Abstract:
A liquid and gas assisted injection molding apparatus comprising a source of liquid coolant, a source of compressed gas, a source of heated viscous plastic, a mold cavity means for controllably injecting said plastic into said cavity, means for controlling injecting said compressed gas into said cavity, means for controllably injecting said liquid coolant into said cavity, and means for selectively controlling the injection of said plastic, gas and liquid coolant.

Description:
[0001]    Continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/610,103 Filed: Jun. 30, 2000 
     
    
     
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to improved processes and apparatus for the injection molding of plastic parts. By selectively injecting gas (compressible fluid) or liquid (non-compressible fluid) or a combination of the two, the molding processes can be substantially controlled to reduce cycle time, improve surface quality of the molded parts, to reduce the amount of plastic in each part, and to reduce the amount of waste plastic generated.  
           [0003]    An additional embodiment requires a particular orientation of the mold cavity to utilize the disparity in density between liquid and gas. In this embodiment, a gaseous bubble is formed at the top of the space formed in the interior of the part, allowing that top surface to cool at a rate different from the remainder of the part, the interior of which is exposed to the liquid coolant. By controlling the volume of the liquid and the pressure of the gas introduced, the size of the bubble and the cavity pressure can be controlled, resulting in greater control of the part molding characteristics. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for injecting molding parts according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0005]    The present invention is a process for a combination of gas assisted and water assisted molding operation for a plastic injection molding system  10  as shown in FIG. 1. The system  10  generally includes a gas unit  12 , a water unit  16 , and the mold unit  14  which includes a two piece mold cavity. The gas supply unit  12  is connected via a valve  18  to the mold unit  14 . The water assist unit  16  is connected via a valve  20  and valve  22  to the mold unit  14 .  
         [0006]    In operation, the molding process generally involves the injection of molten plastic into the mold unit  14  which will fill the mold cavity and will take on the shape of the cavity as the plastic cools. Opening valve  18  will allow the gas to enter the mold unit. Initially this gas (typically air or an inert gas such as nitrogen) will assist in the initial movement of the plastic into the mold  14 . The gas also forms a void on the interior of the part which reduces the amount of plastic in the part, thus reducing the material cost and the weight of the part. After a predetermined amount of time, valve  18 , which connects the gas unit  12  to the mold  14 , is closed and valve  20  which connects the water assist unit  16  to the mold  14  is opened in order to inject a fluid (typically water) into the cavity or hollow space formed by the gas in the plastic being molded. The introduction of this water will cool the part being molded down to a predetermined temperature in a predetermined time frame. Once the desired liquid volume has been introduced, valve  20  will be closed. After valve  20  has been closed and the part being molded is sufficiently cooled, valve  22  will be open to drain the water from the mold  14 . Once the water is fully drained from the mold, valve  22  is closed and the mold unit is opened up exposing the part with a smooth finish that has been made in a shorter cycle time than the original gas only assisted unit.  
         [0007]    Additional gas can be injected during the molding process, during the liquid-aided cooling and/or after the liquid is evacuated. As the resin cools, it tends to shrink, which will reduce the volume of resin in the mold cavity, and thus reduce the cavity pressure. One advantage of gas assisted injection molding is to prevent the plastic from shrinking away from the mold cavity surface which would result in imperfections in the molded surface. Injecting additional gas during the cooling phase will maintain the cavity pressure in spite of the plastic shrinkage. Additional gas can also be injected to increase the cavity pressure once the part has begun to cool, which should provide a more uniform part thickness than injecting the high pressure gas at the onset when the plastic is the least uniform temperature. The plastic entering the cavity cools first and becomes viscous while the plastic entering the cavity later would be warmer and more fluid and thus more affected by a burst of gas. A multiple step process of introducing gas to create an internal cavity or hollow space in the part and assist in mold coverage, followed by a higher pressure introduction of gas to ensure that a uniform thickness of resin contacts the mold surface, is enabled by the use of liquid injected to facilitate a controlled and rapid cooling of the plastic resin. In addition, additional air introduced into the cavity will facilitate the draining of the fluid. Additional gas can be injected during or after fluid evacuation to blow off any fluid droplets adhering to the part interior.  
         [0008]    Alternatively, the process can be operated utilizing a liquid such as water alone. Instead of injecting gas to assist the molding process, a liquid can be injected to increase the pressure within the mold and force the plastic to fill out the mold and create a void, the liquid will also then act to facilitate the cooling of the plastic. As the previous embodiment, gas can be injected during or after fluid evacuation if desired.  
         [0009]    An additional embodiment of the present invention utilizes the bubble that will form if both gas and liquid are injected into the mold cavity. By selectively orienting the mold cavity the desired mold surface can be generally horizontal and at the top of the mold. In this orientation, the gas introduced will create a pocket in the part interior above any liquid introduced and against the interior of the desired surface. The size of this pocket or bubble will depend upon the volume of the liquid in the part. By selectively draining a portion of the liquid, or by selectively a desired volume of liquid injected to cool, a selected top portion of the part interior can be exposed to gas which will cool the part less quickly, giving that portion a more gradual cooling period under the influence of the gas pressure, which will yield a superior part surface finish in most applications. Alternatively, if a more rapid cooling of a particular portion of the part is desired, the cavity may be oriented so that the portion of the mold cavity is toward the bottom, and the quantity of liquid coolant selected to cover the interior of that desired part segment.  
         [0010]    Thus, this embodiment combined the shorter cycle time of liquid cooling with the ability to cool a selected portion of the part at a more gradual rate, thus effecting a balance in reducing cycle time and yet improving surface quality of a surface where it is most desired.  
         [0011]    By selecting the gas and fluid based upon their densities, and by selecting the orientation of the mold and location of one or more gas inlets, there are nearly endless combinations one of skill in the art could try to vary the flow of the gas along the interior of the part to vary the cooling effects. Further, depending on the shape of the part, there could be multiple pockets of gas created, which could be facilitated by multiple gas inlets. Still further, the mold cavity could be movable to facilitate the movement of the desired part section into the highest or lowest altitude.  
         [0012]    It should be noted that the inlet and outlet valves can be operated either mechanically, electronically or by any other means commonly known. It should also be noted that a variety of coolants may be used but water is the preferred coolant.  
         [0013]    The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner, it is to be understood that the technology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise that as specifically described.