CN112810062A

CN112810062A - Sealing element for injection molding mold, injection molding mold and vehicle window assembly

Info

Publication number: CN112810062A
Application number: CN202010423672.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵晓宇
Original assignee: Saint Gobain Glass France SAS
Current assignee: Saint Gobain Glass France SAS; Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA
Priority date: 2020-05-19
Filing date: 2020-05-19
Publication date: 2021-05-18

Abstract

The invention provides a sealing piece for an injection molding mold, the injection molding mold with the sealing piece and a vehicle window assembly. The injection molding mould is used for forming the bound edge at the edge of the glass, the injection molding mould comprises a cavity for forming the bound edge, the sealing piece is arranged along the inner side of the cavity, and the sealing piece comprises: a first portion contacting a surface of the glass and a second portion fixed in the mold, wherein the sealing member is provided with a hollow structure that is capable of compressive deformation. The sealing element for the injection molding mould and the injection molding mould with the sealing element have excellent self-adaptive performance, can absorb the change of the thickness and/or curvature of different glass, thereby reducing the fracture risk of the glass in the injection molding process, and is widely suitable for various occasions. In addition, the vehicle window assembly has high yield, and can meet the required technological requirements and assembly requirements.

Description

Sealing element for injection molding mold, injection molding mold and vehicle window assembly

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of glass. In particular to a sealing member for an injection molding mold, an injection molding mold with the sealing member and a vehicle window assembly prepared by the injection molding mold. And more particularly, to a vehicle sunroof assembly.

Background

The vehicle skylight is installed on the roof and used for effectively promoting air circulation in the vehicle and bringing comfortable and healthy riding enjoyment for passengers, and meanwhile, the skylight is beneficial to widening the visual field and meeting the driving pleasure of the passengers. In order to make the skylight have good sealing performance, the edge of the glass needs to be coated by injection molding of a wrapping (e.g., Polyurethane (PU)).

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1a, the injection molding process includes: firstly, placing the glass 30 in an injection molding mold 10; plasticizing the raw materials to form liquid plastics, then injecting the liquid plastics into a cavity 11 of an injection molding mold, cooling and solidifying the liquid plastics in the cavity 11 of the injection molding mold to form a covered edge 40 matched with the shape of the cavity 11 of the injection molding mold.

In the conventional injection molding process, in order to prevent the liquid plastic from overflowing the cavity, as shown in fig. 1a and 1b, a sealing member 20 is usually disposed in the injection mold 10 along the inner side of the cavity 11 to seal the periphery of the glass 30, and the sealing member 20 seals the surface of the glass 30 contacting with the sealing member 20 by applying pressure to the surface of the glass 30 through the injection mold 10, so that the injected liquid plastic is confined in the cavity 11 to form the hem 40 without overflowing the cavity 11.

However, this can lead to a number of problems as the thickness and/or curvature of the glass of different batches of skylight products can vary. Specifically, if the glass has different thicknesses and/or curvatures, the pressure exerted by the mold on different glasses or different positions of the glass is not uniform, and if the pressure exerted by the mold on the glass is too large, the contact force between the glass and the sealing member is too large, and even the glass is crushed and broken; if the pressure applied by the mold on the glass is too low, which results in too low contact force between the glass and the sealing member, the liquid plastic may overflow the cavity during the injection molding process and penetrate the surface of the glass, which may cause appearance problems, and such appearance problems caused by the overflow may require additional trimming to ensure the appearance is neat, which may increase labor cost and reduce production efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving the above problems in the prior art, and provides a sealing member for an injection mold, which can help to adapt to changes in the thickness and/or curvature of glass during injection molding, reduce the risk of breakage of glass, and ensure the quality of appearance.

To this end, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sealing member for an injection mold for forming a rim at an edge of a glass, the injection mold including a cavity for forming the rim, the sealing member being disposed along an inside of the cavity, the sealing member comprising: a first portion contacting a surface of the glass and a second portion fixed in the mold, wherein the sealing member is provided with a hollow structure that is capable of compressive deformation.

The sealing element is provided with the hollow structure, so that the sealing element has self-adaptive performance, namely, the sealing element can automatically compress and deform along with the pressure applied to the sealing element, and therefore, when the sealing element is applied to an injection molding process for forming a glass edge, the sealing element can be matched with glass in an adaptive mode, and the thickness and/or curvature change of the glass can be absorbed. The design is not only beneficial to avoiding the defects, but also can reduce the design cost and the production cost of the sealing element aiming at different glasses.

The present invention may further include any one or more of the following alternatives according to the above technical idea.

In certain alternatives, the hollow structure is disposed adjacent the first portion of the seal.

In some alternatives, the seal is provided with a plurality of said hollow formations.

In certain alternatives, the hollow structures have the same or different cross-sectional shapes.

In certain alternatives, the hollow structure has a cross-sectional shape that is circular, elliptical, oblong, square, rectangular, or polygonal.

In certain alternatives, the seal is made from thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinylidene fluoride, or polytetrafluoroethylene.

In certain alternatives, the seal is made by extrusion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an injection molding die for forming a hem at an edge of a glass, the injection molding die comprising: the injection molding die comprises an upper die, a lower die and a cavity, wherein the upper die is positioned above glass, the lower die is positioned below the glass, the cavity is used for forming a covered edge at the edge of the glass, and the injection molding die further comprises the sealing piece for the injection molding die.

Due to the adoption of the sealing member with self-adaptive performance, the injection molding mold disclosed by the invention can be suitable for edge-covering molding of various types of glass within the allowable deformation range of the sealing member, and is not limited to a specific glass. Therefore, the injection molding mold provides more feasibility for product structure design, effectively improves production cycle time, saves cost, has high production efficiency, is easy to control and is widely applied.

In certain alternatives, the seal is disposed in the lower mold.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle window assembly comprising a glass pane and a hem at an edge of the glass pane, wherein the vehicle window assembly is made by an injection moulding tool as described above for forming a hem at the edge of the glass pane.

The vehicle window assembly has attractive appearance, does not need additional trimming work and labor cost, obviously improves the yield and the production efficiency, and ensures the geometric dimension of the assembly with vehicle parts.

In conclusion, the sealing member for the injection molding mold and the injection molding mold with the sealing member have excellent self-adaptive performance, can absorb the change of different glass thicknesses and/or curvatures, thereby reducing the fracture risk of glass in the injection molding process, and is widely applied to various occasions. In addition, the vehicle window assembly has high yield, and can meet the required technological requirements and assembly requirements.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of alternative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like characters represent the same or similar parts. In the various figures, for the sake of clarity, only the seals are shown in section for clarity, wherein:

FIG. 1a is a schematic plan view of a prior art injection mold for a vehicle window assembly showing the location of a seal in phantom, and FIG. 1b is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a seal for an injection molding mold according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the sealing member of FIG. 2 applied to an injection molding process for a vehicle window assembly, showing a configuration of the sealing member in a first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a second embodiment of a seal in a form;

fig. 5 is a view similar to fig. 3 showing a configuration of a sealing member in a third embodiment.

Detailed Description

The practice and use of the embodiments are discussed in detail below. It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention. The description herein of the structural positions of the respective components, such as the directions of upper, lower, top, bottom, etc., is not absolute, but relative. When the respective components are arranged as shown in the drawings, these direction expressions are appropriate, but when the positions of the respective components in the drawings are changed, these direction expressions are changed accordingly.

According to the concept of the present invention, there is provided a sealing member for an injection molding die, which, when applied to a glass-rimming injection molding process of a vehicle window assembly, includes a cavity for forming a rim, is disposed along an inner side of the cavity, and is capable of deforming with pressure applied to glass, effectively absorbing changes in thickness and/or curvature of the glass while maintaining close contact with the glass, avoiding risks of damage and breakage of the glass, and capable of eliminating a rim material flash defect, thereby obtaining a product having a good appearance. It should be understood that the "inside" of the cavity herein with respect to the glass, as shown in fig. 1a and 1b, refers to the side of the cavity 11 near the glass 30 to prevent the edge-cladding material from overflowing the cavity and flowing to the glass surface.

It should be understood that the edge cover may also be referred to as "sealant material" and refers to a material, usually a thermoplastic polymer, injected into the mold in a molten state during the injection molding process of the vehicle window assembly, which acts as a seal and reduces wind noise to ensure good appearance. The window assembly generally comprises glass and a cover for covering at least one side edge region of the glass, and the glass may be triangular, quadrangular or polygonal in shape, depending on different production requirements, and accordingly the cover may cover one, two or more side edge regions of the glass. In addition, the glass can be selected from common glass, tempered glass, laminated glass, hollow glass, semi-tempered laminated glass, ultrathin glass, plane glass, curved glass and the like.

Herein, the window assembly is described by taking a skylight as an example, however, the window to which the present invention can be applied includes, but is not limited to, a front windshield, a rear windshield, a front door glass window, a rear door glass window, a quarter window, and the like. Also, one edge of the glass is shown and described herein, but the application of a seal to the remaining edge of the glass is not precluded to obtain a different rimmed window assembly.

In a preferred embodiment, the seal is applied to the entire inside of the cavity of the injection molding die. In the illustrated embodiment, the seal is illustrated with a conventional "whistle" type cross-section, it being understood that any suitable cross-section of seal may be employed to achieve the desired effect based on the concepts of the present invention, including but not limited to square, rectangular or other profiled cross-sections.

As shown in fig. 2, a seal 50 according to the present invention comprises a first portion 52 for contacting the surface of the glass, and a second portion 51 fixed into the mold. To adapt to the thickness and/or curvature differences of different glasses, the seal 50 is advantageously provided with a hollow structure 53, so that during the injection moulding process, by the hollow structure 53 having an adaptive function as the glass deforms under pressure, the pressure exerted on the glass can be reduced while ensuring a close contact with the glass.

In certain embodiments, the hollow structure 53 may be disposed along a substantial length of the seal 50 as exemplarily shown in fig. 2. However, in some embodiments, the hollow structure 53 may also be arranged along the general width direction of the sealing member 50, or at an angle to the length direction or the width direction of the sealing member 50, as long as the hollow structure is easily deformed under pressure.

In some embodiments, the hollow structure 53 may be one or more, and when a plurality of hollow structures are employed, the respective hollow structures are spaced apart and may be disposed in a staggered arrangement or in parallel with each other, such as in the width direction of the seal 50 as exemplarily shown in fig. 2, or may also be disposed in parallel in the height direction of the seal. The design of a plurality of hollow structures is helpful for dispersing pressure, and the sealing element is ensured to have enough strength to play a role in supporting and sealing. In some embodiments, the plurality of hollow structures may be evenly spaced to function to evenly distribute pressure.

In certain embodiments, each hollow structure of the plurality of hollow structures may have the same or different cross-sectional shape. Alternatively, the hollow structure may have a circular, elliptical, oblong, square, rectangular or polygonal cross-sectional shape.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, taking as an example three hollow structures 53 positioned flush adjacent to the first portion 52 of the surface of the seal 50 that contacts the glass, each hollow structure is evenly spaced and has a circular cross-sectional shape. In the first embodiment shown in fig. 3, the seal 50 is applied to the glass 30a having a thickness of H1, and the hollow structure 53a of the seal is in a non-deformed or slightly deformed form. When the sealing member 50 is applied to glasses having different thicknesses, as shown in fig. 4, in the second embodiment applied to the glass 30b having an increased thickness, the thickness H2 of the glass 30b is greater than the thickness H1 of the glass 30a, and after the mold applies pressure to the glass 30b, the hollow structure 53b of the sealing member is in a compression-deformed form, deformed from an initially circular cross section to an oval cross section, thereby accommodating the change in the glass. If the sealing member is applied to glass having a curvature or glass having a varying curvature, as in the third embodiment shown in fig. 5, the sealing member can still accommodate the varying curvature of the glass 30c by the compression deformation of the hollow structure 53c, so as to reduce the pressure and achieve the sealing effect.

Although the seal illustrated in the figures has the hollow structure disposed adjacent the first portion 52 of the seal, i.e., adjacent the glass, to effectively relieve pressure on the glass, it should be understood that it is also possible to dispose the hollow structure adjacent the second portion 51 of the seal, i.e., adjacent the mold, to also provide pressure relief and to ensure a seal. Alternatively, it is also possible to arrange the hollow structure at a position between the first portion 52 and the second portion 51 of the seal. In alternative embodiments, the number, location, arrangement, and cross-sectional shape of the hollow structures are not particularly limited, so long as they help the seal to deform under pressure.

In some embodiments, the above deformation may be further assisted by material modifications. Conventional seal materials typically employ a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or a thermoplastic resin, such as vulcanized silicone. However, as the present invention recognizes, relying solely on elastic deformation of the material itself does not satisfy the adaptability to glass thickness or curvature. The present invention advantageously solves this problem by providing a hollow structure. Meanwhile, it should be considered that the sealing element should be made of a polymer which is resistant to high temperature and easy to deform, and the polymer does not generate an adhesion effect with an injection molding material and has a friction resistance, so that the problems of easy melting or abrasion and the like generated in the injection molding process of the vehicle window edge covering can be avoided. Moreover, due to the hollow structure, the sealing element of the invention can select a material with higher hardness, and the sealing element has more feasibility in material selection and cost control. For example, in certain embodiments, the seal may be made from Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), or Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), although other polymers with similar properties are possible.

By applying the sealing element disclosed by the invention to an injection molding mould of a vehicle window assembly, the breakage risk and the flash defect caused by different glass thickness differences and/or curvature differences can be effectively avoided, and the reliability of the injection molding process of the vehicle window assembly is improved. The sealing element is simple in structural design, and the existing die is not required to be changed. Specifically, the injection mold generally includes an upper mold positioned above the glass, a lower mold positioned below the glass, and a cavity for forming a hem at the edge of the glass. The seal may optionally be arranged in the lower mould. And the sealing element is easy to form and can be prepared in an extrusion molding mode, so that the number of sub-assemblies can be reduced, the process flow is simplified, the production cost is saved, the diversified design of the vehicle window assembly is met, and the sealing element has wide application prospect.

It should be understood herein that the embodiments shown in the figures merely show alternative shapes, sizes and arrangements of various optional components of the seal for an injection mold, the injection mold and the vehicle window assembly according to the present invention, however, they are merely illustrative and not limiting, and other shapes, sizes and arrangements may be adopted without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

While the technical content and the technical features of the invention have been disclosed, it is understood that various changes and modifications of the disclosed concept can be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto. The above description of embodiments is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A seal for an injection molding die for forming a hem at an edge of a glass, the injection molding die comprising a cavity for forming the hem, the seal being disposed along an inside of the cavity, the seal comprising: a first portion contacting a surface of the glass and a second portion fixed in the mold, characterized in that the sealing member is provided with a hollow structure which is capable of compressive deformation.

2. The seal for an injection molding mold of claim 1, wherein the hollow structure is disposed adjacent to the first portion of the seal.

3. A seal for an injection moulding mould according to claim 1, wherein said seal is provided with a plurality of said hollow formations.

4. The seal for an injection molding mold of claim 3, wherein the hollow structures have the same or different cross-sectional shapes.

5. A seal for an injection moulding mould according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said hollow structure has a circular, oval, oblong, square, rectangular or polygonal cross-sectional shape.

6. A seal for an injection moulding mould according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the seal is made from thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinylidene fluoride or polytetrafluoroethylene.

7. A seal for an injection moulding mould according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the seal is prepared by means of extrusion.

8. An injection moulding mould for forming a hem at an edge of glass, the injection moulding mould comprising: an upper mold located above the glass, a lower mold located below the glass, and a cavity for forming a hem at the edge of the glass, wherein the injection mold further comprises a seal for the injection mold according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An injection mould for forming a hem at an edge of a glass according to claim 8, wherein the seal is disposed in the lower mould.

10. A window assembly comprising glass and a hem at an edge of the glass, wherein the window assembly is prepared by an injection moulding tool according to claim 8 or 9 for forming a hem at an edge of the glass.