Tubular Plastic Part Mold With Floating Bushing for Core Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Injection molds for manufacturing tubular plastic parts face challenges in maintaining precise alignment and minimizing wear of the core tip due to thermal expansion, leading to inefficiencies and poor part quality.
Innovation Solution
The injection mold design incorporates a bushing with a bore that receives the core tip, allowing for lateral and axial displacement, featuring a conical surface for centering and clamping segments for a tight seal, and an actuator for alignment and force application, minimizing wear and ensuring precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the core tip is received in a fixed precise manner in the second mold half, then the alignment precision is improved, but the wear of the core tip increases due to thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is made displaceable with respect to the second mold plate, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position to compensate for thermal expansion of the core tip while maintaining precise alignment. The bushing can move laterally and axially to accommodate dimensional changes without compromising the precision of the core tip reception.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing dimensions and position are designed to change dynamically in response to thermal expansion. The displaceable bushing allows for parameter changes in both position and dimensional accommodation, enabling the system to adapt to thermal effects while maintaining manufacturing precision.
2Reliability
If the bushing is made displaceable to compensate for thermal expansion, then the wear resistance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is divided into separate functional elements: a first portion embedded in the second mold plate and a second portion that is displaceable. This segmentation allows the bushing to have both fixed anchoring for stability and movable portions for compensation, reducing overall complexity while maintaining wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The displaceable bushing acts as an intermediary element between the fixed mold structure and the thermally expanding core tip. It mediates the thermal expansion effects without requiring complex active control systems, using passive mechanical displacement to absorb dimensional changes.
3Reliability
If the core tip projects further into the bore due to thermal expansion, then the sealing is improved, but the alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing's displacability allows it to dynamically adjust its position to maintain alignment even as the core tip projects further into the bore due to thermal expansion. The bushing can move to compensate for the changed geometry, preserving both sealing quality and alignment precision simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing can displace in multiple dimensions (laterally and axially), providing dimensional freedom to accommodate the core tip's thermal expansion while maintaining proper alignment. This multi-dimensional displacement capability allows the system to handle thermal effects without sacrificing precision.
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 effectively compensates for thermal expansion, reduces wear, and ensures high-quality tubular plastic parts by maintaining precise alignment and sealing, thereby improving production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The bushing (9) comprises a conical first surface (13) arranged at the outside of the bushing (9) coaxially with respect to the bore (11). The conical first surface (13) interacts in the closed position of the injection mold (1) with a conical second surface (14) arranged at the second mold half (4) such that the tip (12) of the core (6) is centered with respect to the bore (11).
Implementation Method 2
the bushing (9) comprises in a circumferential direction several clamping segments (15) arranged displaceable with respect to each other usually in a radial direction with respect to the bore (11) such that the tip (12) of the core (6) in the closed position of the injection mold (1) can be accommodated in the bore (11) in a molten plastic material tight sealing manner.
Implementation Method 3
The tip of the core (6) may comprise a cylindrical section, which can be accommodated in the essential cylindrical bore (11) of the bushing (9) in the closed position. This allows to compensate a thermal expansion of the core (6) in the axial direction during operation of the injection mold (1), since an expansion of the core (6) in the axial direction leads to the tip of the core (6) projecting further into the bore (11).
Implementation Method 4
the bushing (9) is preferably at least partially arranged in lateral direction in a floating manner. This way the tip of the core (6) can be received by the bore of bushing (9) in a wear minimizing manner, since the bushing (9) is at least partially able to adjust its lateral positioning, such that the bore (11) is coaxial with the tip of the core (6).
Data Source
AI summary
An injection mold for the manufacturing of at least one tubular plastic part, including a first mold half including a first mold plate and a second mold half including a second mold plate arranged displaceable with respect to each other in an axial direction (Z) between an open and a closed position. The injection mold includes at least one core protruding from the first mold plate and the second mold plate including at least one cavity suitable to receive the core to form a molding cavity in the closed position of the injection mold for receiving molten plastic material therein to form the tubular plastic part. A bushing is arranged in the second mold half adjacent to a dorsal end of the cavity at least partially displaceable with respect to the second mold plate, the bushing including a bore in the closed position suitable to receive a tip of the core.