Multi-component mold

• US 6,386,849 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caco Pacific Corporation
• Original Assignee: Caco Pacific Corporation
• Inventors: Kroeger, Charles, Unitt, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): HECKENBERG JR, DONALD H
• Application Number:
  US09/454,535
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 425/112, 425/121, 425/126.1, 425/556, 425/576, 425/588, 425/436.RM, 264/328.8, 264/250
• US Class Current: 425/112
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/045 mounted on the circumference of a rotating support having a rotating axis perpendicular to the mould opening, closing or clamping direction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1628 using a mould carrier rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the opening and closing axis of the moulding stations

Abstract

The invention is a mold apparatus for making multi-component products. The apparatus includes an elongate turret, a plurality of product connection pairs attached on opposite sides of the turret, a first mold disposed proximate to the turret and a second mold disposed on the opposite side of the turret. The first mold has a plurality of cavities for molding a first molded layer of the multi-component product, and the second mold has cavities for molding a second layer onto the first molded layer. The turret is rotatable between the first mold and the second mold by rotation about its longitudinal axis of the turret.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making products, each of which products comprises a first molded layer and a second molded layer, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an elongate turret having a front side, an opposed rear side and a longitudinal axis;

(b) a plurality of product connector pairs, each product connector pair comprising a forward product connector on the front side of the turret and a rearward product connector on the rear side of the turret, the forward product connector and the rearward product connector being disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the turret;

(c) at least one bearing for permitting the rotation of the turret about its longitudinal axis;

(d) a first mold disposed proximate to the turret, the first mold defining a plurality of first mold cavities, each first mold cavity being aligned with a product connector on the turret and each first mold cavity being sized and dimensioned to shape the exterior surface of the first molded layer of the product, the first mold being separable along a first mold separation plane which bisects each of the first mold cavities within the first mold;

(e) a second mold disposed proximate to the turret and opposite the turret from the first mold, the second mold defining a plurality of second mold cavities, each second mold cavity being aligned with a product connector on the turret and each second mold cavity being sized and dimensioned to shape the exterior surface of the second molded layer of the product, the second mold being separable along a second mold separation plane which bisects each of the second mold cavities within the second mold;

wherein the turret comprises a body having opposed side walls and a pair of stripper plates disposed on opposite sides of the body, each of the stripper plates having a plurality of stripper plate apertures, each of the product connectors being affixed to the body and extending through a stripper plate aperture, each stripper plate being movable between a retracted stripper plate position wherein the stripper plate is proximal to the body and an extended stripper plate position wherein the stripper plate is distal from the body, each stripper plate having at least one stripper plate attachment member, the apparatus further comprising;

at least one stripper plate extender member disposed separate from the turret, the at least one stripper plate extender member being attachable to the at least one stripper plate attachment member on each of the stripper plates, the at least one stripper plate extender member being movable between a first stripper plate extender member position wherein the at least one stripper plate extender member is proximal to the turret and a second stripper plate extender member position wherein the at least one stripper plate extender member is distal from the turret, the at least one stripper plate extender member being alternatively attachable to and deattachable from the at least one stripper plate attachment member on each of the two stripper plates,

so that, the at least one stripper plate extender member can be (i) moved from the first stripper plate extender member position to the second stripper plate extender member position, (ii) attached to the at least one stripper plate attachment member on one of the two stripper plates, (iii) moved from the second stripper plate extender member position to the first stripper plate extender member position, thereby moving the one of the two stripper plates from the retracted stripper plate position to the extended stripper plate position, (iv) moved from the first stripper plate extender member position to the second stripper plate extender member position, thereby moving the one of the two stripper plates from the extended stripper plate position to the retracted stripper plate position, (v) detached from the at least one stripper plate attachment member, and (vi) returned to the first stripper plate extender member position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the product connectors are mandrels sized and dimensioned to shape an interior surface of the first molded layer, each mandrel being elongate and having a longitudinal axis disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the turret.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a pair of opposed stripper plate extender members.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one stripper plate extender member comprises a hooking flange.