Motor-Driven Screw Insert Retention for Automotive Overmolding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies for maintaining inserts in molds during overmolding in the motor vehicle industry fail to ensure high-speed manufacturing, precise positioning, watertight sealing, prevention of insert rotation, and material compatibility, particularly for stainless steel inserts.
Innovation Solution
A mold with an insert holding system that uses a motor-driven screw component capable of rotational and translational movement to securely fix inserts of any material orientation, ensuring precise alignment and sealing, and featuring a ring and spring mechanism to dampen movements and prevent translation while allowing rotation, enabling high-speed production of plastic components with threaded inserts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual attachment of inserts is used, then ease of operation is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to too much time required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical attachment system with an automated motor-driven screw tightening system. The motor automatically tightens the screw component to secure the insert in the mold, eliminating manual operations while maintaining ease of operation through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert holding system is designed to automatically position and secure the insert without manual intervention. The motor-driven screw component self-adjusts to tighten and fix the insert in the correct position, enabling the system to serve itself rather than requiring external manual attachment.
2Manufacturing precision
If hydraulic axis technology is used, then insert positioning is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as it only works for vertically oriented inserts on horizontal mold walls
Solution Approach 1:
The motor-driven screw component is designed with universal applicability to secure inserts in various orientations (vertical, horizontal, and angled positions) on different mold wall surfaces. The system can adapt to different insert positions and orientations while maintaining precise positioning, making it a multi-functional solution rather than being limited to a single configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw component can dynamically adjust its position and orientation to accommodate inserts in different locations and angles on the mold wall. The motor-driven mechanism provides flexible positioning capability that can adapt to various geometric configurations, unlike fixed hydraulic axis systems.
3Reliability
If hydraulic axis technology is used, then insert fixation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to gaps around the axis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the gap problem by removing the hydraulic axis component entirely and replacing it with a screw-based fixation system. The screw component makes direct contact with the insert and mold wall without requiring clearance gaps, thereby achieving both reliable fixation and high positioning accuracy without the compromises of hydraulic axis technology.
4Ease of operation
If magnetic or electromagnetic holding system is used, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability deteriorates by limiting insert material to only magnetic materials
Solution Approach 1:
The motor-driven screw component is designed with universal material compatibility, working with any insert material including stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, and composite materials. The mechanical screw fixation method does not depend on magnetic properties, making the system universally applicable to all material types while maintaining ease of automated operation.
5Productivity
If existing holding systems are used, then productivity may be improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to prevent insert rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated screw component: positioning, securing, and rotation prevention. The screw thread structure inherently prevents rotational movement of the insert while maintaining precise positioning, eliminating the need for separate mechanisms and enabling both high productivity and high precision simultaneously.
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 solution enables high-speed, precise, and secure overmolding of components with threaded inserts of various materials, ensuring accurate positioning and sealing, while allowing for simultaneous processing of multiple inserts and maintaining insert alignment without material limitations.
Implementation Method 1
a motor (18) serving to tighten a screw component (16) on the insert (12) and making it possible to move this screw component (16), so that the insert (12) is tightened on the screw component (16) by means of a movement of rotation and translation
Implementation Method 2
The mold (10) comprises a ring (28) and a spring (30) serving to dampen movements of the insert (12)
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a mold for forming automotive vehicle components, these components being made of plastic and comprising a partially overmolded threaded insert; this mold comprises a first part and a second part defining a molding chamber and an insert retention system for holding the insert in the mold. This mold is characterized in that the insert retention system comprises a motor and a screw component for screwing onto the insert, the motor being able to move the screw component so that the insert is fixed onto the screw component by translational and rotational movements, this motor comprising a stop adapted to cooperate with a counter-stop such that when the stop comes into contact with the counter-stop, the translational movement of the screw component is prevented, without affecting the rotational movement of the screw component.