Temperature Sensor Tip Welding Depth for Injection Molding

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing temperature sensors for injection molding tools suffer from mechanical damage during crimping, leading to uneven fitting and defects in the molded parts due to the external region damage, which affects the smooth insertion and accurate temperature measurement.

Innovation Solution

The thermocouple wires are welded to the sensor tip up to a depth greater than the processing depth, ensuring a secure connection and preventing external damage, allowing for material removal to create a planar surface without compromising the sensor's integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If thermocouple wires are crimped to the sensor tip to enable processing of the front, then the front becomes processable, but the external region of the sensor tip is damaged

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessability of frontVSAvoidintegrity of external region

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent separates the crimping operation from the external surface by positioning the crimping area internally within the sensor tip, away from the external region. This segmentation allows the front to be processed while preserving the external surface integrity for smooth insertion into the tool bore.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The thermocouple wires are crimped to the sensor tip before the front processing operation. This preliminary action ensures that the connection is established and secured prior to any material removal, preventing damage to the external region during subsequent processing steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If the sensor front is processed by removing material to achieve a planar surface, then the fit into the tool bore is improved, but the connection between thermocouple wires and sensor tip may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplanarity of front surfaceVSAvoidconnection strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different qualities to different regions of the sensor tip: the external region maintains its original integrity for smooth insertion, the crimping area provides secure wire connection, and the front surface is processed for planarity. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between processing and connection integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The crimping of thermocouple wires is performed as a preliminary action before front surface processing. This ensures that the connection is established and protected before any material removal occurs, preventing compromise of the connection during processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If the external region of the sensor tip is damaged during crimping, then the crimping process is simplified, but the insertion into the tool bore becomes rough and causes defects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of crimping processVSAvoiddefects in molded parts

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the crimping operation from the external region and relocates it to an internal area of the sensor tip. This extraction eliminates the harmful effect of external surface damage while maintaining the simplicity and effectiveness of the crimping process for securing thermocouple wires.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potential harm of crimping damage by redirecting the crimping action to an internal location where it no longer affects the external surface quality. The harm is transformed into a benefit by preserving the smooth external region needed for defect-free molded parts while maintaining secure wire connection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 solution enables reliable temperature measurement by maintaining a secure connection between the thermocouple wires and the sensor tip, ensuring accurate data while preventing external damage and ensuring a smooth fit into the tool bore, thus reducing defects in molded parts.

Implementation Method 1

each thermocouple wire of a thermocouple guided to the front is welded to the sensor tip up to a depth which is larger than the total processing depth behind the front

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectWelding: Welding

Data Source

PatentUS7789559B2Temperature sensor with processable front

Publication Date: 2010.09.07 KISTLER HLDG AG

AI summary

A temperature sensor has a sensor tip and a front for measuring the temperature of the inner walls of tools, particularly inner walls of injection molding tools. The tip of the temperature sensor has two thermocouple wires of a thermocouple. Each thermocouple wire of the thermocouple guided to the front is welded to the sensor tip up to a depth which is larger than the total processing depth behind the front. The sensor tip is processable by removing of material at the front up to that processing depth.