Patent ID: 7128553

Claim:
An injection molding machine having a fixed platen and a movable platen movable toward and away from the fixed platen, the machine including an injection mold tooling assembly that comprises (a) a first mold half that is removably attached to the fixed platen, (b) a second mold half that is removably attached to the movable platen, and (c) a turret coupled to the first and second mold halves having a plurality of faces and positioned between the fixed and movable platens, wherein the entire injection mold tooling assembly comprises a single unit that is removable from the fixed and movable platens, the turret being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement of the movable platen to bring different faces of the turret into alignment with the first mold half, at least two opposed the turret faces having turret mold halves that are complementary to the first mold half that when closed define between them the desired shape of a part to be molded, the turret including an actuator for moving the turret in the direction of movement of the movable platen between a molding position in which the turret mold half of one turret face and the first mold half are closed on each other and an open position in which the turret may rotate about its axis of rotation, said actuator being capable of so moving said turret or of not moving said turret independently of the movement of the movable platen, whereupon the movable platen may be moved away from the turret without opening the mold to enable access to a previously molded part at the opposite face of the turret.