Method for manufacturing mold

• US 8,186,415 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tomita Pharmaceutical Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tomita Pharmaceutical Company Limited
• Inventors: Tomita, Minoru, Hashimoto, Hisaaki, Koizumi, Tomohide, Tamagawa, Kazuhiko, Ookubo, Akira, Hashimoto, Nozomu, Marutani, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, KUANG Y
• Application Number:
  US13/083,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20110186257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 164/4.1, 164/24
• US Class Current: 164/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/00 Moulds or cores uniquely adapted to particular casting processes B22D; Moulding processes
• CPC Class Codes: B22C 9/105 Salt cores
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3807 Resin-bonded materials, e.g. inorganic particles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/52 soluble or fusible in particular used in injection moulding B29C45/4457
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2709/00 Use of inorganic materials not provided for in groups B29K2703/00 - B29K2707/00, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/10 Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a mold, including steps of (a) expanding a powder mixture containing a water-soluble inorganic salt powder and a water-soluble organic polymer powder in a plane on a table and then selectively spraying a spray liquid containing at least one selected from a water-miscible organic solvent and water through a nozzle on this powder mixture layer to make a bonding strength among particles of the powder mixture in a sprayed region higher than that among particles of the powder mixture in an unsprayed region, (b) further expanding the powder mixture on the powder mixture layer after spraying and then selectively spraying the spray liquid through the nozzle on this powder mixture layer, (c) repeatedly conducting the step (b) over several times to form a mold shaped by the sprayed regions, and (d) taking out the mold.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a mold, comprising the steps of:

(a) expanding a powder mixture containing a water-soluble inorganic salt powder and at least one water-soluble organic polymer powder selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol and a cellulose derivative in a plane on a table to form a layer and then selectively spraying a spray liquid that is free of a binder component and contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a water-miscible organic solvent and water through a nozzle on this powder mixture layer to make a bonding strength among particles of the powder mixture layer in a sprayed region higher than that among particles of the powder mixture layer in an unsprayed region;

(b) further expanding the powder mixture on the powder mixture layer after spraying and then selectively spraying the spray liquid through the nozzle on this powder mixture layer;

(c) repeatedly conducting the step (b) over several times to form a mold shaped by the sprayed regions; and

(d) taking out the mold.

2. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 1, wherein the water-soluble inorganic salt is an alkali metal salt or an alkaline earth metal salt.

3. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 1, wherein the water-miscible organic solvent is a lower alcohol or a ketone.

4. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 1, wherein drying treatment is further conducted after the step (c) and before the step (d).

5. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 1, wherein the content of the watersoluble organic polymer powder in the powder mixture is 0.1 to 30% by weight.

6. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 1, wherein the spray liquid further contains a dye.

7. A method for manufacturing a mold, comprising the steps of:

(a) expanding a powder mixture containing sodium chloride powder, magnesium sulfate powder and polyvinyl pyrrolidone powder in a plane on a table to form a layer and then selectively spraying a spray liquid that is free of a binder component and contains ethanol and water through a nozzle on this powder mixture layer to make a bonding strength among particles of the powder mixture layer in a sprayed region higher than that among particles of the powder mixture layer in an unsprayed region;

(b) further expanding the powder mixture on the powder mixture layer after spraying and then selectively spraying the spray liquid through the nozzle on this powder mixture layer;

(c) repeatedly conducting the step (b) over several times to form a mold shaped by the sprayed regions; and

(d) taking out the muld.

8. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 7, wherein the content of the polyvinyl pyrrolidone powder in the powder mixture is 0.1 to 30% by weight.

9. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 7, wherein the spray liquid further contains a dye.

10. A method for manufacturing a mold, comprising the steps of:

(a) expanding a powder mixture containing a water-soluble first inorganic salt powder, a second inorganic salt powder consisting of magnesium sulfate, and a water-soluble organic polymer powder in a plane on a table to form a layer and then selectively spraying a spray liquid that is free of a binder component and contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a water-miscible organic solvent and water through a nozzle on this powder mixture layer to make a bonding strength among particles of the powder mixture layer in a sprayed region higher than that among particles of the powder mixture layer in an unsprayed region;

(b) further expanding the powder mixture on the powder mixture layer after spraying and then selectively spraying the spray liquid through the nozzle on this powder mixture layer;

(c) repeatedly conducting the step (b) over several times to form a mold shaped by the sprayed regions;

(d) taking out the mold; and

(e) heating the mold at a temperature at which the first and second inorganic salts are not fused and above a temperature at which the water-soluble organic polymer is burned out.

11. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 10, wherein the first inorganic salt is sodium chloride.

12. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 10, wherein the water-soluble organic polymer is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol and a cellulose derivative.

13. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 10, wherein the water-miscible

organic solvent is a lower alcohol or a ketone.

14. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 10, wherein drying treatment is further conducted after the step (c) and before the step (d).

15. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 10, wherein a surface of the mold after the step (e) is further sprayed with a treatment composition containing a third inorganic salt having a melting point lower than those of the first and second inorganic salts and at least one liquid selected from the group consisting of water and a water-miscible organic solvent, or the mold is dipped in the treatment composition, and the mold after either treatment is heated at a temperature at which the first and second inorganic salts are not fused but the third inorganic salt is fused.

16. A method for manufacturing a mold, comprising the steps of:

(a) expanding a powder mixture containing a water-soluble first inorganic salt powder, a water-soluble second inorganic salt powder having a melting point lower than that of the first inorganic salt, and a water-soluble organic polymer powder in a plane on a table to form a layer and then selectively spraying a spray liquid that is free of a binder component and contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a water-miscible organic solvent and water through a nozzle on this powder mixture layer to make a bonding strength among particles of the powder mixture layer in a sprayed region higher than that among particles of the powder mixture layer in an unsprayed region;

(b) further expanding the powder mixture on the powder mixture layer after spraying and then selectively spraying the spray liquid through the nozzle on this powder mixture layer;

(c) repeatedly conducting the step (b) over several times to form a mold shaped by the sprayed regions;

(d) taking out the mold; and

(e) heating the mold at a temperature at which the first inorganic salt is not fused but the second inorganic salt is fused.

17. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 16, wherein the first inorganic salt is sodium chloride, and the second inorganic salt is potassium chloride.

18. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 16, wherein the water-soluble organic polymer is at least one member selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol and a cellulose derivative.

19. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 16, wherein the water-miscible organic solvent is a lower alcohol or a ketone.

20. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 16, wherein drying treatment is further conducted after the step (c) and before the step (d).

21. The method for manufacturing a mold according to claim 16, wherein a surface of the mold after the step (e) is further sprayed with a treatment composition containing a third inorganic salt having a melting point lower than that of the first inorganic salt and at least one liquid selected from the group consisting of water and a water-miscible organic solvent, or the mold is dipped in the treatment composition, and the mold after either treatment is heat-treated at a temperature at which the first inorganic salt is not fused but at least one inorganic salt selected from the group consisting of the second and third inorganic salts is fused.