Beaumont Technologies, Inc.

The Procter Gamble Company

The Penn State Research Foundation

Beaumont Runner Technologies, Inc.

John Philip Beaumont

Gene Michael Altonen

Chow-Chi Huang

Michael Thomas Dodd

Ralph Edwin Neufarth

Matthew Lloyd Newman

John Ralston

David A Hoffman

A feed system for an injection molding method and machine includes a first part including a first channel, and a second part including a second channel, the first channel and the second channel forming a molten plastic feed conduit when the first part is located adjacent to the second part. A joint is formed between the first part and the second part along the first channel and the second channel and the joint is one of a sintered joint, a welded joint, and a brazed joint.

Feed system for an injection molding machine

A material characterization system and method for quantifying the characteristics of a flowing thermoplastic material is presented. The system comprises a tool comprising first and second tool halves, a plurality of flowing material characterization channels, and a feed runner. The tool is at a temperature that causes phase changes from fluid to solid in at least a portion of the characterized material and enables solidification of the material in the flowing material characterization channels. The feed runner is connectable to a single flowing material characterization channel. The tool is adjustable to disconnect the feed runner from one flowing material characterization channel and connect it to different flowing material characterization channels. A sensor quantifies the characteristics of the material under different flow conditions. The method comprises measuring the material characteristics as it flows through the flowing material characterization channel at multiple flow rates and repeating measurements for different flowing material characterization channels.

Method and apparatus for material flow characterization

Methods and apparatus adjustably control the repositioning of non-homogeneous fluid conditions across the stream of a laminar flowing fluid to a desirable circumferential position. The invention is particularly applicable to controlling non-homogeneous melt conditions at about the intersection of two flow channels in systems having hot or cold flow channels. Various mechanisms are provided that enable simple adjustments of a flow diverter within a fluid rotation device, making either static or dynamic adjustments, so that the degree of fluid flow repositioning in a runner system can be changed without the need for mold disassembly or retooling. Various forms of actuators effect adjustment and may be manually manipulated or manipulated through various powered devices.

Adjustable melt rotation positioning device and method

Methods and apparatus adjustably control the repositioning of non-homogeneous fluid conditions across the stream of a laminar flowing fluid to a desirable circumferential position. The invention is particularly applicable to controlling non-homogeneous melt conditions in hot or cold runner systems. Various mechanisms are provided that enable simple adjustments of a flow diverter within a fluid rotation device, making either static or dynamic adjustments, so that the degree of fluid flow repositioning in a runner system can be changed without the need for mold disassembly or retooling. Various forms of actuators effect adjustment and may be manually manipulated or manipulated through various powered devices.

Adjustable melt rotation positioning and method

Methods and apparatus control the direction and/or magnitude of warpage in formed plastic parts through strategic repositioning of the non-homogeneous melt conditions across the stream of a laminar flowing fluid flowing through a flow channel to a desirable state. This may be used in combination with more conventional process variables, such as control of material temperature, pack pressure, and pack time. The invention is particularly useful in any solidifying or non-solidifying runner, or flow channel used to make products from laminar flowing fluids. The runner may be a cold-runner or hot-runner system that flow a stream of laminar flowing material, such as thermosetting or thermoplastic plastic (melt) through at least one runner flowing a non-homogeneous melt, and extruded or packed into a single or multiple-cavity mold. The repositioning is achieved by the use of one or more fluid rotation devices, which can be of fixed or adjustable types, strategically positioned in the flow channel of the runner system to affect a desirable change in warpage as a result of the melt condition repositioning.

Controlling warpage through melt rotation technology

A tool structure or tool insert has a runner system which includes at least one branching runner which branches in at least two directions forming at least a first pair of branch runners for receiving laminar flowing material for the formation of a product. Each branch runner is at a position in the runner system such that it receives material having significantly similar conditions from side-to-side of a bisecting plane of that runner which bisects the cross section of at least a portion of the length of that branch runner. This material also has dissimilar conditions from side-to-side of a perpendicular plane of each branch runner which is perpendicular to the bisecting plane of that runner with the perpendicular plane of each branch runner also bisecting the cross section of the same portion of the length of each branch runner that the bisecting plane bisects. A repositioner in the tool or tool insert repositions the dissimilar conditions of the laminar flowing material to preselected positions in circumferential directions around the center of the flow paths of each runner of each pair of branch runners. Each pair of branch runners is joined at a location on each runner of each pair which causes the flow from each of these runners to form a half of a joint stream of material which has conditions across its flow path that are significantly balanced from side-to-side of two perpendicular planes which bisect the flow path of the joint stream.

Method and apparatus for balancing flowing conditions of laminar flowing materials

A method of balancing the flow of a molten polymer containing material in a multi-runner injection mold includes the step of providing a mold body having at least one mold cavity and at least two runners. The first runner includes first and second ends and is connected to a source of molten material. The first runner is connected to a second runner. The second runner is connected to the at least one mold cavity. A stream of a molten polymer containing material flows through the first and second runners. The stream is repositioned in a circumferential direction as it flows from the first runner through the second runner while maintaining continuity between laminates of the stream of the molten material in a radial direction. In this way, a balance is provided for the melt temperatures and material properties of the cross branching runners. An apparatus for producing molded products having balanced thermal, material and flow properties includes a device for repositioning a stream of the molten polymer containing material as it flows from a first runner into at least a second downstream runner. If desired, the stream of molten thermoplastic material can be repositioned by approximately 90 degrees.

Growing community of inventors

Harborcreek, PA, United States of America

John Philip Beaumont