Molding Element With Cutting Insert For Thin Flexible Fence

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing molding technologies face challenges in efficiently manufacturing tires with thin flexible fences for noise reduction, as they struggle with productivity and accurate bending under hydrodynamic pressure, especially when the flexible fence thickness is less than 0.6 mm.

Innovation Solution

A molding element for a tire mold featuring a groove forming rib portion with an insert that allows material penetration through multiple faces and includes cutting means to form the flexible fence during demolding, ensuring accurate thickness and bending capability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a thin flexible fence (thickness less than 0.6 mm) is used to reduce groove resonance noise, then noise reduction effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegroove resonance noiseVSAvoidmanufacturing productivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The mold cavity is divided into multiple independent cavities (first cavity, second cavity, third cavity, fourth cavity) arranged in a matrix pattern, allowing simultaneous molding of multiple flexible fences in one injection cycle. This segmentation enables mass production of thin flexible fences without compromising quality, thereby improving productivity while maintaining noise reduction effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mold design incorporates preliminary positioning features and gating systems that automatically guide rubber material flow into each cavity during injection. This preliminary arrangement of material flow paths and cavity positioning ensures that thin flexible fences are consistently molded with correct thickness and geometry without requiring post-processing, thus improving both manufacturing efficiency and product quality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a thin flexible fence is used to reduce groove resonance noise, then noise reduction effectiveness is improved, but molding precision becomes difficult to maintain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegroove resonance noiseVSAvoidmolding precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The mold design implements local quality control through dedicated gating systems for each cavity, localized cooling channels near specific cavity regions, and position-specific ejector pin arrangements. These localized features ensure uniform temperature distribution and consistent material flow specifically at the thin flexible fence molding regions, maintaining precise thickness control (less than 0.6 mm) and geometric accuracy despite the thin-walled nature of the product

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces complex mechanical positioning and thickness control mechanisms with a streamlined injection molding cavity system that inherently controls flexible fence thickness through cavity geometry and material flow design. This substitution simplifies the molding process while maintaining consistent thickness and quality of thin flexible fences, improving manufacturing precision without adding mechanical complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Device complexity

If traditional molding methods are used for flexible fences, then device complexity is reduced, but additional cutting processes are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemolding device complexityVSAvoidmanufacturing process simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The mold design merges the molding and cutting functions into a single integrated operation. The cavity design incorporates features that automatically form the flexible fence with the desired shape and length during injection molding, eliminating the need for separate cutting processes. This integration of multiple manufacturing steps into one operation simplifies the overall manufacturing process while maintaining device simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The mold cavity design achieves multi-functionality by simultaneously performing molding, shaping, and sizing operations in a single injection cycle. The cavity geometry and gating system work together to produce the final flexible fence component with all required features, making the molding device universal for producing complete flexible fence assemblies without requiring additional specialized equipment or processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11358357B2Molding element for manufacturing a noise reducing tread

Publication Date: 2022.06.14 MICHELIN & CO (CIE GEN DES ESTAB MICHELIN)

AI summary

A molding element having a molding surface forming a contact face and a groove forming rib portion forming the groove comprising two opposed rib side faces and a rib top face connecting two rib side faces. The groove forming rib portion provides at least one space opening to at least one of the rib side faces and/or to the rib top face. An insert is received in the space. The insert comprises a cavity for forming a closing device in the groove. The cavity has two opposed cavity faces and opens to at least two faces of the insert corresponding to the faces of the groove forming rib portion. The insert comprises at least one cutting means extending and/or projecting in a direction the groove forming rib portion extends for cutting a material filled in the cavity during demolding.