Fluid injecting nozzle having spaced projections

• US 5,736,171 A
• Filed: 06/04/1996
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Caco Pacific Corporation
• Original Assignee: Caco Pacific Corporation
• Inventors: McGrevy, Alan N.
• Primary Examiner(s): HEITBRINK, TIMOTHY W
• Application Number:
  US08/657,279
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 425/549, 425/568, 425/572, 264/328.15
• US Class Current: 425/549
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/2766 Heat insulation between nozzle and mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/2735 for non-coaxial gates, e.g. for edge gates

Abstract

A nozzle body is provided that is equipped with a runner, passages and orifices all communicating with one another to provide a fluid delivery system to mold cavities. The nozzle body is provided with a heat insulating cap equipped with peripheral projections at spaced positions around the outside wall of the cap so that the fluid injected into the mold at the gatewell will shear with a smooth cleavage after solidifying to provide a smooth separation surface on the molded part. Each gatewell is disposed in a peripheral projection in the cap and the peripheral projection is spaced of few thousandths from the mold. The cap serves to minimize the loss of heat from the nozzle body by aligning and centering the cap and the nozzle body relative to the gatewells leading to the mold.

Claims

1. A nozzle for transporting molten material to a cavity in a mold through an opening in the mold, including,

a nozzle body,

there being a runner in the nozzle body for the introduction of the molten material into the nozzle body,

there being an orifice in the nozzle body in communication with the runner in the nozzle body,

a heat insulating cap on the nozzle body, the heat insulating cap having a gate well communicating with the orifice in the nozzle body for the flow of the molten material through the orifice and the gate well,

the heat insulating cap being constructed to provide a shearing of the article from the mold with a smooth surface at the shearing position after the solidification of the article in the mold,

first means extending between the nozzle body and the cap for aligning the nozzle body and the cap to provide for the communication between the gate well in the cap and the orifice in the nozzle body,

the heat insulating cap has a side wall and a bottom wall,

second means extending from the cap to the mold at spaced positions around the periphery of the cap to position the cap relative to the mold and to provide for a maximal heat in the molten material flowing through the passage into the cavity in the mold, and

means for heating the molten material in the passage.

2. A nozzle as set forth in claim 1 for use with a plurality of spaced molds each having a cavity, including;

there being a plurality of passages in the nozzle body at spaced positions around the runner in the nozzle body, and

the second means including a plurality of projections extending from the side wall of the cap at spaced positions around the periphery of the cap to center the projections relative to the mold and to provide for the flow of the molten material through the passages into the cavities in the molds,

each of the projections extending from the side wall of the cap at a position corresponding to the portion of an individual one of the adjacent passages.

3. A nozzle as set forth in claim 1, including;

the heating means including a plug disposed in the nozzle body relative to the passage in the nozzle body for directing heat through the passage.

4. A nozzle as set forth in claim 2, including;

the heating means including a plurality of plugs disposed in the nozzle body relative to the passages in the nozzle body for directing heat through the passages to the projections.

5. A nozzle as set forth in claim 1, including;

the heat insulating cap having a body and the projection constituting a first projection and extending from the body in a first direction, the orifice extending through the heat insulating cap to the first projection, the first projection surface being expansible to abut the mold after increases in the temperature of the cap as a result of the formation of the article in the mold,

the heat insulating cap having a second projection extending in the first direction and being displaced from the first projection along the mold in a second direction transverse to the first direction to provide an air gap between the first projection and the second projection even after increases in the temperature of the cap as a result of the formation of the article in the mold, the second projection being disposed closer to the gate well in the cap then the first projection surface.

6. A nozzle as set forth in claim 5, including,

the first and second projections being disposed in the first direction to provide a spacing between each of the first and second projections and the mold when the molten material in the passage is not being heated.

7. A nozzle as set forth in claim 1, including,

the molten material flowing in a particular direction into the opening in the mold through the gate well in the cap,

the heat insulating cap having a plurality of projections displaced from one another in a direction transverse to the particular direction to provide for the formation of the article in the mold with an extension only at the position of the gate well and to provide for the breakage of the article from the mold as the position of the gate well with a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the mold.

8. A nozzle as set forth in claim 7, including,

means for heating the nozzle body, and

a heat conductive member disposed in the nozzle body and extending to a position contiguous to the molten material flowing from the runner and through the orifice in the nozzle body to heat the molten material as the molten material flows from the runner into the orifice.

9. A nozzle for transporting molten material to a cavity in a mold through an opening in the mold, including,

a nozzle body,

a runner in the nozzle body,

there being a passage in the nozzle body in communication with the runner,

there being an orifice in the nozzle body in communication with the passage,

first means disposed on the nozzle body for introducing heat into the nozzle body,

second means disposed in the nozzle body for directing to the passage the heat introduced into the nozzle body, and

heat insulating means disposed on the nozzle body and including a gate well in communication with the orifice in the nozzle body for passing the molten material from the orifice in the nozzle body to the opening in the mold, the heat insulating means being constructed and disposed relative to the mold for providing a communication of the molten material between the nozzle body and the mold substantially only through the gate well in the heat insulating means and the opening in the mold to provide for a shearing of the article in the mold from the nozzle body, after solidification of the molten material, at substantially only the gate well in the heat insulating means,

the heat insulating means including at least one projection extending from the heat insulating means to a position in contiguous relationship with the mold for passing the molten material through the nozzle body and the passage into the projection in the heat insulating means and for maintaining the heat insulating means in abutting relationship with the mold when the projection becomes heated by the molten material.

10. A nozzle as set forth in claim 9,

there being a plurality of passages around the runner in the nozzle body and in communication with the runner and in spaced positions relative to one another,

there being a plurality of orifices in the nozzle body, each of the orifices being in communication with an individual one of the passages,

there being a plurality of projections disposed in spaced positions around the external periphery of the heat insulating means

the first means including a plurality of plugs each disposed to direct heat to individual ones of the passages.

11. A nozzle as set forth in claim 9, including,

the projection constituting a first projection the first projection being defined by a pair of spaced portions disposed on opposite sides of the opening in the mold and contiguous to, but separated from, the mold when cold and expansible into abutting relationship with the mold when heated.

12. A nozzle as set forth in claim 10, including,

the projection being constructed and disposed relative to the mold to prevent leakage of the molten material in the area around the gate well in the heat insulating means as the molten material passes from the gate well in the heat insulating means to the opening in the mold.

13. A nozzle as set forth in claim 10,

there being a plurality of projections around the external periphery of the cap at spaced positions around the external periphery of the cap for disposition in contiguous relationship to a plurality of molds,

the projections constituting first projections, and

a plurality of second projections disposed on the cap at spaced positions around the periphery of the cap in spaced and insulating relationship to the first projections.

14. A nozzle for transporting molten material to a cavity in a mold through an opening in the mold, including,

a nozzle body,

a runner in the nozzle body,

there being a passage in the nozzle body in communication with the runner,

there being in the nozzle body an orifice in communication with the passage,

first means disposed on the nozzle body for introducing heat into the nozzle body,

second means disposed in the nozzle body for directing to the passage the heat introduced into the nozzle body,

heat insulating means disposed on the nozzle body and including a gate well in communication with the orifice in the nozzle body for passing the fluid from the nozzle body to the orifice in the mold, the heat insulating means being constructed and disposed relative to the mold for providing a communication of the fluid between the cap and the mold substantially only through the gate well in the heat insulating means and the orifice in the mold to provide for a shearing of the article in the mold, after solidification, from the nozzle body at substantially only the gate well in the heat insulating means, and

a plurality of third means disposed on the heat insulating means and extending from the heat insulating means in a first particular direction for aligning the nozzle body and the heat insulating means to provide for the communication between the orifice in the nozzle body, the gate well in the heat insulating means and the opening in the mold, and

fourth means disposed on the heat insulating means and extending from the heat insulating means toward the mold at spaced positions around the heat insulating means in a second particular direction transverse to the first particular direction for aligning the heat insulating means relative to the mold with the heat insulating body spaced from the mold in the second particular direction except at the positions of the fourth means.

15. A nozzle as set forth in claim 14, wherein,

the fourth means includes a plurality of projections disposed on the periphery of the heat insulating means at spaced positions around the periphery of the heat insulating means for aligning the heat insulating means relative to the mold in the second particular direction.

16. A nozzle as set forth in claim 15, including

the heat insulating means constituting a cap having an annular periphery and the projections extending from the annular periphery of the heat insulating means at spaced positions around the annular periphery of the heat insulating means.

17. A nozzle as set forth in claim 14, including,

the heat insulating means constituting a cap having an external annular surface, and

the fourth means constituting projections extending radially from the annular external surface of the cap at spaced positions around such external annular surfaces to center the nozzle body and the cap relative to the mold.

18. A nozzle as set forth in claims 17, including,

the heat insulating means including a gate well in communication with the orifice in the nozzle body for passing the molten material from the passage the nozzle body to the opening in the mold, the third means having a periphery with a portion displaced from the mold when cold and expansible against the mold when heated for preventing the molten material from leaking along the periphery of the heat insulating means to the opening in the mold and the fourth means having a periphery with second portions disposed on the opposite sides of the first portion and separated from the third and separated from the mold when cold and expansible into contiguous, but spaced, relationship with the mold when heated.

19. A nozzle as set forth in claim 18, including,

the periphery of the heat insulating means also including third portions each disposed between the first third means and an individual one of the fourth means along the periphery of the heat insulating means and shaped to heat insulate the heat insulating means from the mold and to insulate the third means from the fourth means.

20. A nozzle as set forth in claim 19,

the third portions defining air gaps between the first portion and the second portions.

21. A nozzle as set forth in claim 18, including,

the first portion being disposed in abutting relationship to the mold when heated and the third portions defining air gaps between the and the fourth portions even when the heat insulating means is heated.

22. A nozzle as set forth in claim 19, including,

the second portions being constructed to be spaced from the mold when the heat insulating means is at ambient temperatures and to become displaced into close, but spaced relationship with the mold when the heat insulating means becomes heated.

23. A nozzle as set forth in claim 17, including,

heat conductive means extending from the heating means to the passage to introduce heat to the molten material flowing through the passage.

24. A nozzle for transporting molten material to a cavity in a mold through an opening in the mold, including,

a nozzle body,

there being a runner in the nozzle body,

means for applying heat to the nozzle body,

there being an orifice in the nozzle body in communication with the runner in the nozzle body and in communication with the opening in the mold,

a plug extending through the nozzle body to heat the molten material in the runner, the plug being made from a heat conductive material, and

a cap made from a heat insulating material, the cap being disposed on the nozzle body at the end opposite the runner and being provided with a gate well in communication with the orifice, the gate well being disposed in the cap to inject into the opening in the mold the molten material flowing through the gate well,

means disposed at the end of the cap opposite the runner for disposing the gate well in communication with the orifice,

the cap being provided with a side wall for enveloping the nozzle body, and

at least one projection extending from the cap for positioning the cap relative to the mold to provide the communication between the gate well and the orifice and to provide for the passage of heat from the plug through the passage in the nozzle body while minimizing the passage of heat from the cap.

25. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24,

the cap having an annular external periphery,

there being a plurality of projections, including the at least one projection, disposed in annularly spaced relationship to one another around the annular periphery of the cap and extending between and the cap and the mold for positioning the cap and the nozzle body relative to the mold to center the nozzle body and the cap relative to the mold.

26. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24 wherein

which the projection is disposed in a ring around the orifice in the cap.

27. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24,

the projection being contiguous to, but separated from, the mold when cold and expansible into abutting relationship with the mold when heated.

28. A nozzle as set forth in claim 25,

there being a plurality of molds disposed in spaced relationship around the annular periphery of the caps,

there being in the nozzle body a plurality of orifices disposed in spaced relationship around the periphery of the runner and in communication with the runner and the openings in the molds,

the cap having a plurality of gate wells each communicating with an individual one of the orifices,

there being a plurality of plugs each extending through the nozzle body at spaced positions in the nozzle body to heat the molten material flowing through the runner, the plugs being made from a heat conductive material,

there being a plurality of projections each extending from the cap at spaced positions around the annular periphery of the cap for centering the cap and the nozzle body relative to the molds to provide the communication between the gate wells and the orifices and to provide for the passage of heat from the plugs through the passages in the and the projections in the cap and to provide for a minimal loss of heat from the cap to the molds.

29. A nozzle as set forth in claim 27, wherein

the orifices extend from the external periphery of the nozzle body to the gate wells and wherein the projections envelope the gate wells.

30. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24, including,

the plug being made from copper, and

the cap being made from titanium,

the portions of the projections contiguous to the gate well being disposed in contiguous, but spaced, relationship with the molds when cold and in substantially abutting relationship with the molds when heated.

31. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24, including,

the cap being formed to dispose the cap in contiguous, but spaced, relationship to the mold at the position of the orifice in the cap upon the passage of heated fluid through the gate well and the opening in the orifice and to provide heat insulation between the mold and the cap at positions displaced along the cap from the gate well,

the cap being separated from the mold at positions between the orifice and the spaced portions to define heat insulating portions for controlling the heat passing to the spaced portions.

32. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24, including,

the cap being formed at positions between the spaced portions, and being disposed relative to the mold at the positions between such spaced portions, to prevent the molten material passing through the gate well into the opening in the mold from leaking along the periphery of the cap past positions on the cap around the gate well and to provide for a shearing of the article in the mold, after hardening of the molten material, only at the position of the gate well.

33. A nozzle as set forth in claim 24, including,

the cap being disposed in contiguous, but spaced, relationship to the mold in the vicinity of the opening in the mold when cold and when heated and being indented relative to the mold at positions between the opening in the mold and the spaced portions to provide heat insulation.