Articles injection molded on a web

• US 8,637,136 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solventum Intellectual Properties Company (Solventum Corp.)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Ferguson, Dennis E., Nayar, Satinder K., Rendon, Stanley, Pochardt, Donald L., Dobbs, James N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Catherine A
• Application Number:
  US13/530,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20120263919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 428/141, 428/156
• US Class Current: 428/156
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2037/0053 Methods for producing microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0015 by using microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/453 using supported or suspended stirring elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0811 using induction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/0094 injection moulding of small-sized articles, e.g. microarticles, ultra thin articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14942 Floating inserts, e.g. injecting simultaneously onto both sides of an insert through a pair of opposed gates
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/2683 Plurality of independent mould cavities in a single mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2791/008 Using vibrations during moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14 incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles B29C45/1671 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14016 Intermittently feeding endless articles, e.g. transfer films, to the mould B29C45/14262 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1634 with a non-uniform dispersion of the moulding material in the article, e.g. resulting in a marble effect
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1671 with an insert
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/27 Sprue channels ; Runner channels or runner nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/34 having venting means
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/568 Applying vibrations to the mould parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/73 of the mould B29C45/2642 and B29C45/2737 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00009 Production of simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2669/00 Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2011/0016 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/753 : Medical equipment; Accessories therefor bloodbags, medical bags B29L2031/7148; artificial eyes B29L2011/0008
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/756 : Microarticles, nanoarticles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/10 : characterised by a discontinuous layer, i.e. formed of separate pieces of material
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/00 : Simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 : Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24479 : including variation in thickness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24612 : Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 : Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2481 : including layer of mechanically interengaged strands, strand-portions or strand-like strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 : including metal layer

Abstract

Articles enabled by an injection molding process that molds parts on a carrier web located between mold halves and uses ultrasonic energy to assist flow of polymer melt into the mold cavity. One such article is a carrier web having a high density of molded parts, i.e., bearing an array of molded articles adhered to the web in rows and columns, the articles being spaced closer (center-to-center or edge-to-edge) than the diagonal spacing between articles in the next adjacent row and next adjacent column. Another such article is a microneedle array on a land no more than 250 μm thick on which at least 60% of the microneedles across the array are filled (i.e., completely formed).

Claims

1. An article comprising the combination of a carrier web (34, 94) and an array of molded articles adhered to the carrier web which articles are characterized by microstructural features having an aspect ratio of at least 2:

1 said array comprising columns of molded microneedle arrays aligned in the down-web direction and rows in the cross-web direction and in which array the closest center-to-center, or edge-to-edge, distance between the molded microneedle arrays is closer than the diagonal center-to-center, or edge-to-edge, distance between a molded microneedle array and another molded microneedle array in the next adjacent row and the next adjacent column.

2. The article of claim 1 on which the molded articles comprise a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyphenyl sulfides, polycarbonates, polypropylenes, acetals, acrylics, polyetherimides, polybutylene terephthalates, polyethylene terephthalates and blends thereof.

3. The article of claim 1 of which the carrier web comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal foil, porous or non-porous polymer, woven, non-woven or knitted cloth, or composites of such materials.

4. The article of claim 1 of which the carrier web comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of polypropylenes, polycarbonates, polyethylenes, polyimides and polyesters.

5. The article of claim 1 characterized by an absence of sprues and runners.