WO2012178145A2 - Appareil de moulage par injection et procédé permettant l'injection aval d'un fluide dans un écoulement de matériau - Google Patents

Appareil de moulage par injection et procédé permettant l'injection aval d'un fluide dans un écoulement de matériau Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012178145A2
WO2012178145A2 PCT/US2012/043944 US2012043944W WO2012178145A2 WO 2012178145 A2 WO2012178145 A2 WO 2012178145A2 US 2012043944 W US2012043944 W US 2012043944W WO 2012178145 A2 WO2012178145 A2 WO 2012178145A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fluid
polymer material
barrel
manifold
flow
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US2012/043944
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English (en)
Other versions
WO2012178145A3 (fr
Inventor
Mark D. Moss
Vito Galati
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Synventive Molding Solutions Inc
Original Assignee
Synventive Molding Solutions Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Synventive Molding Solutions Inc filed Critical Synventive Molding Solutions Inc
Publication of WO2012178145A2 publication Critical patent/WO2012178145A2/fr
Publication of WO2012178145A3 publication Critical patent/WO2012178145A3/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C44/00—Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming ; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles
    • B29C44/34—Auxiliary operations
    • B29C44/3469—Cell or pore nucleation
    • B29C44/348—Cell or pore nucleation by regulating the temperature and/or the pressure, e.g. suppression of foaming until the pressure is rapidly decreased
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C44/00—Shaping by internal pressure generated in the material, e.g. swelling or foaming ; Producing porous or cellular expanded plastics articles
    • B29C44/34—Auxiliary operations
    • B29C44/3442—Mixing, kneading or conveying the foamable material
    • B29C44/3446—Feeding the blowing agent
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/17—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C45/1703—Introducing an auxiliary fluid into the mould
    • B29C45/1704—Introducing an auxiliary fluid into the mould the fluid being introduced into the interior of the injected material which is still in a molten state, e.g. for producing hollow articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/17—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C45/18—Feeding the material into the injection moulding apparatus, i.e. feeding the non-plastified material into the injection unit
    • B29C45/1816—Feeding auxiliary material, e.g. colouring material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/17—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C45/1701—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations using a particular environment during moulding, e.g. moisture-free or dust-free
    • B29C2045/1702—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations using a particular environment during moulding, e.g. moisture-free or dust-free dissolving or absorbing a fluid in the plastic material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/17—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C45/26—Moulds
    • B29C45/27—Sprue channels ; Runner channels or runner nozzles
    • B29C45/2701—Details not specific to hot or cold runner channels
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/17—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C45/26—Moulds
    • B29C45/27—Sprue channels ; Runner channels or runner nozzles
    • B29C45/2725—Manifolds

Definitions

  • Patent No. 6,419,870 U.S. Patent No. 6,464,909 (7031), U.S. Patent No. 6,599,116, U.S. Patent No. 6,824,379, U.S. Patent No. 7,234,929 (7075US1), U.S. Patent No. 7,419,625 (7075US2), U.S. Patent No. 7,569,169 (7075US3), U.S. Patent
  • Extrusion systems have been developed having devices that inject inert gases that have been converted to liquid into the barrel of extruder under very high pressure. Such systems attempt to mix the liquefied high pressure gases together with a polymer material that has been melted within the barrel and inject such mixed inert liquid-polymer fluid into a die at the exit of the barrel of the extruder whereby the polymer material is formed into a cooled body of foamed polymer material that contains cells created by expansion of the inert liquid within the body of polymer material.
  • an apparatus for expanding the matrix of a polymer material injected under pressure into the cavity of a mold comprising:
  • an injection machine having a barrel into which a selected polymer material is delivered, the barrel comprising an elongated tubular passage terminating at a downstream end in a barrel exit port, the polymer material being converted within the barrel to a fluid that travels as a flow under pressure;
  • a manifold having one or more downstream fluid delivery passages into which the flow of fluid polymer material is received from the exit port of the barrel, the fluid delivery passages of the manifold receiving and distributing the flow of fluid polymer material;
  • each nozzle communicating downstream with the one or more fluid delivery passages of the manifold to receive the flow of polymer fluid material, each nozzle having a downstream exit port sealably communicating with a corresponding gate in the cavity of the mold;
  • an injecting system having an exit port sealably communicating with an inlet to the manifold or with the manifold or with one or more of the nozzles, the injecting system injecting a selected inert fluid into the pressurized fluid polymer material under a pressure selected to cause the inert fluid to mix into the flow of the fluid polymer material.
  • the injecting system typically injects the inert fluid into the inlet to the manifold, the inlet comprising a body that is mountable between the exit port of the barrel and a master receiving inlet passage of the manifold such that fluid exiting the barrel is sealably delivered from the barrel through the inlet, through the master receiving passage and into the one or more fluid delivery passages of the manifold.
  • the body of the inlet has a central passage that receives and through which the fluid polymer material flows downstream into the manifold.
  • the inlet preferably includes a mechanically driven mixing device disposed within the central passage of the passage.
  • the injecting system typically injects the inert fluid into the central passage of the inlet at a position disposed upstream of the mixing device.
  • the barrel typically has a screw that is mechanically driven to convert the polymer material into a fluid and force the fluid polymer material to travel from an upstream end of the barrel through the elongated tubular passage under pressure to the exit port of the barrel.
  • the injecting system preferably injects the inert fluid into the flow of fluid polymer material downstream of the exit port of the barrel.
  • the selected inert fluid is typically injected into the flow of liquefied polymer material within the channel of the inlet mechanism downstream of the bore of the barrel.
  • the selected inert fluid is preferably mechanically mixed with the liquefied polymer material within one of the channels of the inlet or the manifold or within the bore of the nozzle.
  • an apparatus for expanding the matrix of a polymer material injected under pressure into the cavity of a mold comprising:
  • an injection machine having a barrel into which a selected polymer material is delivered, the barrel comprising an elongated tubular passage terminating at a downstream end in a barrel exit port, the polymer material being converted within the barrel to a fluid that travels as a flow under pressure;
  • a manifold having one or more downstream fluid delivery passages into which the flow of fluid polymer material is received from the exit port of the barrel, the fluid delivery passages of the manifold receiving and distributing the flow of fluid polymer material;
  • each nozzle communicating downstream with the one or more fluid delivery passages of the manifold to receive the flow of polymer fluid material, each nozzle having a downstream exit port sealably communicating with a corresponding gate in the cavity of the mold;
  • an injecting system having an exit port sealably communicating downstream of the exit port of the mold with an inlet to the manifold or with the manifold or with one or more of the nozzles, the injecting system injecting a selected inert fluid into the pressurized fluid polymer material under a pressure selected to cause the inert fluid to mix into the flow of the fluid polymer material.
  • the barrel comprising an elongated tubular passage terminating at a downstream end in a barrel exit port
  • the inert fluid is typically injected into the flow of fluid polymer material via injection into an inlet that communicates the flow of fluid polymer material between the exit port of the barrel and an inlet port to the manifold.
  • the inert fluid can be injected into the flow of fluid polymer material via injection into a fluid passage disposed in the manifold or via injection into a passage disposed in a nozzle.
  • FIG. 1 is a top view of an apparatus according to the invention showing a manifold and mold and injector and an interface plate mounted in the center of the manifold with an inlet body mounted in the center of the interface plate for interfacing between the barrel of an extruder or injection machine and the manifold;
  • Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 of one embodiment of the invention where the inlet has simple unobstructed passage between the exit of the barrel and the inlet to the master passage of the hotrunner or manifold;
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 of another embodiment of the invention showing the inlet body having a mechanical mixing device disposed within the passage of the inlet body;
  • Fig. 4 is an isometric phantom view of the Figs. 1-3 apparatuses.
  • Polymer material 80 is deposited in solid form into the interior bore of the barrel 70 of an extruder or injection machine. Once deposited, the polymer material 80 is engaged by a screw 72 that is mechanically driven to cause the polymer to melt under shear force and applied heat into a fluid capable of flowing under the force of pressure exerted by the screw 72. The fluidized polymer material within the bore of the barrel 70 is forced under pressure through a downstream exit port 74 of the barrel or with which the bore of the barrel
  • the exit port 74 of the barrel 70 is sealably interconnected to the upstream entrance Z of the inlet body 40.
  • the fluidized polymer material is further forcibly delivered under pressure in a downstream direction through the channel 42 and into the upstream entry port 52e of a master or central hotrunner channel 52.
  • the master hotrunner channel 52 branches into one or more distribution channels 55.
  • the distribution channels 55 are sealably interconnected to the entry ports 66 of the bores of one or more nozzles 64, the exit ports 76 of which in turn are sealably interconnected to associated gates 62 that lead into the cavity 60c of a mold 60.
  • the fluidized polymer material is typically maintained under high pressure during the course of its travel from the exit 74 of the barrel 70 up to the gates 62.
  • FIG. 1 shows a portion of an injection molding system comprising the manifold 50, a top clamp plate 5 and a cylindrical positioning plate 20 mounted on the upstream surface of the top clamp plate 5 and an inlet 40 mounted in a receiving recess in the upstream surface of the manifold 50.
  • a super critical fluid injector system 30 is mounted on the upstream side of the manifold 50 adjacent the inlet body 40.
  • the injector system 30 has an outlet port X that communicates and injects a selected inert fluid such as C0 2 .
  • the fluid injector system can be arranged and adapted to inject the supercritical fluid directly into a channel 52 of the hotrunner or manifold 50, such an injector shown in Fig. 2 as injector 30h.
  • the injector system can be arranged and adapted to inject the supercritical fluid directly into the flow channel or bore 67 of a nozzle 64, such an injector shown in Fig. 2 as injector 30n.
  • injector 30, 30h, 30n injects the supercritical fluid into the polymer flow at a point or location disposed downstream of the exit 74 of the barrel 70.
  • the supercritical fluid that is injected by the injector 30 is injected into the flow of fluidized polymer material at a position downstream of the bore 73 of the barrel 70 and any extensions thereof.
  • the supercritical fluid could alternatively be injected into one of the channels 52, 55 of the manifold or into the bore of a nozzle 70.
  • the pressure of the supercritical fluid is adjusted to a pressure selected to maximize mixing of the supercritical fluid with the polymer fluid within the channels 42 or 52, 55 or the bore of the nozzles 64.
  • the selected fluid can be injected in a supercritical fluid state or in a non-supercritical fluid state and converted into a supercritical fluid state after being injected.
  • the conditions of the supercritical fluid and methods for rendering the fluid in a supercritical fluid condition or state are disclosed for example in U.S. patent no. 5,158,986 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
  • the condition and amount or volume of supercritical fluid is selected and injected such that the part formed in the mold from the polymeric material contains groups or aggregates or regions of closed microcells that are of average size of less than about 100.0 urn (micrometers) in diameter, preferably less than about 10.0 urn and most preferably less than about 1.0 um. And, most preferably the condition and amount or volume of the supercritical fluid is selected and injected such that the part formed contains aggregates or regions of closed microcell density of equal to or greater than about 10 2 cells/cubic centimeter or cc.
  • a mixing mechanism 90 is provided to effect mixing within the channel 42 of the inlet 40.
  • a mixing mechanism 100, 75 can also be provided to effect mixing within the channels 52, 55 and/or the bore of the nozzles 64.
  • the mixing mechanism can comprise a mechanical device, a stream of fluid or the like.
  • the exact type of supercritical fluid selected for injection via the injector 30 is preferably a gas or liquid that is miscible with the polymer fluid and does not chemically react with or otherwise chemically alter the molecular nature of the polymer material.
  • the temperature and pressure that is selected for injection of the supercritical fluid can be varied as desired in order to effect the desired amount of mixing with and pressurization within the flow of the fluidized polymer material.
  • the degree to which the supercritical fluid is pressurized and heated depends on and is selected depending on the nature of the polymer material (such as PET versus polypropylene versus EVOH versus another selected polymer or mixture of polymers) and the temperature and pressure of the fluidized polymer material.
  • the supercritical fluid is maintained under very high pressure within the polymer- supercritical fluid flow up until the mixed fluid stream exits the nozzle 70 at the exit port 76 through the gate 62 into the cavity of the mold 60 at which point the dissolved or otherwise intermixed supercritical fluid expands rapidly within the matrix of the polymer material to form microcells and essentially cause the polymer matrix to form a foamed matrix.
  • the foamed polymer matrix is rapidly cooled within the cavity of the mold to a solid form that assumes the shape of the cavity into which it is injected and within which it is cooled.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Injection Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
  • Shaping By String And By Release Of Stress In Plastics And The Like (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil permettant de provoquer l'expansion de la matrice d'un matériau polymère injecté sous pression dans la cavité (60c) d'un moule (60), l'appareil comprenant : une machine d'injection comportant un fût (70) dans lequel un matériau polymère sélectionné est distribué, le fût (70) comprenant un passage tubulaire allongé se terminant à une extrémité aval dans un orifice de sortie de fût (74), le matériau polymère étant converti au sein du fût (70) en un fluide qui se déplace sous la forme d'un écoulement sous pression ; une tubulure (50), une ou plusieurs buses (64) ayant chacune un orifice de sortie aval communiquant de façon étanche avec une porte correspondante dans la cavité (60c) du moule (60) ; et un système d'injection (30, 30h, 30n) ayant un orifice de sortie ou de refoulement (X) communiquant de façon étanche avec une admission (40) vers la tubulure (50) ou avec un canal en direction de la tubulure ou avec une ou plusieurs des buses, le système d'injection injectant un fluide inerte sélectionné dans le matériau polymère fluide sous pression.
PCT/US2012/043944 2011-06-23 2012-06-25 Appareil de moulage par injection et procédé permettant l'injection aval d'un fluide dans un écoulement de matériau Ceased WO2012178145A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201161500349P 2011-06-23 2011-06-23
US61/500,349 2011-06-23

Publications (2)

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WO2012178145A2 true WO2012178145A2 (fr) 2012-12-27
WO2012178145A3 WO2012178145A3 (fr) 2013-07-04

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019111086A1 (fr) * 2017-12-04 2019-06-13 Sapa S.P.A. Méthode de production d'un objet constitué d'un polymère thermoplastique mélangé à au moins un gaz à l'état supercritique
WO2019111085A1 (fr) * 2017-12-04 2019-06-13 Sapa S.P.A. Méthode de production par injection-compression ou combinaison d'injection-compression et d'injection d'un objet en polymère thermoplastique mélangé à au moins un gaz à l'état supercritique
CN112895281A (zh) * 2021-03-30 2021-06-04 泰瑞机器股份有限公司 一种无流道多喷嘴装置

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5158986A (en) 1991-04-05 1992-10-27 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Microcellular thermoplastic foamed with supercritical fluid
US6005013A (en) 1995-08-14 1999-12-21 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Gear throttle as a nucleation device in a continuous microcellular extrusion system
US6051174A (en) 1993-11-04 2000-04-18 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Method for providing continuous processing of microcellular and supermicrocellular foamed materials
US20020147244A1 (en) 2001-03-07 2002-10-10 Kishbaugh Levi A. Injection-molded crystalline/semicrystalline material

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4255367A (en) * 1978-09-21 1981-03-10 Standard Oil Company (Indiana) Method for injection molding articles wherein additives are added in selective portions
AU719224B2 (en) * 1997-04-02 2000-05-04 Coraltech Limited Gas introduction
DE19911378A1 (de) * 1999-03-15 2000-09-28 Ulrich Stieler Verfahren zur Herstellung von physikalisch geschäumten Spritzgießartikeln

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5158986A (en) 1991-04-05 1992-10-27 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Microcellular thermoplastic foamed with supercritical fluid
US6051174A (en) 1993-11-04 2000-04-18 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Method for providing continuous processing of microcellular and supermicrocellular foamed materials
US6005013A (en) 1995-08-14 1999-12-21 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Gear throttle as a nucleation device in a continuous microcellular extrusion system
US20020147244A1 (en) 2001-03-07 2002-10-10 Kishbaugh Levi A. Injection-molded crystalline/semicrystalline material

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2019111086A1 (fr) * 2017-12-04 2019-06-13 Sapa S.P.A. Méthode de production d'un objet constitué d'un polymère thermoplastique mélangé à au moins un gaz à l'état supercritique
WO2019111085A1 (fr) * 2017-12-04 2019-06-13 Sapa S.P.A. Méthode de production par injection-compression ou combinaison d'injection-compression et d'injection d'un objet en polymère thermoplastique mélangé à au moins un gaz à l'état supercritique
CN112895281A (zh) * 2021-03-30 2021-06-04 泰瑞机器股份有限公司 一种无流道多喷嘴装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
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