Stack Mold Carriage Support Structure for Injection Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing injection molding machines face challenges in efficiently supporting and translating stack molds, particularly in achieving stable mold separation and easy access during the molding process, as current solutions often require complex configurations and limited flexibility in mold positioning.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a carriage support structure with removably fixed beams that allow for parallel translation of a stack mold carriage along the machine axis, combined with a platen actuator and fluid manifold system, enabling the stack mold to be easily removed and repositioned between mold-closed and maximum daylight positions, while maintaining axial alignment and fluid communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional fixed support structure is used for stack molds, then mold stability is maintained, but mold accessibility and ease of removal are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure transitions from a static fixed configuration to a dynamic adjustable configuration. The carriage can be positioned at multiple locations along the beams, and the beams themselves can be removed to enable complete mold extraction. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to provide stability during operation and ease of access during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is divided into separable components: the carriage, the beams, and the mounting fixtures. This segmentation allows the beams to be removed independently to enable mold removal, while the carriage remains to provide support during operation. The modular design resolves the contradiction between stability and accessibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If a complex configuration is used to support stack molds, then mold positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage serves multiple functions: it supports the mold weight, enables precise positioning along the beams, and facilitates easy removal when beams are taken away. The beams provide both structural support and guide the carriage movement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex mechanisms while maintaining positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage acts as an intermediary between the mold and the beams, providing a simple interface that translates beam positioning into precise mold location. This intermediary simplifies the overall system by decoupling the positioning function from the support function, allowing each to be optimized independently.
3Length of stationary object
If the beam length is increased to cover the platen opening, then mold support span is improved, but carriage translation distance exceeds available space
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the effective support span by positioning the carriage at different locations along the beams rather than requiring the beams to span the entire platen opening. The beams provide support where needed, and the carriage moves to different positions to accommodate the mold at various stages of the cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing beam length in one dimension to cover the platen opening, the solution uses the lateral dimension by spacing beams apart and allowing carriage movement along them. The carriage stroke is defined by the distance between operational positions along the beams rather than the full platen opening distance.
Data Source
AI summary
An injection molding machine includes a base, a stationary platen fixed to the base for holding a first mold section, and a moving platen for holding a second mold section. The moving platen is slidably supported on a platen slide surface fixed to the base and moveable along a machine axis between a mold closed position, in which the moving platen is drawn towards the stationary platen, and a maximum daylight position, in which the moveable platen is spaced axially apart from the stationary platen by a platen opening. The machine further includes a carriage support structure slidably supporting a stack mold carriage for holding a mold center section. The stack mold carriage is translatable parallel to the machine axis between a carriage advanced position and a carriage retracted position spaced axially apart from the carriage advanced position by a carriage stroke length. The carriage support structure includes a pair of beams removably fixed relative to the base, the beams extending parallel to the machine axis and spaced apart from each other by a lateral spacing, each beam having a beam length that is less than the platen opening and greater than the carriage stroke length.