Crash Pad Foam Injection Mold with Sealing Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional manufacturing process for crash pads requires multiple molds and processes, leading to increased costs, productivity degradation, excessive foam liquid leakage, and limited design freedom due to the need for precise temperature control and uniform foam thickness.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that reduce the number of molds and processes by using a single mold for both base and foam injection, incorporating a vacuum mold for skin formation, and a sealing device to prevent foam liquid leakage, allowing for simultaneous formation of the base, skin, and foam layer with automated edge enclosing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separate molds are used for base injection, skin forming, and foam molding, then each component can be formed with dedicated control, but the number of molds increases to four (upper and lower molds for base, vacuum mold for skin, upper mold for foam), increasing device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lower mold for base injection with the lower mold for foam molding into a single reusable mold. After base injection, the same mold cavity is used for foam molding by injecting foam liquid through the injection channel. This merging eliminates the need for separate dedicated molds for base and foam formation, reducing the total mold count from four to three while maintaining precise control over both components.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower mold is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as the injection mold for base formation, then serves as the foam mold for foam layer formation, and also provides the cavity for vacuum molding the skin. This multi-functional design allows a single mold structure to perform what previously required multiple specialized molds, reducing device complexity while preserving manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate processes are used for base injection, skin forming, and foam molding, then each process can be optimized independently, but the total number of processes increases to four, degrading productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous manufacturing process where the lower mold is immediately reused after base injection for foam molding, without requiring the mold to be opened or reconfigured. The foam liquid is injected through the same injection channel used for base material, and the skin is vacuum-molded in the same cavity. This continuous action eliminates idle time between processes and maintains high productivity while preserving process control.
Solution Approach 2:
The skin is pre-heated and then vacuum-adsorbed to the vacuum mold before the foam molding process begins. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the foam liquid is injected, the skin is already in the correct position and temperature, allowing immediate foam formation without additional setup time. This preliminary action maintains process optimization while enabling faster overall production.
3Ease of manufacture
If the foam upper mold and lower mold are structured with open cavity edge portions, then mold closure is simpler, but foam liquid leaks through the edge portions, causing excessive loss and requiring precise temperature control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful element (open edge portions causing leakage) by providing a sealing device that closes the edge portions of the mold cavity during foam molding. The sealing device includes sealing members that contact the skin and base to seal the cavity, preventing foam liquid from leaking through the edge portions. This removes the source of foam loss while maintaining the simple mold structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing device acts as an intermediary element between the simple open mold structure and the requirement to prevent foam leakage. Rather than complicating the mold structure itself, the sealing device mediates by dynamically closing the edge portions during the critical foam injection phase, preventing foam liquid loss while maintaining ease of manufacture in the base mold design.
4Adaptability or versatility
If manual enclosing operations are performed to adhere skin edge portions to the base, then design flexibility is maintained, but additional processes and manual operations are required, increasing time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing the mold and process so that the skin edge portions are automatically enclosed and adhered to the base during the foam molding process itself. The foam liquid, when injected, naturally flows to and adheres the skin edges to the base, and the sealing device automatically encloses the edges. This eliminates the need for separate manual enclosing operations while maintaining design flexibility through the controllable sealing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the enclosing and adhering operations into the single foam molding process. The sealing device encloses the skin edges, and the foam liquid simultaneously adheres them to the base, combining what were previously separate manual operations into one automated process step. This maintains design flexibility through the sealing mechanism while dramatically reducing processing time by eliminating manual intervention.
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
This approach reduces mold costs, minimizes manual operations, prevents foam liquid leakage, and enhances design flexibility by enabling variable foam thicknesses, thereby improving productivity and reducing production expenses.
Implementation Method 1
the skin 2 is inserted and pre-heated in a vacuum mold 13 of a male type and then is vacuum-adsorbed for vacuum molding
Implementation Method 2
a foam liquid 3a is injected onto the base 1 of the lower mold 11, a foam upper mold 14 to which the skin 2 is attached is closed, such that the skin 2 attached to the upper mold 14 is pressed and bonded onto the foam liquid 3a of the lower mold 11
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for manufacturing a crash pad having a foam layer by injecting and foam-molding a foam liquid between a base and a skin may include a first mold and a second mold which mold the base by injecting molten resin into a base forming space formed in a mold-closed state and a vacuum mold for vacuum-molding the skin, in which when the vacuum mold to which the formed skin may be attached may be mold-closed with the first mold, a foam space may be formed between the skin and the base of the first mold, and an injection channel for injecting the molten resin into the base forming space and a foam liquid injection channel for injecting the foam liquid into the foam space may be provided in the first mold, such that the first mold may be used as a foam mold, together with the vacuum mold.