Water Jacket Spacer Injection Molding with Outer Gates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing water jacket spacers in water-cooled internal combustion engines face issues with deformation during the post-molding cooling step due to design constraints caused by draft angles, leading to inefficient cooling water flow and management challenges with burrs and tool handling.
Innovation Solution
The method involves injection molding with a resin flow channel design that includes gates arranged along the outer peripheral surface, allowing the retention of the spacer shape using comb-like runners, which suppresses deformation and eliminates the need for draft angles on the inner surface, facilitating smooth assembly and reducing burr formation and tool handling complexities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If draft angle is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the spacer for mold opening, then the spacer can be easily demolded, but the inner peripheral surfaces cannot be opposed to the water jacket wall surface along the inclination, causing gap widening and cooling water stagnation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing draft angle on the inner peripheral surface (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by providing the draft angle on the outer peripheral surface of the spacer. This allows the inner peripheral surfaces to be opposed to the water jacket wall surface along the inclination, preventing gap widening and cooling water stagnation, while still enabling easy mold opening.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the connecting bridge is used to connect opposing parts of the spacer main body, then deformation in post-molding cooling step is prevented, but severe management is required for burrs on the inner surface after gate cutting
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a connecting bridge that requires cutting on the inner surface (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by positioning the gate and runner system on the outer peripheral surface. This prevents burr formation on the inner surface while still using the runner to connect opposing parts and prevent deformation during cooling.
3Device complexity
If gate is arranged at the parting line for mold opening, then mold structure is simplified, but design constraints are imposed on the spacer shape
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of arranging the gate at the parting line (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by arranging the gate on the outer peripheral surface away from the parting line. This increases spacer shape design freedom while the mold structure remains manageable through the inverted gate positioning strategy.
4Ease of manufacture
If tools are inserted into the inside of the spacer main body for cutting the connecting bridge, then the connecting bridge can be cut, but tool handling becomes complex to avoid interference with the spacer main body
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inserting tools into the inside of the spacer main body for cutting (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by positioning the gate and runner system on the outer peripheral surface. This allows cutting operations to be performed from the outside, greatly simplifying tool handling and avoiding interference with the spacer main body.
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 approach enables the production of water jacket spacers with high productivity, preventing deformation and ensuring efficient cooling water flow without stagnation, while simplifying the management of burrs and tool handling, thus optimizing temperature distribution and reducing design constraints.
Implementation Method 1
a water jacket spacer which is molded by injection molding by using a prescribed resin material
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(c)
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A spacer (1) is injection molded by using an injection molding die having resin flow channels that are designed such that a plurality of gates (6) are arranged along the longitudinal direction at a position corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of a side wall part (4) in which a plurality of arc-like peripheral surface parts (2) are connected through a waist part (3). After opening the mold and ejecting the spacer, the spacer is cooled with a runner (7) being connected to the gate (6), and thereafter, the runner (7) is cut off. As a result, when producing a water jacket spacer that is assembled to the inside of the water jacket and controls the flow of cooling water by injection molding, while producing with a high productivity without being affected by design constraints caused by draft angle, deformation in the post-molding cooling step is prevented.