DEVICE AND METHOD FOR INJECTION MOLDING

Abstract

A method and device for injection moulding, in particular for micro-injection moulding, at least comprising a mould with a first mould half and a second mould half, wherein the first mould half and the second mould half define an injection moulding space in the closed state of the mould, and an insert arranged in the injection moulding space.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A device for injection moulding to produce an injection moulded article, said device comprising: a mould with a first mould half and a second mould half, wherein the first mould half and the second mould half define an injection moulding space in a closed state of the mould; at least one insert arranged in the injection moulding space; and at least one further insert arranged in the injection moulding space, wherein the at least one insert at least partially comprises a polymer, wherein the injection moulded article can be removed from the at least one insert and measured; wherein an alignment error can be determined by comparison with set values, wherein the at least one insert can be aligned, wherein the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert can be aligned in the closed state of the mould, and wherein the alignment error can be iteratively improved by repeatedly carrying out the alignment.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert respectively comprises/comprise a moulding surface with elastic structures.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the moulding surface of the at least one insert and the moulding surface of the at least one further insert can be aligned with one another in the closed state of the mould.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein the elastic structures of the moulding surface of the at least one insert and the structures of the moulding surface of the at least one further insert can be aligned with one another in the closed state of the mould.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein at least one heating element is/are integrated into the at least one insert, into the at least one further insert and/or into the respective elastic structures, so that an injection moulding compound which can be conveyed through a filling opening into the injection moulding space, can be heated in a targeted manner by means of the at least one heating element.

21. The device according to claim 16, wherein the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert comprises/comprise a plurality of alignment marks.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of alignment marks are located on the respective moulding surface and/or on a respective rear side of the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert,

23. The device according to claim 16, wherein the first mould half and/or the second mould half comprises/comprise an inspection window, so that the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert can be aligned and/or can be aligned with one another by means of a plurality of alignment marks in the closed state of the mould.

24. The device according to claim 16, wherein the first mould half and/or the second mould half in each case comprises/comprise at least one positioning mechanism, so that the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert can be aligned with the aid of a plurality of alignment marks in the closed state in the mould.

25. The device according to claim 16, wherein, with aid of a plurality of alignment marks on a rear side of the at least one insert (5) and/or on a rear side of the at least one further insert, elastic structures of the moulding surface of the at least one insert and elastic structures of the moulding surface of the at least one further insert can be aligned with one another in the closed state of the mould.

26. A method for injection moulding, wherein an injection moulding space is defined by a mould with a first mould half and a second mould half in a closed state of the mould, and wherein at least one insert arranged in the injection moulding space (10) is at least partially comprised of a polymer, said method comprising: producing an injection moulded article; removing the injection moulded article from the at least one insert; measuring the injection moulded article; determining an alignment error by comparison with set values, wherein the at least one insert is aligned; aligning the at least one insert and at least one further insert arranged in the injection moulding space, wherein the at least one insert and the at least one further insert are aligned with one another in the closed state of the mould in the injection moulding space; and repeatedly carrying out the aligning to iteratively improve the alignment error.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the aligning of the at least one insert and the at least one further insert includes aligning a moulding surface of the at least one insert and/or a moulding surface of the at least one further insert.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the at least one insert and/or at least one further insert is/are aligned with the aid of a plurality of alignment marks provided on the at least one insert and/or the at least one further insert.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein an alignment of the at least one insert and/or of the at least one further insert is carried out on the basis of a measurement of an injection moulded article.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein an alignment is carried out by a reworking of the at least one insert and/or of the at least one further insert.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0262] FIG. 1 shows a mould for a device according to the invention for injection moulding.

[0263] Identical components or components with the same function are denoted with the same reference numbers in the FIGURE.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0264] Mould 1 comprises first mould half 2 and a second mould half 3, which can be separated from one another through mould parting plane E.

[0265] The technological design of mould 1 determines the number of required mould parts and the number of mould parting planes. The necessary guides, pass-cones, as well as ejector bolts, media supply for cooling and/or heating, electronic assemblies for a heating element, deburrers, cutting tool for truncating the filling channel, which are known to the person skilled in the art, are not represented pictorially.

[0266] The device also comprises first insert 5 and a second insert 5′. According to the invention, inserts 5, 5′ comprise a polymer.

[0267] Represented in second mould half 3 is an inspection window 4, which separates second mould half 3 from an injection moulding space 10 and from insert 5′, in particular in a pressure-tight manner. Alignment marks 5m′ of insert 5′ in particular with an aligner not represented can be observed through inspection window 4 and adjusted by means of positioning mechanism 6.

[0268] Pressure distributors 7 enable inspection window 4 and/or the rear side of insert 5b′ to be covered with alignment marks 5m′ during injection moulding, in order to keep the operating pressure during injection moulding up to for example 2500 bar, without the injection moulding compound (not represented) being able to escape from mould 1, in particular in an uncontrolled manner.

[0269] Inserts 5, 5′ are positioned, in an alignable and adjustable manner, with structured moulding surface 5s, 5s′ in the direction of injection moulding space 10 in mould 1, in particular in mould halves 2, 3.

[0270] Inserts 5, 5′ can comprise alignment marks 5m, 5m′ both on structured moulding surface 5s, 5s′ and also on the rear side of insert 5b, 5b′, constituted in particular as mark clusters, in order in particular to be able to carry out referencing or correlation of moulding surface 5s, 5s′ of inserts 5, 5′ with rear side 5b, 5b′ of inserts 5, 5′. The measurement does not necessarily take place in mould 1.

[0271] In a particularly preferred embodiment not represented, processing of rear side 5b, 5b′ of insert 5, 5′ can take place to achieve flatness requirements, wherein moulding surface 5s, 5s′ of insert 5, 5′ can be used without structuring. In particular cases, moulding surface 5s, 5s′ of insert 5, 5′ can be present without structuring irrespective of the processing or processability of rear side 5b, 5b′ of insert 5, 5′.

[0272] Mould 1 is filled in filling opening 8 with the injection moulding compound (not represented), so that it passes into injection moulding space 10 and in particular completely fills the cavities of injection moulding space 10. In order to be able to fill injection moulding space 10 of mould 1 completely without air bubbles or voids or inclusions, venting ducts 9 in particular are formed in mould 1.

[0273] Insert 5 without an inspection window is depicted symbolically in first mould half 2. Channels are correspondingly formed in mould 1, in order to be able to observe in particular rear side 5b of insert 5 with optical means and to align inserts 5, 5′ with one another. In this embodiment, pressure distributors 7 support insert 5, 5′, in order to protect it against breakage due to overloading with the injection moulding compound.

[0274] Overloads of insert 5, 5′ can include a thermal overload and a mechanical overload, which can be prevented by constraint-free clamping and an in particular full-area support of insert 5, 5′ in mould 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0275] 1 mould for injection moulding [0276] 2 first mould half [0277] 3 second mould half [0278] 4 inspection window [0279] 5, 5′ insert [0280] 5s, 5s′ structured moulding surface of the insert [0281] 5b, 5b′ rear side of the insert [0282] 5m, 5m′ alignment marks of the insert [0283] 6 positioning mechanism [0284] 7 pressure distributor [0285] 8 filling opening [0286] 9 venting duct [0287] 10 injection moulding space [0288] E mould parting plane