Patent ID: 7946836

Claim:
An injection molding apparatus comprising: an injection molding machine ( 10 ) including an injection unit ( 12 ), a stationary machine platen ( 14 ) and a movable machine platen ( 16 ), an injection mold formed of a first mold plate ( 18 ) that includes an array of mold cavities ( 22 ) and a second mold plate ( 20 ) that includes an array of mold cores ( 24 ), where the first mold plate ( 18 ) is attached to the stationary machine platen ( 14 ) and the second mold plate ( 20 ) is attached to the movable machine platen ( 16 ), a molding area ( 26 ) defined between the first mold plate ( 18 ) and the second mold plate ( 20 ) when the movable machine platen ( 16 ) is moved away from the stationary machine platen ( 14 ) in order to eject molded parts ( 25 ) from the mold cores ( 24 ) using an ejection device ( 28 ), a robot ( 29 ) including a robot arm ( 33 ) movable in and out said molding area ( 26 ), where said robot ( 29 ) further includes an end of arm tool ( 30 ) attached to and movable with the robot arm ( 33 ) and where the robot arm ( 33 ) is actuated by an actuation device ( 35 ), an array of cooling devices ( 34 ), each cooling device ( 34 ) having an inner elongated cooling cavity ( 36 ) used to receive molded parts ( 25 ) ejected directly from said mold cores ( 24 ), at least one carrier device ( 32 ) of said cooling devices ( 34 ) where the carrier device ( 32 ) is removably connected to the end of arm tool ( 30 ), a linking device ( 37 ) to removably connect the carrier device ( 32 ) to the end of arm tool ( 30 ), a temperature conditioning station ( 40 ) separated from the robot ( 29 ) and cooperating with said robot ( 29 ) and with the end of arm tool ( 30 ), where said temperature conditioning station ( 40 ) includes a movable receiver ( 37 ) adapted to retain and transport said carrier device ( 32 ) with the molded parts ( 25 ) within the temperature conditioning station ( 40 ), and where said carrier device ( 32 ) when ejected from the end of arm tool ( 30 ) includes said cooling cavities ( 36 ) retaining said molded parts ( 25 ).