Method of Injection Molding and Plastic Part Formed Thereby

This invention relates generally to injection molded parts such as the inlet or outlet portion of an automobile radiator which includes one or more tubular portions on which the hoses for circulating water through the radiator are mounted. In the past, these parts have been molded utilizing mold sections that are moved toward and away from each other resulting in a parting line between the mold sections. The result is a formation of "flash/mismatch" on the tubular portions of the radiator part on which the hoses are mounted. Flash results from the plastic being molded coming out between the parting lines of the mold, and mismatch is excess plastic on the molded part resulting from mold parts which are not in exact alignment. The result is undesirable and excess plastic on the molded part herein referred to as "flash/mismatch".

During use of the mold, the resulting becomes flash/mismatch increasingly significant and more and more prone to leakage when the hoses mounted thereon. The result is an unsatisfactory situation from the standpoint of keeping the hoses mounted on the radiator part without damage or leakage in this area.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved method for forming parts of this type in which the parting lines on the tubular portions are avoided to thereby avoid the possibility of damage or leakage in this area.

The method of this invention enables forming a plastic part having a tubular portion with a radially enlarged lip at the terminal end thereof and without any flash/mismatch on the tubular part due to mold parting lines. This is accomplished by providing an injection mold having a cavity formed with a cylindrical surface portion which terminates at the end of the groove located to form the lip and a core member removably inserted endwise in the cylindrical portion. This core contains a step radially outward beginning at the tube end and continuing in an axial plane to a point aligning with the full radii of the enlarged lip on the outer tubular surface. A molten plastic material is injected into the cavity so that it extends into the cylindrical portion and around the core member. The core member is then axially withdrawn from the cylindrical portion of the mold cavity after the plastic material in the cylindrical portion has solidified enough to retain its tubular shape, but before it has completely cooled, to thereby enable the plastic material to shrink radially inwardly away from the cylindrical surface during further cooling. Thereafter, the cylindrical surface portion of the injection mold is moved in an axial direction relative to the tubular shape plastic material to withdraw the tubular shape from the cylindrical portion, with the tubular shape deflecting enough to have the mold clear the enlarged lip.

The result is a molded part that can be assembled with other more fragile parts, such as hoses without risking damage to the hoses due to the sharp flash/mismatch on the molded part.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of injection mold apparatus for forming the improved part of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 showing the injection molded part in a partially cooled condition and with the core withdrawn from the tubular portion of the part;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the mold apparatus showing the molded part fully removed from the injection mold; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the finished part.

The part formed according to the method of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIG. 4 as a cover for a vehicle radiator consisting of an elongated hollow body member 12 having a tubular portion or wall 14 at one end for attaching a hose (not shown) to the radiator cover 10.

The outlet 10 is formed in injection mold apparatus 16 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The apparatus 16 includes an injection passage 18 through which molten plastic is injected into the mold cavity 20. A core 22 extends into the cavity 20 so as to cooperate with the cylindrical surface 24 therein to form an annular passage 26 of a size and shape to form the tubular portion 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the axially outer end of the cylindrical surface 24 terminates in an annular groove 28 of a shape to form an annular hose retention lip 30 on the tubular portion 14. Two parts 31 and 32 of the mold apparatus 16 are of a complementary shape to form the outlet body 12.

The core 22 has an enlarge step 33 located in radial alignment with the grooves 28 to cause a thinning of the wall which forms the lip 30, and form an internal shoulder 35 in the tubular portion 14.

In the use of the mold apparatus, molten plastic 34 is injected into the mold cavity 20 through the inlet passage 18. Any suitable thermoplastic polymer can be used in the process of this invention to manufacture the part 10. Examples of polymers that can be used in the process of this invention are high density polyethylene, high impact polystyrene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, nylon 66-33% glass filled, and other thermoplastics which will retain their shape shortly after injection molding and which shrink when they cool. The molten plastic is injected into the cavity 20 so as to form the plastic tubular portion 14, as shown in FIG. 2.

Promptly after the cavity 26 has been filled with plastic, the core 22 is withdrawn in a direction along the axis 36 of the tubular portion 14 so that the core 22 is in a clearance relation with the tubular portion 14 as shown in FIG. 2.

As the tubular portion 14 continues to cool, it shrinks away from the cylindrical surface 24, as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that it is in a clearance relation with the surface 24. The portion 38 of the mold apparatus 16 that forms the surface 24, is then withdrawn along the same axis 36, as shown in FIG. 3, with the step 33 on the core 22, causing a thinning of the portion 37 of the tubular wall that terminates in the lip 30. The reduced thickness of the wall portion 37 enables the lip 30 to deflect inwardly enough to clear the surface 24 shown in FIG. 2.

The mold parts 31 and 32 are then separated (FIG. 3) and the part 10 is removed. The result is a molded part 10 in which the tubular portion 14 has a continuous smooth cylindrical outer surface which is without any flange projections or protrusions corresponding to the gaps between mating mold parts. The external surface 40 of the tubular portion 14 is uniformly smooth so that when a relatively fragile fluid carrying tube is telescoped over the tubular portion 40 and retained thereon by the lip 30, it will not be damaged over a prolonged service life.

A specific example of the process is as follows:

Core 22 is withdrawn 15 seconds before molds open.

From the above description, it is seen that this invention provides an improved radiator outlet 10, or other suitable part, having the tubular portion 14 which has a smooth continuous outer surface 40 and includes the lip 34 retaining a hose thereon. Such a part has obvious advantages over similar parts that are burdened with the usual projections corresponding to the spaces between mating mold parts.