Toggle Bearing Structure for Easier Bush Replacement in Injection Molding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Injection molding machines face maintainability issues due to bush wear over time, requiring frequent replacement and maintenance.

Innovation Solution

The injection molding machine incorporates a toggle mechanism with removable bearing portions, allowing for easier maintenance by providing a gap between main body-side and division bearing portions, enabling the connection pin to be shifted and the bush to be replaced without interference from the tie bar, thus improving maintainability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the bearing portion is made as a single integrated structure, then the structural strength and rigidity are improved, but the maintainability and ease of bush replacement deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidmaintainability
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The bearing portion is divided into a main body-side bearing portion and a division bearing portion that can be separated from each other. This segmentation allows the bush to be replaced by removing only the division bearing portion, significantly improving maintainability while the main body-side bearing portion retains the structural strength requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the bush is replaced after wear, then the reliability is maintained, but the loss of time for maintenance increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereliabilityVSAvoidmaintenance time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the bearing portion into removable division bearing portion and main body-side bearing portion, the bush replacement process is simplified to only require removal of the division bearing portion, dramatically reducing maintenance time while ensuring reliability through proper bush replacement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The division bearing portion is extracted as a separate removable component that can be easily detached to access and replace the bush, eliminating the need to disassemble the entire bearing portion and reducing maintenance time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the connection pin is constrained by the tie bar position, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of operation for maintenance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidease of maintenance
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The bearing portion is segmented into removable division bearing portion, allowing the connection pin to be accessed and shifted for bush replacement without being constrained by the tie bar position, improving ease of maintenance while maintaining structural stability during operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3640000B1Injection molding machine
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 SUMITOMO HEAVY IND LTD
  • EP3640000B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3640000B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3640000B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An injection molding machine (10) includes a toggle mechanism (150) which connects a movable platen (120) and a rear platen (130) . The toggle mechanisms (150) includes a plurality of links (151, 152, 153, 154), a first connection portion which connects the movable platen (120) and the link (152), a second connection portion which connects the links (152, 153) to each other, and a third connection portion which connects the rear platen (130) and the link (154) . At least one of the first to third connection portions includes a height position changing mechanism which changes a height position of a connection pin (50) of the connection portion.