IES960033A2

IES960033A2 - A mould

Info

Publication number: IES960033A2
Authority: IE
Inventors: Louis Conlon
Original assignee: Louis Conlon
Priority date: 1996-01-16
Filing date: 1996-01-16
Publication date: 1996-09-04
Also published as: GB9700683D0; IE79031B1; GB2309191A; IES69320B2; GB2309191B

Abstract

A mould which has at least one coolant circuit, each having a plurality of coolant portions connected together to give a full circuit drilled through the mould. In the coolant portions adjacent channels may be angled relative to each other to ensure the passage of coolant close to the moulding surfaces to be cooled.

Description

This invention relates to the cooling of a mould in use in an injection moulding machine and specifically to a construction of mould for use in an injection moulding process in which the travel circuit for coolant provided in the mould construction incorporates at least one circuit portion in which adjacent circuit sections forming the said circuit portion are angled relative to each other.

A conventional construction of mould for use in an injection moulding machine uses a travel circuit for coolant, usually water, which consists of a plurality of co-operating straight horizontal and vertical circuit sections. Using such conventional horizontal and vertical circuit sections the design of the travel circuit for coolant in the mould is often less than efficient since in order to ensure that the coolant travel circuit avoids material feed lines, injector/knock out pins, return pins, screw fixing holes, pillar supports and other mould construction elements, the travel circuit for coolant often cannot, in a strict horizontal/vertical path section configuration, be drilled sufficiently close to the mould surfaces to be cooled. It is accepted practice that in order to maximise efficiency of cooling the travel circuit for coolant in the mould, should be drilled as close a possible to the mould surfaces to be cooled.

The present invention is directed towards maximising cooling efficiency in a mould for use in an injection moulding machine by providing that in the construction of the mould the coolant circuit for the coolant comprises a plurality of coolant circuit portions which are operatively associated with each other to form a complete coolant circuit drilled through the mould and in which at t one circuit portion L AND RULE 23 NO......OF $./**/ 003 comprises two adjacent channels angled relative to each other to achieve passage of coolant close to a moulding surface to be cooled.

The angle of the said channels which are angled relative to each other, relative to the mould body is in the range 20-80° and is preferably in the range 25 - 75°.

The invention will be understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG 1 illustrates in diagrammatic form a construction of mould according to the present invention; FIG 2 is a section on the line B-B of Fig 1; and FIG 3 is a section on the line C-C of Fig 1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings there is shown a mould, indicated generally at 10, and of a construction which is conventional except for the design of two coolant circuits 11 and 12. The entry parts for water coolant are indicated at 13 and 14 which the complementary coolant exit ports are indicated at 15 and 16.

If one follows the coolant circuit 11, as indicated by the arrow on the drawing one can see that at points 18 and 19 of the coolant circuit there is provided angled is channels 20, 21. Similarly, at points 22, 23 and points 24, 25 angled channels 26, 27 and 28, 29 respectively are also used. The angled channels 26, 27 at points 22, 23 are shown indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, while the angled L 96003J channels 28, 29 at points 24, 25 are shown indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In both instances the channels are angled relative to each other at an angle within the range 20-80° and preferably within the range 25 -75°. In the embodiment illustrated the respective angles at channels 26/27 is approximately 30° and at channels 28/29 is approximately 45°.

Coolant circuit 12 is drilled through the mould in the same manner as coolant circuit 11 and the use of angled channels are also used at 30, 31 and at 32, 33 and at 34, 35. A third coolant circuit 36 is also shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings and this circuit is formed and operates in the same manner as coolant circuits 11 and 12 previously described.

The use of angled channels in a coolant circuit in a mould has the principle advantage that it allows one to achieve good cooling close to the mould surfaces to be cooled ie. close to the product being moulded. This has the additional advantage of reducing cycle time for moulding the product and consequently increasing productivity. The mould incorporating a coolant circuit according to the present invention is a very effective and efficient moulding tool.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A mould for use in an injection moulding machine in which a coolant circuit for the coolant comprises a plurality of coolant circuit portions which are operatively associated with each other to form a complete coolant circuit drilled through the mould and in which at least one circuit portion comprises two adjacent channels angled relative to each other to achieve passage of coolant close to a moulding surface to the cooled.

2. A mould as claimed in Claim 1 in which the two adjacent channels are angled relative to each other and at an angle relative to the mould in the range 20-80°.

3. A mould as claimed in Claims 1 + 2 in which the two adjacent channels are angled relative to each other and at an angle to the mould in the range 25 -75°.

4. A mould as claimed in anyone of the proceeding claims in which a plurality of coolant circuits are provided.

5. A mould for use in an injection moulding machine substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.