A mould tool comprising: a first tool part defining a first mould cavity portion; a second tool part defining a second mould cavity portion; and, a cavity alignment system comprising: a temperature control system configured to control the temperature of a first zone of the first tool part to thereby effect thermal expansion and/or contraction in the first zone of the first tool part; a sensor configured to measure movement of a part of the first tool part in response to the said thermal expansion and/or contraction; and, a controller configured to control the temperature control system in response to feedback from the sensor to thereby control the position of the first mould cavity portion relative to the second mould cavity portion.

Heating device for locally heating of an injection mold cavity wall, comprising: a base plate, an actuator located on the base plate, to perform a linear movement; a heated stamp connected to the actuator and driven by the actuator, to perform a linear movement in direction to and from the injection mold cavity wall; wherein the heated stamp is located below the base plate and the actuator is located on top of the base plate, and wherein the base plate comprises an opening through which a pin extends for transferring the linear movement from the actuator to the heated stamp.

A machine including a mold which delimits an overmolding cavity, for receiving a hollow portion of a bi-material part, cooling means along the overmolding cavity, a core positionable inside the hollow portion and containing heating means for bringing the core to a heating temperature higher than 150° C., and an injector injecting an overmolding material, formed by the core and the hollow portion, for forming an inner portion of the bi-material part. In order to obtain the overmolded inner portion even if the hollow portion has poor heat resistance, the cooling means maintain the overmolding cavity at a cooling temperature lower than 110° C. while the core is brought to the heating temperature, while the overmolding material has been injected by the injector into the overmolding cavity.

Mold including a first shell having a cavity, a second shell having a projection, and an intermediate shell having a projection suitable for being coupled in the cavity of the first shell and a cavity suitable for being coupled with the projection of the second shell. The second shell includes a first injection channel extending from an inlet hole in a side wall of the second shell to an outlet hole in the projection of the second shell. The intermediate shell has a second injection channel extending from an inlet hole in a side wall of the intermediate shell to an outlet hole in the projection of the intermediate shell.

A method for producing a three-dimensionally shaped trim part of a motor vehicle, which has a visible side and a mounting side. A flowable material is injected with pressure into a chamber of an injection molding tool, which has at least two mold shells, which, when assembled, form the chamber with a negative mold of the trim part, wherein at least one first of the mold shells forms the visible side and at least one second of the mold shells forms the mounting side of the trim part. The material is hardened in the chamber. A gas pressure is generated that acts in a planar manner between the second mold shell and the material during the hardening. The hardened material is removed as a trim part from the chamber of the injection molding tool.

Techniques are described for injection molding. When material inside a cavity of a tool is solidified into a molded part, the tool imparts a finished surface onto the part, including sidewalls with a zero or low-draft angle. To allow separation from the cavity without using sleeves or sliders, the cavity is widened, just prior to the part being ejected. The tool is made from metal with a high coefficient of thermal expansion, so the size of the cavity can be manipulated using temperature control. Heat applied to an outer portion of the metal surrounding the cavity pulls the metal away from the part creating an air gap within the cavity. Carefully applied cooling to an inner portion of the metal blocks the heat and keeps the surface temperature under control, which preserves the finished surface on the part. When the air gap allows, the part releases from the cavity with the finished surface intact.

A forming tool with forced thermal fluid-based spatio-temporal temperature control of a surface of the tool has a subsurface manifold underlying at least a part of a forming surface of the tool and a number P of at least 6 ports, each port fluid coupled respectively to the manifold via respective channels, where the ports exit the tool at disparate points, with each pair of ports in fluid communication via the manifold. This structure allows manifold path diversity for varying thermal fluid supply and drainage. The manifold may be reinforced.

The present invention relates to a method for the production of injection-moulded, reinforced moulded parts, the fibre orientation of which is specifically adjusted on a local basis. Via suitable, dynamically controlled supplementary heating in the wall of the injection mould which is used (variotherm heatable channel), a local cavity region is hereby heated at the time of injection to a temperature in the region of or above the solidification temperature (in any case above the crystallisation temperature in the case of partially crystalline plastic materials or above the glass transition temperature in the case of amorphous plastic materials) of the polymer (plastic material moulding compound).

Techniques are described for injection molding. When material inside a cavity of a tool is solidified into a molded part, the tool imparts a finished surface onto the part, including sidewalls with a zero or low-draft angle. To allow separation from the cavity without using sleeves or sliders, the cavity is widened, just prior to the part being ejected. The tool is made from metal with a high coefficient of thermal expansion, so the size of the cavity can be manipulated using temperature control. Heat applied to an outer portion of the metal surrounding the cavity pulls the metal away from the part creating an air gap within the cavity. Carefully applied cooling to an inner portion of the metal blocks the heat and keeps the surface temperature under control, which preserves the finished surface on the part. When the air gap allows, the part releases from the cavity with the finished surface intact.

Techniques are described for injection molding. When material inside a cavity of a tool is solidified into a molded part, the tool imparts a finished surface onto the part, including sidewalls with a zero or low-draft angle. To allow separation from the cavity without using sleeves or sliders, the cavity is widened, just prior to the part being ejected. The tool is made from metal with a high coefficient of thermal expansion, so the size of the cavity can be manipulated using temperature control. Heat applied to an outer portion of the metal surrounding the cavity pulls the metal away from the part creating an air gap within the cavity. Carefully applied cooling to an inner portion of the metal blocks the heat and keeps the surface temperature under control, which preserves the finished surface on the part. When the air gap allows, the part releases from the cavity with the finished surface intact.