneumatic cylinders 55 , 56 are once more energized to retract the lids 73 , 74 in the upward direction of the arrow 71 , clear of the molds 23 , 24 , as shown in FIG. 3 . Upon curing in the foregoing manner, the pneumatic cylinders 54 , 57 are activated to draw the female molds 23 , 24 upwardly in the direction of the arrow 71 to demold the lavatory shells 11 , 12 and their associated cured resin backing 19 ( FIG. 5 ) The stage 25 ( FIG. 3 ) is drawn upwardly in the direction of the arrow 71 until a vertical clearance of 8 inches to 10 inches is established between the stage 25 and the demolded lavatory shells 11 , 12 with their respective cured resin backings. The lavatories then are removed from the production fixture 22 for drilling and trimming, as necessary, the approximate weight of a finished lavatory being about 56 pounds. Thus, there is provided in accordance with the principles of the invention an improved method and production apparatus for manufacturing plastic sanitaryware from which bubbles and air inclusions within the backing material are markedly reduced and better curing and attendant improved bonding is attained between the backing material and the shell, while suppressing the emission of environmentally undesirable styrene fumes.