Development Blade Mold Gate Positioning for Short Shot Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing molds struggle to reliably fill cavity portions with rubber material in development blades due to their complex shapes, often resulting in short shot and flash, especially when producing blades with notched portions.
Innovation Solution
A mold design featuring a cavity portion with a gate positioned between notched and center portions, gas vent portions for gas discharge, and a gasket for vacuum sealing, allowing for efficient material filling and reducing flash occurrence, even in molds producing multiple blades simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a mold with small-diameter portions is used to produce development blades with notched portions, then the blade shape can be achieved, but reliable filling of the cavity with rubber material becomes difficult resulting in short shot
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by positioning the gate portion specifically within 10mm of the notched portion border before the molding process begins. This pre-positioning ensures that the rubber material flows from the gate portion directly into the small-diameter cavity sections corresponding to the notched portions, preventing short shot and ensuring complete filling of the complex blade shape.
2Productivity
If conventional molding methods are used, then production can proceed, but flash occurs due to improper material filling in complex-shaped cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by concentrating the gate portion at a specific location within 10mm of the notched portion border rather than using a conventional centralized gate. This localized gate positioning directs the rubber material flow precisely into the problematic small-diameter cavity sections, ensuring proper filling accuracy while maintaining production continuity.
3Manufacturing precision
If high injection pressure is used to fill complex cavities, then filling reliability improves, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-positioning the gate portion within 10mm of the notched portion border, the invention creates an optimized flow path that allows rubber material to naturally fill the small-diameter cavity sections corresponding to the notched portions. This eliminates the need for excessive injection pressure, reducing energy loss while maintaining complete filling reliability for the complex blade shape.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design ensures reliable filling of complex-shaped cavity portions, minimizing short shot and flash, while optimizing molding conditions and reducing production costs by allowing for lower injection pressures and improved dimensional precision.
Implementation Method 1
a gate portion for injecting a material into the cavity portion, wherein the gate portion is positioned, in the longitudinal direction, either on a border between each notched portion and the center portion side of a main body of the cavity portion or on the outer side of the border or within 10 mm on the inner side of the border
Implementation Method 2
gas vent portions for gas discharge
Implementation Method 3
a gasket for vacuum sealing
Data Source
AI summary
A mold 30 for use in producing a development blade 1, which is to be formed by adhering an elastic member to an elongated-shaped hard plate 2 along the longitudinal direction LD thereof, wherein the hard plate has notched portions on both side portions in the longitudinal direction thereof and the elastic member is molded to skip the notched portions, comprises: a cavity portion CA having a shape in accordance with the shape of the elastic member; and a gate portion 35 for injecting a material into the cavity portion CA, wherein the gate portion 35 is positioned, in the longitudinal direction LD, either on a border CL between each notched portion and the center portion side of a main body of the cavity portion or on the outer side of the border or within 10 mm on the inner side of the border. Since the gate portion 35 of the cavity CA is optimally positioned in the mold, the cavity is reliably filled with a material in a case where a small-diameter portion corresponding to the notched portion exists in the cavity, whereby a development blade can be produced with suppressing short shot and generation of flash.