The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 04, 2016
Filed:
Apr. 16, 2012
Christopher D. Prest, San Francisco, CA (US);
Dermot J. Stratton, San Francisco, CA (US);
Joseph C. Poole, San Francisco, CA (US);
Matthew S. Scott, San Jose, CA (US);
Christopher D. Prest, San Francisco, CA (US);
Dermot J. Stratton, San Francisco, CA (US);
Joseph C. Poole, San Francisco, CA (US);
Matthew S. Scott, San Jose, CA (US);
Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US);
Abstract
An injection molding system and methods for improving performance of the same. The system includes a plunger rod and a melt zone that are provided in-line and on a vertical axis. The plunger rod is moved in a vertical direction through the melt zone to move molten material into a mold. The injection molding system can perform the melting and molding processes under a vacuum. Skull formation in molten material is reduced by providing an RF transparent sleeve in the melt zone and/or a skull trapping portion adjacent an inlet of the mold. It can also be controlled based on the melting unit. Vacuum evacuation can be reduced during part ejection by using a plunger seal, so that evacuation time between cycles is reduced.