Method of Manufacturing Spa/tub Shell with Improved Spa/tub Jet Interface
First Claim
1. A method of forming an orifice in a wall of a molded product, the method comprising:
- removably affixing an insert on an inside wall of a mold;
applying a structural material to the mold, forming the molded product;
allowing the structural material to set;
separating the molded product from the mold, whereas the insert separates from the mold by way of the insert being removably affixed; and
removing the insert from the molded product.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for forming a tubular orifice formed/added to a wall of a molded product such as a tub, spa, hot tub, boat hull, tank, vat, trough, etc. The resulting tubular orifice has a smooth, regular, tubular inner wall that seals well with accessories that have tubular interface sections that fit within the tubular orifice and seal using one or more o-rings. The orifice is formed around an insert that is removably held to an inside wall of a mold by, for example, magnets during rotational molding, thereby enabling extraction of the molded product from the mold as the inserts separate from the inside wall as the molded product is extracted.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method of forming an orifice in a wall of a molded product, the method comprising:
-
removably affixing an insert on an inside wall of a mold; applying a structural material to the mold, forming the molded product; allowing the structural material to set; separating the molded product from the mold, whereas the insert separates from the mold by way of the insert being removably affixed; and removing the insert from the molded product. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15)
-
-
11. A method of forming an orifice in a wall of a molded product, the molded product being a spa shell, the method comprising:
-
removably affixing a plurality of inserts on an inside wall of a mold, the mold being in the form of at least a portion of a spa shell; applying a structural material to the mold, forming the molded product; allowing the structural material to set; separating the molded product from the mold, whereas the plurality of inserts separate from the mold by way of the inserts being removably affixed; and removing the plurality of inserts from the molded product. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
-
-
16. A method of forming a plurality of orifices in a wall of a molded product during rotational molding, the molded product being a spa shell, the method comprising:
-
affixing a plurality of inserts on an inside surface of a wall of a rotational mold, the rotational mold being in the form of at least a portion of a spa shell, each of the plurality of inserts held to the inside wall of the rotational mold by an apparatus including a magnet and a bracket, the bracket positioning and holding the magnet in place on the wall of the rotational mold, an end of each of the inserts that abuts the inside surface of the wall having a higher thermally conductive disk and a distal end of each of the inserts having a lower thermally conductive disk; adding a structural material to the rotational mold; closing the rotational mold; rotating the rotational mold in two directions while heating the rotational mold, thereby the structural material melts and forms onto the inside surface of the rotational mold and onto the higher thermally conductive disk of each of the inserts; allowing the structural material to set; opening the rotational mold; separating the spa shell from the rotational mold, whereas the plurality of inserts separate from the rotational mold by way of a shearing of the magnetic force holding each insert to the inner wall; and removing each of the plurality of inserts from the spa shell. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification