DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING PLASTICS COMPONENTS

Abstract

A device is for producing a component from a plastics material by injection moulding. The device includes two mould halves that can be pressed together releasably and, in the pressed-together state, form at least one gate region and at least one common cavity for moulding the plastics material. The gate region is fluidically connected to the cavity for the purpose of introducing the plastics material into the cavity. At least one insert part is provided which is arranged at least partially in a partial region of the gate region and is formed to prevent or at least to impede flowing of the plastics material through this partial region.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A device for producing a component from a plastics material by injection moulding, the device comprising: two mould halves that can be pressed together releasably and, in a pressed-together state, form at least one gate region and at least one common cavity for moulding the plastics material, wherein the gate region is fluidically connected to the cavity to introduce the plastics material into said cavity, wherein at least one insert part is provided which is arranged at least partially in a partial region of the gate region, and wherein the insert part is formed to prevent or at least to impede flowing of the plastics material through the partial region.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the form of the insert part is adapted to the form of the partial region of the gate region and at least partially fills the partial region.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the insert part is configured to be inserted into different partial regions of the gate region.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein the insert part is fastened by at least one fastening means in the gate region.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the insert part comprises the at least one fastening means and the fastening means is fastened to a mould half.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein a mould half comprises the at least one fastening means and the insert part is fastened to the fastening means.

22. The device according to claim 16, wherein the insert part is fastened releasably or non-releasably in the gate region.

23. The device according to claim 16, wherein the gate region is formed in the shape of a fan, disc and/or plate, or film.

24. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device is used in the production of cylinder housings.

25. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device is used in the production of cylinder housings for concentric slave cylinders.

26. An insert part configured to be at least partially inserted into a partial region of a gate region of an injection-moulding tool, wherein in that said insert part prevents or at least impedes flowing of the plastics material through the partial region.

27. The insert part according to claim 26, wherein a form of the insert part is adapted to the form of the partial region of the gate region.

28. The insert part according to claim 26, further comprising at least one fastening means.

29. A method for producing a component by injection moulding, comprising: pressing two mould halves together releasably, wherein, in the pressed-together state, the two mould halves form at least one gate region and at least one common cavity for moulding the plastics material; and liquefying a plastics material by heating and subsequently introducing the plastics material into the cavity via the gate region, wherein, before the two mould halves are pressed together, at least one insert part is inserted into the gate region in such a way that flowing of the plastics material through the partial region is prevented or at least impeded.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the insert part is fastened releasably in the gate region and, in the case of the production of at least two components, is inserted in each case into different partial regions of the gate region.

31. A cylinder housing produced by the method according to claim 29.

32. The cylinder housing according to claim 31, wherein the cylinder housing is for a concentric central actuator for a hydraulic or pneumatic clutch actuating means.

33. A cylinder housing produced by the device according to claim 16.

34. The cylinder housing according to claim 33, wherein the cylinder housing is for a concentric central actuator for a hydraulic or pneumatic clutch actuating means.

Description

[0025] Further advantages and features of the invention become apparent from the following description with regard to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1: shows a longitudinal section through a part of an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention,

[0027] FIG. 2: a) shows a perspective view of a part of the second mould half (“ejector side”) of the device according to FIG. 1, [0028] b) shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an insert part according to the invention, [0029] c) shows a perspective view of that side (“nozzle side”) of a finished component which faces the first mould half according to FIG. 1,

[0030] FIG. 3: a) shows a perspective view of a finished component with a weld line, and [0031] b) shows a perspective view of a further finished component with a weld line.

[0032] For the purpose of simplification, identical elements are denoted by identical reference signs in the figures even in the case of different embodiments.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a part of an exemplary embodiment of a device 1 for producing a plastics component by means of injection moulding. The device 1, which can be in particular a part of an injection-moulding tool, comprises a first mould half 2 (“nozzle side”, illustrated only partially here) and a second mould half 3 (“ejector side”, likewise illustrated only partially here) which form the injection-moulding tool for moulding the plastics material. The two mould halves 2, 3 can be brought into contact by axially displacing one of the two mould halves 2, 3 or both mould halves 2, 3, the injection-moulding tool being closed by pressing together the two mould halves 2, 3. In the closed state, illustrated here, the two pressed-together mould halves 2, 3 enclose a gate region 4 and a common cavity 5, in which the component to be produced is formed. In the embodiment illustrated here, the gate system comprises an injection channel 6 for injecting the plastics material into the cavity 5, which is configured as a hot-runner variant. The injection unit of the injection-moulding machine presses a molten, fluid plastics material into the injection channel 6, which can be heated by a temperature controlling device 7 for controlling the temperature of the plastics material located in the injection channel 6. The fluid plastics material is injected out of the injection channel 6 into the gate region 4 via a nozzle 8, there firstly strikes a plate- and/or fan-shaped element 9 and then flows over said element into the cavity 5. On the “nozzle side”, the fan-shaped element 9 forms an injection face and thus in practical terms constitutes a fan gate. On the “ejector side”, the fan-shaped element 9 comprises a central extension 10 which can be pushed in a form-fitting manner into a corresponding depression in the second mould half 3. The second mould half 3 comprises a central cylinder 11 (see FIG. 2) which is surrounded by a free space 12. The second mould half 3 also has an ejector device (the ejectors of the ejector device are not visible here, since they are shortened in this embodiment), by means of which the moulded and hardened finished component can be ejected out of the injection-moulding tool at the end of the injection-moulding operation.

[0034] FIG. 2 a) shows the central cylinder 11, which is installed fixedly in the second mould half 3 of the device 1 according to FIG. 1. The central cylinder 11 comprises a central depression 13, into which the extension 10 of the fan-shaped element 9 according to FIG. 1 can be pushed, and eight cylindrical hollow spaces 14, in which the (shortened) ejectors are movably mounted.

[0035] FIG. 2 b) shows an exemplary embodiment of an insert part 15 according to the invention that consists of a base body 16, which is in the shape of a quarter of a circle and is provided with two pin-shaped fastening means 17. The fastening means 17 serve to fasten the insert part 15 to the central cylinder 11, the fastening means 17 corresponding to and being able to plugged into the hollow spaces 14 (see arrows). In this way, the insert part 15 can be fixed releasably in the gate region 4 of the device 1 according to FIG. 1, the fan-shaped element 9 according to FIG. 1 not being reproduced in this illustration.

[0036] This is made clear in FIG. 2 c), which shows that side (“nozzle side”) of a finished component 18 which faces the first mould half 2 according to FIG. 1, the fan-shaped element 9, which forms the fan gate, and the insert part 15 fastened therein additionally also being reproduced in this illustration. The embodiment illustrated here is a test variant, in which, after ejecting the component 18 out of the injection-moulding tool, the fan-shaped element 9 and the insert part 15 remain initially in the component 18, and therefore said test variant still has to be removed therefrom for further use. It is thus made clear in this illustration that the insert part 15 is arranged within the gate region 4 of the device 1 according to FIG. 1, wherein said insert part initially prevents flowing of the molten plastics material into that portion of the gate region 4 which is located downstream of the insert part 15, since, on account of its location, said insert part blocks and/or delays flowing of the plastics material into the circular portion 19 of the gate region 4. Ultimately, the weld line which forms in the region in which the flow fronts of the plastics material meet can thus be displaced into another region of the component 18 (see FIG. 3).

[0037] The component 18 is a cylinder housing for a concentric central actuator (central release mechanism). The component 18 comprises an annular base body 20, onto which are moulded a pressure connector 21 and three flanges 22, which are provided to fasten the cylinder housing to for example a transmission housing of a motor vehicle. The pressure connector 21 is formed by means of a mould core which is placed into the injection-moulding tool and around which the plastic flows during the injection-moulding operation. The pressure connector 21 is fluidically connected to the annular working space of the cylinder formed by the base body 20, and therefore a pressure medium can be admitted to the cylinder.

[0038] FIG. 3 a) shows that side (“nozzle side”) of a finished component 18 which faces the first mould half 2 according to FIG. 1, in which the weld line 23 can be seen within the cylinder 24. The component 18 according to FIG. 3 a) has been produced by means of a conventional injection-moulding tool without an insert part. By contrast to this, the component 18 according to FIG. 3 b) has been produced by the method according to the invention and by means of a device according to the invention having an insert part. In this component 18, the weld line 23 is located at a different point than in the component 18 according to FIG. 3 a). FIG. 3 thus shows that the location of the weld line in finished injection-moulded components can be changed without having to change the form and surface structure of the cavity of the injection-moulding tool. The weld line can consequently be displaced into any desired other region of the finished component by means of the method according to the invention. In this way, by means of the method according to the invention, for example components with different positions of the weld line can be produced, in order to determine which of these components is particularly stable and suitable for the respective application, and how a suitable injection-moulding tool for the series production of the component should be configured.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0039] 1 Device [0040] 2 Mould half [0041] 3 Mould half [0042] 4 Gate region [0043] 5 Cavity [0044] 6 Injection channel [0045] 7 Temperature controlling device [0046] 8 Nozzle [0047] 9 Fan-shaped element [0048] 10 Extension [0049] 11 Central cylinder [0050] 12 Free space [0051] 13 Depression [0052] 14 Hollow space [0053] 15 Insert part [0054] 16 Base body [0055] 17 Fastening means [0056] 18 Component [0057] 19 Circular portion [0058] 20 Base body [0059] 21 Flange [0060] 22 Pressure connector [0061] 23 Weld line [0062] 24 Cylinder