A first aspect of the invention relates to the manufacture of disparate workpieces by the process of injection molding using a single base tool. The tool is made up of cavity and core halves, and each half is made up of separate, removable/interchangeable, inserts which, when combined in a particular order, form the workpiece-forming surface. All or any number of the inserts may be replaced with other inserts to alter the workpiece-forming surface and allow a large number of differently shaped workpieces (i.e. having different surface features and shapes) to be formed from a single base tool. In another aspect of the invention, the inserts are connected to respective thermally conductive cavity and core mounting plates, which are in turn connected to respective cavity and core heating/cooling plates so that insert-mounting holes need not be made in the heating/cooling plates.

A mold insert has at least one filament cavity and a stack of at least a first and second insert plates, wherein the first plate has a front face that closely abuts a front face of the second insert plate. A portion of the a filament cavity is provided in at least one of the front faces of the first and second insert plates such that the filament cavity is open at a top surface of the mold insert but does not extend to a bottom surface of the mold insert. A venting cavity is provided in the same front face of the insert plate in which the portion of the at least one filament cavity is provided. The venting cavity, which is in air-conducting connection with the blind-hole end of the filament cavity, has a depth between 1 μm and 20 μm. A method of manufacturing the mold insert includes providing first and second insert plates, forming a portion of a filament cavity into at least one of the front faces of the insert plates, forming a venting cavity into the front face with the filament cavity, and bringing the front faces of the plates into close abutment to form a filament cavity.

A method for manufacturing a structured insert (10) for a mold for manufacturing a timepiece or jewelry component, for example a bracelet strand, including: —providing (E1) a template element (50) comprising a structured surface (51) with a pattern to be reproduced on a surface of a timepiece component; —covering (E2) the structured surface (51) of the template element (50) with a molding resin capable of reproducing a negative pattern of the pattern of the structured surface, and leaving the molding resin to solidify in order to obtain a structured insert (10); —separating (E3) the structured insert (10) from the template element (50), the structured insert (10) comprising a surface comprising the negative pattern; —optionally, cutting the structured insert (10) to the format corresponding to at least part of the timepiece component to be manufactured.

The invention relates to an integral irradiation unit for hardening light-hardening polymer compositions, a method for producing hardened polymer molded bodies or bodies coated with hardened polymers using the integral irradiation unit, and to the use of the integral irradiation unit for producing molded polymer bodies or bodies coated with polymers.

The invention relates to a mould (1) for manufacturing three-dimensional items, comprising a body (2); a lid (4) configured to close said body (2); and incorporated closing and opening means (5) configured to keep the body (2) and the lid (4) joined during the movement thereof. A machine (M1) for manufacturing three-dimensional items, comprising a receiving module (M2) configured to receive the mould (1); a conditioning module (M3) configured to receive the mould (1) from the receiving module (M2) and act on the incorporated closing and opening means (5) in order to separate the lid (4) from the body (2); and a handling module (M4) configured to receive the body (2) from the conditioning module (M3) and enable the placement of the components of the item to be manufactured. A method for manufacturing three-dimensional items and manufacturing plant associated with said machine (M1).

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a shoe part by injection molding a material into a mold where an insert is placed. The insert comprises at least two separable insert parts, an upper insert part and a lower insert part, providing an injection channel in the region of the separation area between the two parts. The insert is placed in the chamber and the injection material is injected through a sprue channel in the mold into the injection channel and into a cavity, whereby the shoe part is formed. The mold is opened after the injection material has cured and the insert is separated into the upper and lower insert parts, thereby exposing the cured material in the injection channel.

An injection mold, in particular for encapsulating rotors of electric machines, has a mold, wherein the mold has an arrangement of mold segments. The arrangement forms, along a longitudinal axis, a cavity for a component to be arranged. An exchange unit is provided, which is designed to remove at least one mold segment from and/or insert at least one mold segment into the arrangement, with the result that a size of the cavity can be changed.

A method for manufacturing a plastic article for a magnetic element, comprising: providing a first die core and a second die core opposite to each other along a first direction; providing a third die core adjacent to the first die core and the second die core along a second direction wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; providing at least one hole insert for forming a pin-fixing hole for fixing a lead-pin of a winding of the magnetic element, wherein the at least one hole insert is detachably mounted to at least one of the first die core, the second die core, and the third die core; and combining the first die core, the second die core, the third die core, and the at least one hole insert to form a mold with a cavity, wherein the cavity is injection molded to manufacture the plastic article.

A system for manufacturing equipment for a direct injection production of footwear. The equipment includes molds for direct injection production of footwear. The system includes a design facility that provides a footwear design. A mold manufacturing facility located manufactures a mold corresponding to the footwear design. The mold is for direct injection molding of a sole part of the footwear. At least one footwear manufacturing facility manufactures footwear according to the footwear design, utilizing a last corresponding to the footwear design and the mold corresponding to the footwear design. Last descriptive data relating to said last corresponding to said footwear design is provided. The last descriptive data is communicated to the footwear manufacturing facility for manufacturing the last at the footwear manufacturing location or the last is manufactured at a last manufacturing facility, based on last descriptive data, and transported to the footwear manufacturing facility.

A mold insert and an injection-molding machine including the mold insert. The mold insert has at least one filament cavity and a stack of at least a first and second insert plates, wherein the first plate has a front face that closely abuts a front face of the second insert plate. A portion of the a filament cavity is provided in at least one of the front faces of the first and second insert plates such that the filament cavity is open at a top surface of the mold insert but does not extend to a bottom surface of the mold insert. A venting cavity is provided in the same front face of the insert plate in which the portion of the at least one filament cavity is provided.