Injection-molding tool and method for modifying such an injection-molding tool in an injection-molding machine

• US 9,586,354 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WAGO Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (WAGO Holding GmbH)
• Original Assignee: WAGO Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (WAGO Holding GmbH)
• Inventors: Sundermann, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Hauth, Galen
• Application Number:
  US13/721,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20140175690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1756 Handling of moulds or mould parts, e.g. mould exchanging means moulds per se B29C45/26
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/2673 with exchangeable mould parts, e.g. cassette moulds B29C45/1756 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/2675 Mounting of exchangeable mould inserts

Abstract

An injection-molding tool (1) for a clamping unit of an injection-molding machine for producing injection-molded parts, comprising a frame tool, consisting of a first, nozzle-side tool half (2) and a second, ejector-side tool half (3), is described. Mold insert halves (50, 51) of at least one mold insert (11) are fitted in slide-in frames (9, 10). The slide-in frames (9, 10) with the at least one mold insert (11) fitted in them can be connected to one another to form a slide-in module (8) which in the modifying process can be removed as a whole from the frame tool, which in the modifying process remains connected to the injection-molding machine.

Claims

1. An injection-molding tool for a clamping unit of an injection-molding machine for producing injection-molded parts, comprising:

a frame tool, including of a first, nozzle-side tool half, for attachment to a nozzle-side, fixed platen of the clamping unit of an injection-molding machine, and a second, ejector-side tool half, for attachment to an ejector-side movable platen of the clamping unit of the injection-molding machine,

wherein the first, nozzle-side tool half has at least one injection-molding material distributing unit, which interacts with a machine nozzle of the injection-molding machine that can be attached to the nozzle-side platen and which has a runner and at least one injection-molding nozzle, protruding from the first, nozzle-side tool half in the direction of the second, ejector-side tool half,

wherein the runner leads from an inlet opening for the attachment of the machine nozzle of the injection-molding machine to the at least one injection-molding nozzle, and the second, ejector-side tool half has at least one ejector unit, and

wherein at least one mold insert respectively formed by two mold insert halves and having at least one cavity adapted to a molded part is provided,

wherein the first, nozzle-side mold insert half of a mold insert is adapted for connection to the first, nozzle-side tool half and the second, ejector-side mold insert half of the same mold insert is adapted for connection to the second, ejector-side tool half,

wherein the mold insert halves of the at least one mold insert are fitted in slide-in frames and the slide-in frames can be connected to one another to form a slide-in module that can be removed from the frame tool, and in that the nozzle-side slide-in frame has at least one nozzle opening for respectively receiving an assigned injection-molding nozzle of the first, nozzle-side tool half.

2. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein the second, ejector-side mold insert half has a displaceably mounted ejector assembly and the ejector-side slide-in frame has at least one opening for receiving the ejector assembly of an assigned second, ejector-side mold insert half.

3. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein the ejector-side slide-in frame has at least one projecting injection-molding manifold head, which is aligned for arrangement opposite an assigned injection-molding nozzle and, at its free head end, has runners for conducting injection-molding material emerging from the assigned injection-molding nozzle into cavities of at least one mold insert.

4. The injection-molding tool according to claim 3, wherein the injection-molding manifold head has a sprue ejector arranged in a linearly movable manner in or on the injection-molding manifold head.

5. The injection-molding tool according to claim 3, wherein the injection-molding manifold head is rotatable for adaptation of the alignment of the runners arranged at the free head end.

6. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein, on both sides of the first or second tool half, guiding profiles extend in the direction of the other tool half and the other tool half is guided in a linearly displaceable manner on the guiding profiles, and in that the slide-in module can then be inserted into the intermediate space between the first and second tool halves and the guiding profiles extending on both sides between the first and second tool halves.

7. The injection-molding tool according to claim 6, characterized by at least one measuring unit, which is on a side wall of a tool half, is aligned with the free end of an assigned guiding profile, which is fixedly connected to the other tool half, and interacts with the free end to verify the clamping pressure of the injection-molding tool.

8. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein guiding profiles extend in the lower region of one tool half in the direction of the other tool half and the other tool half is mounted in a slidingly displaceable manner on the guiding profiles and is at least partially carried by the guiding profiles in a modifying process of modifying the injection-molding tool.

9. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein the second, ejector-side tool half has an ejector unit with movable ejector elements, which extend movably in the direction of the first, nozzle-side tool half for the actuation of at least one individualized ejector unit of the at least one assigned mold insert.

10. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein the first, nozzle-side tool half has adjacent to the slide-in module a nozzle-side mold plate, which can be connected to at least one further plate of the first, nozzle-side tool half and, for a process of modifying the injection-molding tool, can optionally be detached from the at least one further plate of the first, nozzle-side tool half and can be connected to the second, ejector-side tool half, while leaving an intermediate space for the slide-in module.

11. The injection-molding tool according to claim 10, wherein pivotable locking levers are arranged on both sides of the nozzle-side mold plate for locking optionally to a further plate of the first, nozzle-side tool half or to the second, ejector-side tool half.

12. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein the mold insert halves respectively have temperature-control channels with inlets and outlets communicating therewith for conducting through fluid for cooling or heating the mold insert.

13. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein mold inserts have movably mounted slide elements for demolding molded parts that have undercuts.

14. The injection-molding tool according to claim 1, wherein heat-insulating panels, heat-insulating intermediate layers and/or spacing panels are arranged between the slide-in frames and the mold inserts to reduce heat transfer.

15. A method for modifying an injection-molding tool according to claim 1 on an injection-molding machine, characterized by the steps of:

opening the clamping unit by moving the second, ejector-side tool half in a direction away from the first, nozzle-side tool half;

detaching the nozzle-side slide-in frame from the first, nozzle-side tool half and detaching the ejector-side slide-in frame from the second, ejector-side tool half;

closing the clamping unit of the injection-molding machine by moving the second, ejector-side tool half in the direction of the first, nozzle-side tool half;

uncoupling a nozzle-side mold plate of the first, nozzle-side tool half from the further elements of the first, nozzle-side tool half and coupling this nozzle-side mold plate (to the second, ejector-side tool half;

opening the clamping unit by moving the second, ejector-side tool half in a direction away from the first, nozzle-side tool half;

lifting the slide-in module formed by setting a bridge between the slide-in frames out from the frame tool;

inserting another slide-in module into the frame tool;

closing the clamping unit by moving the second, ejector-side tool half in the direction of the first, nozzle-side tool half;

uncoupling the nozzle-side mold plate from the second, ejector-side tool half and coupling the nozzle-side mold plate to the first, nozzle-side tool half;

opening the clamping unit by detaching the bridge for individualizing the slide-in frames by moving the second, ejector-side tool half in a direction away from the first, nozzle-side tool half; and

connecting the nozzle-side slide-in frame to the first, nozzle-side tool half and the ejector-side slide-in frame to the second, ejector-side tool half.