Injection molding machine

An injection molding machine includes an injection pot with an injection nozzle and a side casting port for feeding a material into the pot. The tip part of a plunger disposed in the pot is formed in such as shape that the tip part of the injection pot can be generally filled with the material after an injection is completed. A fitting part pressingly cuts off the material from the feeder by allowing a boundary part between the plunger body and its tip to be formed at a corresponding part between the injection pot body and its tip part. When the tip of the plunger is inserted into the tip of the injection pot, a clearance S is formed between the tip parts and the feeding port is opened to the fitting part, whereby the injection molding machine is capable of performing the assured pressing cutting off and excellent injection of plastic rubber in the injection pot and effective removal of residual rubber with fewer injection cycles, and is capable of providing a higher production efficiency and excellent strength.

BACKGROUND

A pre-plasticizing type injection molding machine is illustrated inFIG. 14. This machine consists of an extruding machine3provided with a screw2and has a plasticizing and feeding function while measuring. An injection pot6inside of a metal barrel1is coupled to the extruding machine3via a passage5with a check valve4. A plunger7reciprocates in the injection pot6, a part8positioned at a tip of the pot6serving as an injection passage (hereinafter, “a tip part of the injection pot”). An injection nozzle9is provided at a tip of the tip part8of the injection pot inside the metal barrel1, where a lower portion of the metal barrel1positioned near its lower end is supported by an upper die plate11on a mold10. Here, reference numeral12denotes a lower die plate coupled by the upper die plate11and tie bars13, reference numeral14denotes an insulating plate, and reference numeral15denotes a lower mold also serving as a heater plate.

In the injection molding machine, first, raw rubber is supplied into the extruding machine3as indicated by an arrow inFIG. 14, it is plasticized while being fed to the left inFIG. 14by the screw2, and the plasticized rubber is fed into the injection pot6by the passage5via the check valve4, while measuring, and the plunger7is elevated by the feeding pressure of the plasticized rubber. Next, by pushing down the plunger7, plasticized rubber inside the injection pot6is fed into the die10via the tip part8of the injection pot and the nozzle9and is injected into cavities19,20in the mold10via a sprue16, a runner17, and a gate18, where curing is conducted.

In order to improve production efficiency of a cured rubber product, and to reduce product cost, it is effective to reduce the curing time for the plasticized rubber in the cavities19,20. To do this, the temperature of the rubber in the injection pot6is required to be set as high as possible. However, when the temperature of plasticized rubber in the injection pot6is made excessively high, “an initial stage were a curing reaction starts so that flowability is lost”, referred to as scorching, occurs easily, so that scorched rubber advances into the cavities19,20, which may result in product failure or clogging at the tip part8of the injection pot or the nozzle9.

Control of plasticized rubber temperature is important for avoiding the above circumstances. In this context, an injection molding machine such as that illustrated inFIG. 14, is convenient. In this machine, plasticized rubber is fed into the injection pot6from a side part of the pot via the passage5, after being plasticized and metered within the extruding machine3, and the rubber temperature after heat generation due to the plasticization in the extruding machine3and the heat-retention temperature inside the injection pot6can be controlled independently.

Incidentally, in an injection molding machine where a screw extruding machine is incorporated, in a plunger-type injection molding machine such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3174346, to be described later, the rubber temperature after heat generation inside the screw extruding machine and the temperature inside the injection pot influence each other, resulting in difficulty in controlling both temperatures separately from each other. In a commercially-available injection molding machine of one kind, where a plasticized material from an extruding machine is fed into the pot from a nozzle at a tip part of the injection pot, an attempt has been made to utilize the injection heat generated by the small diameter of the nozzle for reducing the curing time. However, this design requires a great deal of time for feeding the plasticized material into the injection pot.

In the machine shown inFIG. 14, the generation of scorched rubber is further accelerated when rubber adheres to an inner wall face, such as that of the injection pot6, and remains at that place for a long time. It is therefore desirable to reduce as much as possible the number of mold injections required for replacing the plasticizing rubber present in the injection pot6with fresh-fed plasticizing rubber. This shortens the time the rubber remains adhered to the inner wall face in order to suppress generation of scorched rubber.

That is, it is desirable that rubber in the injection pot or the tip part be injected completely into the molds and be replaced by fresh plasticizing rubber in the fewest possible number of injections, but when the number of injections required to inject all of the rubber in the injection pot increases, the replacing performance is poor. Further, when the temperature in the injection pot6is elevated, scorching occurs easily. On the other hand, when the replacing performance is excellent, and the number of mold injections needed to inject all the rubber in pot6can be reduced, then the time during in which plasticizing rubber is overheated on the inner wall face of the pot is shortened. As a result, the generation of scorch can be suppressed.

In the general injection molding machine shown inFIG. 14, since the tip part8of the injection pot has the same diameter over its entire length, and the flowing velocity of plasticizing rubber is considerably reduced at its inner wall face as compared with the central part of the rubber at the time of injection, plasticizing rubber tends to remain on the walls, like cholesterol, when an injection is completed. In order to remove the residual rubber from the tip part8of the injection post as preparation for replacement by fresh plasticizing rubber, the injection must be repeated many times (at least six times).

When residual rubber accumulates at the tip part8of the injection pot over a period of time, so that the inner diameter (flow diameter) of the passage8becomes small, removal cannot be achieved just by repetition of the injection. In such a situation, the residual rubber may be generally removed, for example, by detaching the barrel1from the upper die plate11to clean the tip part8of the injection pot, the injection nozzle9, and the like. This is usually done after a number of injections, obtained experimentally, and requires much time and labor and causes an increase in cost.

In order to solve this problem, it has been suggested that by gradually reducing the diameter of the tip part of the injection pot toward the nozzle, and setting the inclination angle of the inner wall face of tip part of the injection pot relative to the axial line of the injection pot to 0.2° or more (in a section including the axis), like the injection molding machine describe in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-166403, a flow rate distribution of plasticizing rubber at the time of injection is changed to improve the flow rate at the inner wall part of the tip part of the injection pot to prevent the residue of plasticizing rubber at the time of injection completion. However, when clogging does occur in the shape shown in the above application, the problem of the clogging cannot be solved by a repetition of the injection, and the clogged rubber has to be taken out by disassembling the injection molding machine, or part replacement has to be conducted, so that the time and cost therefor are further increased as compared with the above-described case.

Briefly, in a conventional, common injection molding machine, since plasticizing rubber tends to easily remain on the inner wall face in the tip part of the injection pot or like structure, the number of times an injection must be repeated in order to replace the residual rubber is increased beyond necessity. Besides, when the residual rubber cannot be removed even by injections for replacements, it is necessary to detach the barrel to perform cleaning, and the time and cost therefor are significant. Further, in injection molding machines where the tip part of the injection pot is gradually reduced toward the nozzle, which is described in the above application, once clogging occurs in the passage, disassembling of the injection molding machine, part replacement therein or the like is also required. The occurrence of such problems means that the rubber within the injection pot must be set to a temperature within the range in which scorching does not occur, with the result that an improvement in production efficiency and reduction in product cost cannot be achieved.

In view of these circumstances, the present inventor previously made an invention, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-237148, that has, as a main object, the removal of residual rubber effectively without cleaning or disassembling the machine while reducing the number of times of injection for replacing the residual rubber to as few as possible. That application is directed to an injection molding machine where an injection pot is provided with a feeding port for supplying a formed material in a plasticized state into the pot. A plunger is slidably disposed in the injection pot, and a tip part of the plunger is formed in such a shape as to fill a tip part of the injection pot at the time of injection.

For example, as illustrated inFIGS. 12 and 13, a tip part22of an injection pot24in a barrel21is formed in a shape having a tapered section leading directly from a lower end of the injection pot24body part. An inner face of an injection nozzle23is also formed with an inner wall23ahaving a tapered section which is continuous with the tip part22of the injection pot. A tip part27of a plunger26is formed to conform with the shapes of the tip part22of the injection pot and the inner wall23aof the injection nozzle23. The angle θ of the tapered selection depends on the diameter of the injection pot24and is determined according to the size of the injection molding machine, the thickness of the upper die plate11, and the position of the extruding machine3mounted on the barrel21. The taper angle θ is set to 30° in the illustrated example.

According to the above construction, plasticized rubber is fed by the extruding machine3into the injection pot24through a feeding port25, via a passage5. The rubber in pot24is pressed into the tip part22of the injection pot by the descent of plunger26, and is forced into cavities19,20in the mold10via the nozzle23and is cured. After a predetermined descending of the plunger26, the tip part27thereof advances into the tip part22of the injection pot so that the plunger26descends while continuously injecting rubber from the injection nozzle23. At this time, the flow rate on the inner wall face becomes large, owing to the shape of the tip part22of the injection pot, so that rubber on the wall face flows down without delay. Since the tip portion22of the injection pot is formed in a tapered shape, the junction, or a connecting point K between the tip part22of the injection pot and the injection pot24approaches a straight line, and the angle between the tip part and the pot constitutes an obtuse angle. Therefore, flowing-down of the rubber is conducted smoothly, so that the possibility of scorching is reduced.

When the lower end of the body part of the plunger26reaches a lower end of the injection pot24, as shown inFIG. 13, the entire plunger tip part27fits into the tip part22of the injection pot and the projection end27aof the plunger abuts on the inner wall23aof the injection nozzle23. At this time, there is hardly any residue of rubber in the tip part22of the injection pot or in the injection nozzle23in this example, so that it is unnecessary to repeat the injection cycle many times in order to remove residual rubber from the tip part22of the injection pot or the like as preparation for replacement by fresh plasticized rubber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to research performed by the present inventor, it has been found that it is important to form a fitting part in an injection pot for the pressingly cutting off formed material in a plasticized state that is to be injected. This is done by providing a boundary between a plunger body part and the plunger tip part to be fitted to a boundary (the K point inFIG. 12or the location of a pot diameter-reduced part) between the injection pot body part and the injection pot tip part in order to prevent rubber from remaining in the tip part22of the injection pot or in the injection nozzle23. If such a boundary fitting can be formed, the residue of rubber can be prevented sufficiently, even if the tip part27of the plunger26is not completely fitted into the tip part22of the injection pot so that the projection end27adoes not abut the inner wall23aof the injection nozzle23. Thus, a boundary fitting which will provide a clearance, as will be described later, between the tip part27of the plunger and the inner wall23aof the injection nozzle23, will sufficiently prevent a residue of rubber.

The present inventor has also found that ascending of the plunger26can be facilitated by providing a clearance at the boundary, and ascending of the plunger26can be made possible by only supplying a plasticized material from a feeding port to make a formed material in the barrel1.

Furthermore, the present inventor has found the following matters: (1) “replacing performance” in a passage “c” between an injection pot “a” and a nozzle “b”, as illustrated inFIG. 5, is largely related to an angle θ of the passage, according to experiment (seeFIG. 6), where, for example, when the angle θ is 3°, the number of times of injection for replacement has to be 10 times, but when the angle θ is 10°, the number is 3 times, and when the angle θ is 60°, the number is 1 time. Accordingly, an angle θ that is 10° or larger is sufficient to practically prevent remnant, or cholesterol-like, scorching from occurring; and (2) the strength of a tip part wall a′ of the injection pot “a” decreases according to the increase in the tip part angle θ of the injection pot “a” in structures such as those shown inFIGS. 7,8and9, but it is understood fromFIG. 9that there is a branching point of deformation near a tip part angle of 40° and it is preferable in view of the tip wall strength that the tip part angle θ be equal to or less than 40°. Accordingly, it is found from the above matters (1) and (2) that a tip part angle θ in a range of 10° to 40° is preferable for an injection pot in accordance with the present invention.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an injection molding machine capable of performing thermal control securely, assuring a pressure cutting-off of plasticized rubber inside an injection pot while performing excellent injection, and performing effective removal of residual rubber in the injection pot with a lower number of times of injection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an injection molding machine which can facilitate ascending of a plunger, thereby providing efficient production efficiency and excellent strength.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an injection molding machine wherein an injection pot is provided with an injection nozzle and with a feeding port for supplying a plasticized material from a side part into the pot. The pot is formed in the shape of a barrel, a plunger is slidably disposed in the injection pot, and a tip part of the plunger is formed in such as shape that a tip part of the injection pot can remain generally filled with the material when an injection of a formed material is completed. A first boundary is formed between a body part of the plunger and a tip part of the plunger, and a second boundary is formed between a body part of the injection pot and the tip part of the injection pot. When the tip part of the plunger is inserted into the tip part of the injection pot so as to generally fill the tip part of the injection pot, the boundary parts engage each other to form a pressure fitting, and pressingly cut off the formed material which is in a plasticized state. A clearance is formed between the tip part of the plunger and the tip part of the injection pot below the fitting part, and the feeding port is opened to the fitting part in the plunger. Thereby, the injection molding machine is capable of performing thermal control securely by supplying a formed material in a plasticized state through a side part of the injection pot. The machine is capable of performing an assured pressing cutting off and excellent injection of plasticized rubber in the injection pot by forming a boundary fitting which pressingly cuts off the formed material in a plasticized state the fitting being formed by a boundary part between a body part of the plunger and a tip part thereof, engaging a boundary part between an injection port body part and the tip part thereof. This construction provides effective removal of residual rubber in the injection pot with fewer injections, and is combined with a construction where the tip part of the plunger is formed in such as shape that the tip part of the injection pot can be generally filled with the material when an injection of a formed material is completed, thus providing efficient production and excellent strength.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be further explained with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4among the accompanying drawings.

In an injection molding machine in accordance with the present invention, as illustrated inFIG. 1, an injection pot34-1is provided with an injection nozzle33and a feeding port35for supplying a formed material that has been put in a plasticized state through a side part into the injection pot34-1. These components are formed in a barrel31. A plunger36-1is slidably disposed in the injection pot34-1, and a tip part37-1of the plunger36-1is formed in such a shape that it is spaced from a tip part32-1of the injection pot, allowing the tip part32-1to be generally filled with the formed material when an injection of the formed material into the pot has been completed. A plunger fitting part38-1pressingly cuts off the formed material. The fitting part38-1of the plunger is formed by a plunger boundary between the body part36-1of the plunger and the tip part37-1thereof. This fitting part engages a corresponding injection pot boundary part between the body part34-1aof the injection pot and the tip part32-1thereof when the tip part37-1of the plunger is inserted into the tip part32-1of the injection pot far enough to generally fill the tip part32-1of the injection pot. The engagement of the fitting part38-1with the injection pot boundary part causes a clearance S-1to be formed between the tip part37-1of the plunger and the tip part32-1of the injection pot below the fitting part38-1. This clearance allows feeding port35to be open to the fitting part38-1of the plunger36-1.

Explaining the embodiment ofFIG. 1in further detail, first, the tip part32-1of the injection pot is directly formed from a lower end of the injection pot body34-1so as to have a tapered section. An inner face of the injection nozzle33is also formed to have an inner wall33awith a tapered section that is continuous with the wall of the tip part32-1of the injection pot. The tip part37-1of plunger36-1is formed in a tapered shape similar to that of the tip part32-1of the injection pot and of the inner wall33aof the injection nozzle33. The taper angle θ1of the tip part37-1of the plunger36-1is larger than the taper angle θ2of the tip part32-1of the injection pot, so that the clearance S-1is formed below the fitting part38-1, as shown inFIG. 1.

The clearance S-1is determined experimentally so that the remaining amount of the formed material does not scorch and constitute an obstacle after the formed material is injected out from the tip part32-1of the injection pot, and so that ascending of the plunger36-1can be performed easily. The angle θ2of the taper is determined according to the diameter of the injection pot34-1, which depends on the size of the injection molding machine, the thickness of the upper die plate11, and the position of the extruding machine which is mounted on the barrel31to supply material to feeding part35.

With the above construction, when the plunger36-1is ascended while a formed material is being fed into the feeding port35, or before feeding, the ascending can be performed easily. Even when the formed material is injected out from the injection pot tip32-1by pushing down the ascended plunger36-1, the boundary part between the body part34-1aof the injection pot34-1and the tip part32-1abuts on the fitting part38-1of the plunger36-1to pressingly cut off the formed material extruded from port35. Accordingly, formed material hardly remains as scorch in the space S-1.

In an embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2, a tip part32-2of an injection pot34-2is formed to have a slightly narrower tapered section from the lower end of the body starting at an annular fitting part38-2. An inner face of the injection nozzle33is also formed to have an inner wall33awith a tapered section continuous to the tip part32-2of the injection pot. The tip part37-2of a plunger36-2is formed in a tapered shape that is similar to those of the tip part32-2of the injection pot and the inner wall33aof the nozzle33. The taper angle θ1of the tip part37-2of the plunger36-2is larger than the angle θ2of the tip part32-2of the injection pot, resulting in a clearance S-2formed below the fitting part38-2, as shown inFIG. 2.

The clearance S-2may be determined experimentally so that a remaining amount of a formed material does not constitute an obstacle as scorch after the formed material is injected out from the tip part32-2of the injection pot, and so that ascending of the plunger36-2can be performed easily. The angle θ of the taper is determined according to the diameter of the injection pot34-2, and depends on the size of the injection molding machine, the thickness of the upper die plate11, and the position of an extruding machine mounted on the barrel31.

With the above construction, when the plunger36-2is ascended while a formed material is being fed into the feeding port35, or before feeding, the ascending can be performed easily. Besides, even when the formed material is injected out from the tip part32-2of the injection pot by pushing down the ascended plunger36-2, the boundary part between the body part34-2aof the injection pot34-2and the tip part32-2abuts on the fitting part38-2of the plunger36-2to pressingly cut off the formed material being extruded. Accordingly, the formed material hardly remains as scorch in the injection pot tip32-2.

In an embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3, the tip part32-3of an injection pot34-3is formed to have a slightly narrower tapered section extending downwardly from the lower end of the body part34-3aof the injection pot34-3via a slightly larger annular fitting part38-3. An inner face of the nozzle33is also formed to have an inner wall33awith a tapered section that is continuous with the injection pot tip part32-3, and the shape of the tip part37-3of the plunger36-3is formed in a tapered shape that is similar to those of the tip part32-3of the injection pot and the inner wall33aof the injection nozzle33. The taper angle of the tip part37-3of the plunger36-3and the angle of the tip part32-3of the injection pot are set to the same angle θ, and a clearance S-3is formed below the fitting part38-3, as shown inFIG. 3.

The clearance S-3may be determined experimentally, such that a remaining amount of a formed material does not constitute an obstacle as scorch after the formed material is injected out from the tip part32-3of the injection pot and ascending of the plunger36-3can be performed easily. The angle θ of the taper is determined according to the diameter of the injection pot34-3, and depends on the size of the injection molding machine, the thickness of the upper die plate11, and the position of an extruding machine mounted on the barrel31.

With the above construction, when the plunger36-3is ascended while a formed material is being fed into the feeding port35or before feeding, the ascending can be performed easily. Besides, when the formed material is injected out from the tip part32-3of the injection pot by pushing down the ascended plunger36-3, the boundary part between the body part34-3aof the injection pot34-3and the tip part32-3abuts on the fitting part38-3of the plunger36-3to pressingly cut off the formed material extruded from port35. Accordingly, formed material hardly remains as scorch in the space S-3.

In an embodiment illustrated inFIG. 4the tip part32-4of an injection pot34-3is formed to have a tapered section extending downwardly from the lower end of body part34-4of an injection pot34-4via an oblique annular fitting part38-4. An inner face of the injection nozzle33is also formed to have an inner wall33awith a tapered section continuous with the tip part32-4of the injection pot, and the shape of the tip part37-4of plunger36-4is formed in a tapered shape that is similar to those of the injection pot tip part32-4and the inner wall33aof the injection nozzle33. The taper angle θ1of the tip part37-4of the plunger36-4is set to be larger than the angle θ2of the tip part32-4of the injection pot, and a clearance S-4is formed below the fitting part38-4, as shown inFIG. 4.

The clearance S-4may be determined experimentally, so that a remaining amount of a formed material does not constitute an obstacle as scorch after the formed material is fed out from the tip part32-4of the injection pot, and ascending of the plunger36-4can be performed easily. The angle θ of the taper is determined according to the diameter of the injection pot34-4, and depends on the size of the injection molding machine, the thickness of the upper die plate11, and the position of an extruding machine mounted on the barrel31.

With the above construction, when the plunger36-4is ascended while a formed material is being fed into the feeding port35, or before feeding, the ascending can be performed easily. Besides, even when the formed material is injected out from the tip part32-4of the injection pot by pushing down the ascended plunger36-4, the boundary part between the body part34-4aof the injection34-4and the tip part32-4abuts on the fitting part38-4of the plunger364to pressingly cut off formed material extruded through port35. Accordingly, formed material hardly remains as scorch in the space S-4.

Regarding the clearances S-1to S-4, consideration is also made from the following viewpoint found by the inventor. That is, as illustrated inFIG. 10, where the length of a fitting part of a plunger d is represented as L, an injection pot tip part angle is represented as θ, an uppermost opening diameter of a nozzle holder “e” (which also serves as a tool for forming a vicinity of a tip of the injection pot) is represented as H, and the clearance between the plunger and the injection pot is represented as t, it is required that the equation t≦H/2 be satisfied; that is, the clearance t is required to be equal to or less than ½ of the opening diameter H. This is because a sufficient thickness is required that, when rubber has been cured in the clearance t, cured rubber can be taken out after the nozzle c or the nozzle holder e is detached.

By setting the position of the feeding port for a formed material in the barrel31at least above an upper end of the fitting part, as shown by reference numeral35′ inFIG. 11, a formed material expands from a generally upper edge of the fitting part38′ downward, as shown with a double-dotted chain line. Accordingly, after inserting the plunger tip37into the injection pot tip end32to inject rubber from the nozzle33, the amount of rubber remaining in the injection pot tip32becomes small, as shown with “g”, which facilitates replacement.

As described above, the present invention provides an injection molding machine capable of performing thermal control securely, especially for injection molding of rubber, performing an assured pressing cutting off and excellent injection of plasticized rubber in an injection pot, and performing effective removal of residual rubber in the injection pot with a lesser number of times of injection, and it is suitable to provide an injection molding machine capable of performing ascending of a plunger easily, thereby providing an efficient production efficiency and an excellent strength.