Molding apparatus and methods

Abstract

A plastic molding system comprises: dispensing, pre-shaping and shaping cells and a transport subsystem. The dispensing cell has a station for dispensing a dose of plastic feedstock. The pre-shaping and shaping cells each comprise a plurality of stations for shaping the workpiece into a preform shape and into a final shape, respectively. The transport subsystem advances a workpiece along a selected one of a plurality of process paths to form a molded article. Each of the plurality of process paths is defined by a combination of stations of the dispensing cell, the pre-shaping cell and the shaping cell.

Description

[0001] This application claims U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 724,790, filed August 30, 2018, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 770,785, filed November 22, 2018, U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 856,833, filed June 4, 2019 and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 866,059, filed June 25, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. technical field [0002] The present invention relates to molding, and more particularly, to molding systems that define a plurality of selectable process paths through process bays. Background technique [0003] Many plastic molding systems are optimized for producing very high volumes. Such systems typically involve complex multi-cavity molds used to simultaneously produce multiple identical parts in each molding cycle. [0004] Successful operation of these processes often requires extensive custom tooling. For example, multi-cavity molds are custom designed and fabricated for each unique ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0005]While these systems are capable of producing large quantities of product at a relatively low cost per unit, they tend to be less cost effective for running smaller quantities of product and provide very Little flexibility, since product changes typically cannot be made without major modifications or tool replacement

Images