Bubbler Base for Injection Molding Cooling Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for installing and replacing bubbler tubes in injection molding tools are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly, often requiring custom tooling and posing safety risks due to sharp ends and complex threaded connections, which can lead to leakage and mineral buildup.
Innovation Solution
A bubbler base with a blind bore connection that uses an O-ring seal and extraction threads, allowing for quick and safe installation and replacement of bubbler tubes without the need for special tapping or unscrewing, accommodating multiple tube sizes and reducing downtime by eliminating the need for threaded connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional threaded connections are used to install bubbler tubes directly into the bottom clamp plate, then the connection is secure and reliable, but the installation and replacement process becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the bubbler tube assembly into two separate components: a base that remains permanently installed in the bottom clamp plate with threaded engagement, and a tube that can be easily removed and replaced. This segmentation allows the base to provide secure reliable connection while the tube can be quickly swapped without time-consuming unscrewing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The base is pre-installed with internal threads formed during mold manufacturing, eliminating the need for现场 tapping operations. This preliminary action ensures that when tubes need to be replaced, the threaded connection is already prepared and ready, significantly reducing installation and replacement time while maintaining connection reliability.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom tooling is used to install and replace bubbler tubes from the bottom side of the clamp plate, then precise installation is achieved, but the complexity and cost of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of installing tubes from the bottom side of the clamp plate as in conventional designs, the invention inverts the approach by providing access from the top side. The base protrudes through the clamp plate with external threads, allowing tubes to be screwed on from above using simple hand tools or basic tooling, eliminating the need for complex bottom-side installation equipment while maintaining precise installation.
3Reliability
If bubbler tubes are screwed directly into the bottom clamp plate, then a secure connection is achieved, but the sharp ends of tubes pose safety risks and make handling dangerous
Solution Approach 1:
The base acts as an intermediary component between the clamp plate and the bubbler tube. It provides a threaded engagement surface that secures the tube connection while also serving as a handle or grip surface for safe handling. The base effectively mediates the interaction, eliminating direct contact with sharp tube ends during installation, maintenance, and operation.
4Reliability
If multiple bubbler tubes are installed in an array in the bottom clamp plate, then the cooling requirements are met, but the installation becomes extremely time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the installation function for multiple tubes by using a common base design that can be repeatedly installed in an array pattern. Each base is identical and can be quickly mounted in the clamp plate, allowing multiple bases to be installed efficiently. This merging of the base component across multiple locations dramatically improves installation productivity compared to installing each tube individually into the plate.
5Strength
If conventional designs require each bubbler tube to be an integral part of the bottom clamp plate, then structural integrity is maintained, but the ability to replace individual tubes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the bubbler system into a permanent base component that maintains structural integrity when mounted in the clamp plate, and a replaceable tube component. The base with its threaded engagement provides the structural connection, while the tube can be independently removed and replaced. This segmentation allows individual tube replacement without compromising the overall structural integrity of the cooling system.
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 bubbler base reduces machine downtime and maintenance costs by enabling easy removal and replacement of bubbler tubes, minimizing coolant leakage, and allowing for different tube sizes to be used with the same base, thus improving operational efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
Each base or body structure also has a seal, such as an O-ring seal, to prevent or minimize leakage of coolant from the molding tool.
Implementation Method 2
The bubbler base of this invention can be removed by engaging a removal tool with extraction threads within the bubbler base, applying a force directly to the bubbler base with the removal tool
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A bubbler base or base body for accepting a bubbler tube that has an externally threaded section at one end of the bubbler tube. The bubbler base of this invention can be used to quickly attach the bubbler base already connected to a bubbler tube, without the need to form an internally threaded bore within a bottom clamp plate which is also referred to as a cooling plate and is conventionally known in the molding tool industry. A conventional bubbler tube can be attached to the bubbler base rather than to the bottom clamp plate or the cooling plate. The bubbler base can have an overall spool shape. An O-ring can be used to seal the bubbler base with respect to the bottom clamp plate or the cooling plate.