Replaceable Mould Plates with Guide Grooves for Quick Base Reuse
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing plastic injection molding process requires exclusive moulds for each product, leading to high manufacturing costs and inconvenient replacement of large-scale moulds, especially when producing different products.
Innovation Solution
A mould apparatus with replaceable mould plates featuring guide grooves and positioning units that allow for quick assembly and disassembly, enabling the use of existing mould bases with new mould plates, reducing production costs and enhancing convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If exclusive moulds are designed for each product, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mould is divided into a mould base and replaceable mould plates. The mould base remains fixed while only the mould plates need to be replaced for different products, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining product quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould base is designed to be universal and can accommodate multiple different mould plates for various products. This allows one mould base to serve multiple functions across different product lines, reducing the need for dedicated moulds for each product.
2Manufacturing precision
If large-scale moulds are used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to inconvenient replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The large mould is segmented into a stationary mould base and removable mould plates. This allows the bulk of the mould structure to remain in place while only the smaller mould plates are replaced, making operation much more convenient.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould plates are extracted as separate replaceable components from the mould base. This extraction allows for easy removal and installation of mould plates without moving or repositioning the entire large-scale mould structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If new moulds are designed for new products, then adaptability is improved, but loss of time increases due to design and manufacturing cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The mould base is prepared in advance with positioning structures (limiting pins, guide grooves, and positioning units) that enable quick installation of different mould plates. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for time-consuming design and manufacturing of new moulds for each product.
Solution Approach 2:
A single universal mould base can accommodate multiple different mould plates for various products, allowing rapid adaptation to different product requirements without redesigning the entire mould system.
4Ease of operation
If mould plates are made replaceable, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to positioning structures
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning structures (limiting pins, guide grooves, and positioning units) are localized to specific areas of the mould base and mould plates. This concentrates the complexity only where needed for positioning, while the rest of the structure remains simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning structures are designed to automatically guide and locate the mould plates during installation. The limiting pins fit into guide grooves and the positioning units self-align, eliminating the need for complex adjustment mechanisms or skilled operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A mold apparatus with replaceable mold plates comprises mold bases, and positioning units used to position mold plates on the respective mold bases. If the positioning units are removed, the mold plates can be easily replaced in such a manner that the mold plates are made to slide along the positioning units, facilitating the replacement of the mold plates. Since the mold plates can be quickly replaced, when different products are going to be produced, it only needs to redesign new mold plates with new forming blocks, and the new mold plates can also be applied to the original mold bases as long as they are formed with the guide grooves for cooperating with the positioning portions of the positioning units, greatly reducing the production cost while producing high economic benefits.