Utilization of blow molding tooling manufactured by sterolithography for rapid container prototyping

• US 5,458,825 A
• Filed: 10/14/1994
• Issued: 10/17/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amcor Limited (Amcor)
• Original Assignee: Hoover Universal Incorporated (Adient plc)
• Inventors: Grolman, Cory P., Angst, David R., Gaydosh, Kevin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tentoni, Leo B.
• Application Number:
  US08/324,276
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 264/22, 264/40.1, 264/225, 264/226, 264/236, 264/308, 264/523, 364/468, 364/476, 395/119
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/02 with incorporated heating or cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/00 Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A method for producing a prototype of an article includes generating a data file utilizing a computer aided design apparatus to provide data representing all of the geometry and contours for the inner cavity of the mold required to mold the article, using the data file to create the mold as a physical object directly from photosensitive resin utilizing a stereolithographic apparatus whereby the mold which is created utilizing the stereolithographic apparatus has a mold cavity having the geometry and contours required to blow mold the prototype of the article, positioning the mold in the blow molding apparatus, introducing a preform into the mold; and expanding the preform against the surface of the inner cavity of the mold to produce the prototype of the article.

Claims

1. A method for producing a prototype of a hollow article using a blow molding apparatus comprising the steps of:

generating a data file utilizing a computer aided design apparatus to provide data representing all of the geometry and contours for the surface of the inner cavity of the female mold required to mold the prototype of the article;

using the data file to control a stereolithographic apparatus to create as a physical object directly from photosensitive resin a multi-section mold for use with the blow molding apparatus, the mold which is created utilizing the stereolithographic apparatus including at least first and second mating mold halves, which when assembled together define a female mold having an inner cavity the surface of which has the geometry and contours required to blow mold the prototype of the article, said first and second mating mold halves being reusable for blow molding more than one prototype of the article and for short production runs;

removably mounting in a mold supporting means said first and second mating mold halves formed from photosensitive resin to form a mold assembly for use in the blow molding apparatus;

mounting the mold assembly in the blow molding apparatus;

introducing a preform into the inner cavity of the female mold; and

expanding the preform against the contoured surface of the inner cavity of the female mold to produce the prototype of the article.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating a data file further includes providing data representing the geometry and contours for a plurality of thermal control channels in the mold, whereby the mold that is constructed from photosensitive resin utilizing the stereolithographic apparatus includes a plurality of thermal control channels.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mold supporting means comprises a metal supporting shell, said supporting shell being adapted to mount said first and second mating mold halves which are formed from photosensitive resin and to retain said mold halves of said mold during blow molding operations.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mold comprises said first and second mating halves and a bottom made of said photosensitive resin, and said mold supporting means comprises first and second mating support portions for supporting said first and second mating mold halves, respectively, made of said photosensitive resin and a bottom support portion for supporting the mold bottom made of said photosensitive resin, and including the steps of applying a retaining means to the support portions for retaining said mold halves and mold bottom in the respective support portions of said mold supporting means as said first and second mold halves and said mold bottom are moved into and out of engagement with one another during blow molding operations.

5. A method for producing a prototype of a beverage container using a blow molding apparatus comprising the steps of:

generating a data file utilizing a computer aided design apparatus to provide data representing all of the geometry and contours for the inner surface of the cavity of a female mold for use in blow molding the prototype of said beverage container;

using the data file to control a stereolithographic apparatus to create the female mold as a physical object directly from photosensitive resin, the mold which is created utilizing the stereolithographic apparatus being a multi-section mold that includes at least first and second mating mold halves, which when assembled together define a female mold having an inner cavity, the surface of which has the geometry and contours required to blow mold a prototype of the beverage container, said first and second mating mold halves being reusable for blow molding more than one prototype of the beverage container;

removably mounting in a mold supporting means said first and second mating mold halves formed from photosensitive resin to form a mold assembly for use in the blow molding apparatus;

mounting the mold assembly in the blow molding apparatus;

introducing a preform into the inner cavity of the female mold of said mold assembly; and

expanding the preform against said contoured surface of the inner cavity of the female mold to produce the prototype of the beverage container, whereby the shape of the outer surface of the prototype produced is defined by the geometry and contours of the surface of the inner cavity of said female mold.

6. A method for producing at least first and second prototypes of a hollow article using a blow molding apparatus comprising the steps of:

controlling a stereolithographic apparatus to create as a physical object directly from a photosensitive resin a multi-section female mold for use with the blow molding apparatus for producing a first prototype of the hollow article, said multi-section mold including at least first and second mating mold sections which, when assembled together, define an inner cavity for the female mold having a surface that has the geometry and contours required to blow mold said first prototype of the article;

removably mounting in a mold supporting means said first and second mating mold sections which are formed from photosensitive resin to form a mold assembly for use in the blow molding apparatus;

mounting the mold assembly in the blow molding apparatus;

introducing a preform into the inner cavity of the female mold of the mold assembly;

expanding the preform against the contoured surface of the inner cavity of the female mold of the mold assembly to produce a first prototype of the article;

controlling said stereolithographic apparatus to create as a physical object directly from photosensitive resin a further mold section which is adapted to mate with said first mold section;

removably mounting said further mold section of said photosensitive resin in said mold supporting means in place of said second mold section to form with said first mold section a further mold assembly for use in the blow molding apparatus, said first mold section and said further mold section, when assembled together, defining an inner cavity having a surface that has the geometry and contours required to blow mold a second prototype of the article that is different from said first prototype of the article;

mounting said further mold assembly in the blow molding apparatus;

introducing a preform into the inner cavity of said further mold assembly;

and expanding the preform against the contoured surface of the inner cavity of said female mold of the mold assembly to produce said second prototype of the article.