Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COMPONENT OF METAL MOLDING SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally relates to, but is not limited to, molding
systems, and more
specifically the present invention relates to, but is not limited to, (i) a
component of a molding
system, (ii) a molding system having a component, and/or (iii) a method, etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
.1o
Examples of known molding systems are (amongst others): (i) the HyPETTM
Molding System, (ii) the
QuadlocTM Molding System, (iii) the HylectricTM Molding System, and (iv) the
HyMetTM Molding
System, all manufactured by Husky Injection Molding Systems Limited (Location:
Bolton, Ontario,
Canada; www.huskv.ca).
Generally, the processing (handling) of a molten metallic molding material
imposes challenges on
materials used in components of known metal molding systems, such as: (i) high
heat that causes
reduction in mechanical properties (of components of the molding system, etc),
and/or (ii) corrosive
attack by the molten molding material on the components of the metal molding
system. It is generally
known to use a combination of two or more layers in a barrel (generally known
as a conduit or the
component of the metal molding system). More specifically, known barrels for
molding systems
configured for processing magnesium alloys, etc, have a body that includes two
materials: (i) an
Inconel 718 outer shell that provides high-temperature strength and creep
resistance, and (ii) a Stellite
12 inner liner that provides corrosion resistance and wear resistance.
United States Patent Number 4,089,466 (Inventor: Lomax et al; Published:
5/16/1978) discloses a
lining alloy for bimetallic cylinders; more specifically, this patent appears
to disclose a wear and
corrosion resistant alloy for lining cylinders used in extrusion and injection
molding machines
comprises tantalum carbide admixed with a nickel-cobalt base alloy. The
cylinder lining is preferably
prepared by placing a quantity of the alloy in the cylinder and capping the
ends of the cylinder. The
cylinder is then heated above the melting point of the alloy and spun at a
high rate of speed to
centrifugally coat the inner surface of the cylinder. The cylinder's end caps
are then removed and the
lining finished to the correct internal diameter and finish by conventional
lathe and hone means. The
tantalum carbide added to the base alloy has an affinity for carbon and tends
to reduce the free carbon
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in the final matrix producing a lining which has desirable hardness and
corrosion resistance
throughout the thickness of the lining.
United States Patent Number 4,399,198 (Inventor: Lomax et al; Published:
8/16/1983) discloses a
$ lining alloy for bimetallic cylinders; more specifically, this patent
appears to disclose a wear and
corrosion resistant alloy for lining cylinders used in extrusion and injection
molding machines
comprises at least two carbides admixed with a nickel-cobalt base alloy. The
cylinder lining is
preferably prepared by placing a quantity of the alloy in the cylinder and
capping the ends of the
cylinder. The cylinder is then heated above the melting point of the alloy and
spun at a high rate of
to speed to centrifugally coat the inner surface of the cylinder. The
cylinder's end caps are then removed
and the lining finished to the correct internal diameter and finish by
conventional lathe and hone
means. The carbide mixture is evenly dispersed in the lining and produces a
lining having desirable
hardness and corrosion resistance throughout the thickness of the lining.
15 United States patent Number 4,863,661 (Inventor: Maddy; Published:
9/9/1989) discloses a resin
molding process employing a nickel-based alloy liner; more specifically, this
patent appears to
disclose a method of producing cylindrical objects with one or more lobes in
which the bore surfaces
are completely protected by a surface layer of abrasion resistant and/or
corrosion resistant alloy and
which protective layer is free of any contamination by the metal of the
substrate. A hard, wear
20 resistant, and corrosion resistant nickel-based alloy is especially
suitable as lining material for surface
of cylindrical products, such as housings or shells used in extrusion and
injection molding devices for
processing halogenated resins or rubbers. The alloys will preferably also
contain 0.5 to 5% silicon
and 1 to 4% boron. Also disclosed is a method of producing cylindrical objects
with one or more
lobes in which the bore surfaces are completely protected by a surface layer
of abrasion resistant
25 and/or corrosion resistant alloy, such as the above-described metal-based
alloy.
United States Patent Number 5,185,162 (Inventor: Chou; Published: 2/9/1993)
discloses a corrosion
and wear resistant bimetallic cylinder; more specifically, this patent appears
to disclose a bimetallic
cylinder of steel having an alloy inlay which includes chromium boride in a
matrix of iron alloy
30 containing carbon, silicon, nickel and copper. The chromium boride imparts
wear resistance to the
inlay and relatively high contents of chromium, nickel and silicon and the
presence of molybdenum
and copper in the alloy make it resistant to corrosion. The cylinder is useful
for injection molding and
extrusion of plastics.
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United States Patent Number US 5,565,277 (Inventor: Cox et al; Published:
10/15/1996) discloses
injection molding and extrusion barrels and alloy compositions thereof. More
specifically, this patent
appears to disclose a bimetallic barrel for use in injection molding and
extrusion. The barrel is formed
of a backing steel and a metal inlay liner. The backing steel is selected from
the group consisting of
micro-alloyed steels, carbon steel 1045 and carbon steel 1060. The metal inlay
liner is formed of an
alloy selected from the group consisting of alloys.
United States Patent Number 5,711,366 (Inventor: Mihelich et al; Published:
01/27/1998) discloses
processing corrosive molten or semi-molten metallic material in an apparatus
having contact surfaces
of niobium-based alloy; more specifically, this patent appears to disclose an
apparatus for processing
materials which are highly corrosive while in a thixotropic state (for
example, aluminum). The
apparatus includes a barrel which is adapted to receive the material through
an inlet. In the barrel, the
material is heated and subjected to shearing, forming a highly corrosive, semi-
solid slurry which is
discharged from the barrel through a nozzle. The barrel is constructed with an
outer layer of a first
material and an inner layer of a Nb-based alloy which is bonded to the outer
layer. Positioned within
the passageway of the barrel is a screw, the rotation of which operates to
subject the material to
shearing and move the material through the barrel. The screw is constructed
with an outer layer of the
Nb-based alloy that is molecularly bonded to an inner core of a different
material. The Nb-based alloy
is resistant to the corrosive effects of the material being processed.
United States Patent Number 5,752,770 (Inventor: Kawaguchi et al; Published:
5/19/1998) discloses'
a barrel for a twin screw extruder with an abrasion resistant layer; more
specifically, this patent
appears to disclose a barrel for a twin screw extruder having a pair of
helical screws has a barrel body
provided with a pair of partly overlapping cylindrical bores, and the pair of
helical screws, are
rotatably supported in the pair of cylindrical bores of the barrel to mix and
extrude a molding
material. An abrasion resistant layer is formed in at least portions of the
surfaces of the pair of
cylindrical bores extending in the vicinity of at least one of the two lines
of intersection of the pair of
partly overlapping cylindrical bores. The abrasion resistance of the abrasion
resistant layer has a
maximum in a portion thereof around the line of intersection of the pair of
cylindrical bores and
decreases gradually with distance from the line of intersection. The abrasion
resistant layer is formed
by depositing a material containing a bard substance by build-up welding, and
the hard substance
content of the material in the abrasion resistant layer is varied with
distance from the line of
intersection. The abrasion resistant layer is formed by depositing a material
consisting of a corrosion
resistant base alloy and a hard substance. The abrasion resistant layer may be
formed on a corrosion
resistant layer formed over the entire surfaces of the pair of cylindrical
bores.
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United States Patent Number 5,996,679 (Inventor: Pinnow et al: Published:
12/07/1999) discloses
powder metallurgical, fully dense cobalt-based articles with high hardness,
having good wear and
corrosion resistance for use as nozzles, barrels, barrel liners and piston
rings in molding systems for
molding semi-solid metals (such as magnesium alloys, etc).
European Patent Number 1,203,831 (Inventor: Antony et al; Published:
05/08/2002) discloses articles
including stainless steels having high thermal fatigue resistance, high hot
hardness, high impact
strength, and low thermal expansion properties. The stainless steels include,
for example, die casting
dies for production of parts from molten aluminum, zinc, magnesium, and brass,
as well as other
articles that may undergo thermal stress through high temperature cycling.
United States Patent Number 2006/0196626 (Inventor: Vining et al; Published:
9/7/2006) discloses
semisolid metal injection molding machine components; more specifically, this
patent appears to
disclose an alloy for components of semi-solid injection molding machinery. In
particular, the alloy is
an inter-metallic-hardened steel, known as a Maraging steel alloy. The
Maraging steel alloy includes
Cr, Co, Mo, and about 0.15% or less by weight C.
United State Patent Application 2004/0057862 (Inventor: Horiuchi et al;
Published: 2004-03-25)
discloses a heat-resistant martensite alloy used in high-temperature creep
rapture strength and
ductility, and process for producing the same; more specifically, this patent
application appears to
disclose a martensitic heat resistant alloy having a composition that
includes, ,% by weight: 0.03 to
0.15% of C; 0.01 to 0:9% of Si: 0.01 to 1.5% of Mn; 8.0 to 13.0% of CT; 0.0005
to 0.015% of Al; ;no
more than 2.0% of Mo; no more than 4.0% of W; 0.05 to 0.5% of V; 0.01 to 0.2%
of Nb; 0.1 to 5.0%
of Co; 0.008 to 0.03% of B; less than 0.005% of N: and Fe and inevitable
impurities as the
remainder, wherein (B) the contents (% by weight) of Mo, W, B and N satisfy
the following formulas
(B-0.772N>0.007) and (W+l.916Mo-16.99B>2.0). The mar tensitic heat resistant
alloy has excellent
oxidation resistance, hot workability and ductility and exhibits high creep
rupture strength in a range
of relatively long rupture time at a high temperature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
molding-material handling
component (8), including: a component body (9) constructed of an alloy, the
alloy being contactable,
at least in part, against a molten metallic molding material (52) to be
processed, the alloy improves, at
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least in part, high-temperature creep resistance of the component body (9),
the alloy includes: from
about 0.05 to about 0.12, in weight percent, of C, from about 9.8 to about
11.2, in weight percent, of
Cr, from about 5 to about 7, in weight percent, of Co, from about 0.5 to about
1.0, in weight percent,
of Mo, from about less than 0.7, in weight percent, of W, from about 0.1 to
about 0.4, in weight
percent, of V, from about 0.2 to about 0.5, in weight percent, of Nb, from
about 0.005 to about
0.0015, in weight percent, of B, from about 0.1 to about 0.8, in weight
percent, of Si, from about 0.3
to about 1.3, in weight percent, of Mn, from about less than, in weight
percent, 0.035 of N, from
about less than, in weight percent, 0.025 of P, from about less than, in
weight percent, 0.015 of S, and
from about, in weight percent, 0.2 to 1.2 of Ni.
to
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
molding-material handling
component (8), including an alloy including: from about 0.05 to about 0.12, in
weight percent, of C,
from about 9.8 to about 1 1.2, in weight percent, of Cr, from about 5 to about
7, in weight percent, of
Co, from about 0.5 to about 1.0, in weight percent, of Mo, from about less
than 0.7, in weight
percent, of W, from about 0.1 to about 0.4, in weight percent, of V, from
about 0.2 to about 0.5, in
weight percent, of Nb, from about 0.005 to about 0.0015, in weight percent, of
B, from about 0.1 to
about 0.8, in weight percent, of Si, from about 0.3 to about 1.3, in weight
percent, of Mn, from about
less than, in weight percent, 0.035 of N, andfrom about less than, in weight
percent, 0.025 of P, from
about less than, in weight percent, 0.015 of S, and from about, in weight
percent, 0.2 to 1.2 of Ni, the
alloy being included in a component body (9), the component body (9) includes,
at least in part, a
conduit (11), the alloy being contactable, at least in part, against a molten
metallic molding material
(52) to be processed, the molten metallic molding material (52) includes a
molten alloy of
magnesium.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hot
runner (30) of a metal
molding system (100), the hot runner (30) including a molding-material
handling ' component (8),
including: a component body (9) constructed of an alloy, the molding-material
handling component
(8) including: a hot-runner component, the alloy being contactable, at least
in part, against a molten
metallic molding material (52) to be processed by the hot runner (30), the
alloy improves, at least in
part, high-temperature creep resistance of the component body (9), the alloy
includes: from about
0.05 to about 0.12, in weight percent, of C, from about 9.8 to about 11.2, in
weight percent, of Cr,
from about 5 to about 7, in weight percent, of Co, from about 0.5 to about
1.0, in weight percent, of
Mo, from about less than 0.7, in weight percent, of W, from about 0.1 to about
0.4, in weight percent,
of V, from about 0.2 to about 0.5, in weight percent, of Nb, from about 0.005
to about 0.0015, in
weight percent, of B, from about 0.1 to about 0.8, in weight percent, of Si,
from about 0.3 to about
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1.3, in weight percent, of Mn, from about less than, in weight percent, 0.035
of N, from about less
than, in weight percent, 0.025 of P, from about less than, in weight percent,
0.015 of S, and from
about, in weight percent, 0.2 to 1.2 of Ni.
The aspects of the present invention mitigate the known art by providing the
following technical
effect (or effects): a molding-material handling component of a metal molding
system has a
simplified structure, reduced manufacturing costs and/or reduced maintenance
costs, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention
(including alternatives
and/or variations thereof) may be obtained with reference to the detailed
description of the exemplary
embodiments of the present invention along with the following drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a molding-material handling component
of a metal
molding system according to a first exemplary embodiment (which is the
preferred embodiment); and
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a molding-material handling component
of a metal
molding system according to a second exemplary embodiment.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale and are sometimes illustrated by
phantom lines,
diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances,
details that are not
necessary for an understanding of the embodiments or that render other details
difficult to perceive
may have been omitted.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a molding-material handling component
8 (hereafter referred
to as the "component 8") of a metal molding system 100 (hereafter referred to
as the "system 100")
according to the first exemplary embodiment. An example of a metal molding
system is described in
United States Patent Application Number 2006/0196626. The system 100 is,
preferably, an injection
molding system. The component 8 includes a component body 9 that is
constructed of an alloy; the
alloy is contactable, at least in part, against a molten metallic molding
material 52 (hereafter referred
to as the "material" 52). The material 52 is to be processed by the system
100. The alloy improves, at
least in part, high-temperature creep resistance of the component body 9 by at
least 20 times over
known alloys that are used today in known metal molding systems. The component
8 of the system
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100 is used to handle (convey) the material 52 that is processed by the system
100. The material 52 is
corrosive against components of the system 100. The system 100 is used to mold
a metal alloy
(preferably, magnesium, or aluminum or zinc, etc) to form a molded article 54;
specifically, the
material 52 includes a molten alloy of magnesium, such as AZ91D. Preferably,
the alloy improves (i)
high-temperature strength, (ii) creep resistance, (iii) corrosion resistance
and/or (iv) wear resistance of
the component body 9. The alloy withstands: (i) heat attacks and/or (ii)
corrosive attacks from the
material 52 (that is, either in a liquid state or a semi-molten state of the
material 52).
Preferably or specifically, the alloy includes: (i) from about 0.05 to 0.12,
in weight percent, of C, (ii)
from about 9,8 to 11.2, in weight percent, of Cr, (iii) from about 5 to 7, in
weight percent, of Co, (iv)
from about 0.5 to 1.0, in weight percent, of Mo, (v) from about less than 0.7,
in weight percent, of W,
(vi) from about 0.1 to 0.4, in weight percent, of V, (vii) from about 0.2 to
0.5, in weight percent, of
Nb, (viii) from about 0.005 to 0.0015, in weight percent, of B, (ix) from
about 0.1 to 0.8, in weight
percent, of Si, (x) from about 0.3 to 1.3, in weight percent, of Mn, and (xi)
from about less than, in
weight percent, 0.035 of N, from about less than, in weight percent, 0.025 of
P, from about less than,
in weight percent, 0.015 of S, and from about, in weight percent, 0.2 to 1.2
of Ni. It is understood
that: C is carbon, Cr is chromium, Co is cobalt, Mo is molybdenum, W is
tungsten, V is vanadium,
Nb is niobium, B is boron, Si is silicon, Mn is manganese, N is nitrogen, P is
Phosphorus, S is Sulfur.
and Ni is Nickel.
More preferably, the alloy includes amounts entirely within the ranges as
identified above.
Equivalents of the alloy are, preferably, those alloys that comply with DIN
(Deutsches Institut filr
Normung) Standard 1.4911. Former names for the DIN 1.4911 standard are: (i) SV-
RNOD Co, (ii)
DIN Type (Code Number): X8CrCoNiM0106, or (iii) EN 1032, WL.
The system 100 includes a hopper 10 that is connected to an extruder 12. The
hopper 10 is used or is
configured to receive granules or particles of moldable molding material 50
(hereafter referred to as
the "material 50"). The extruder 12 includes a barrel 18 (which is an example
of a conduit 11). The
barrel 18 receives the material 50 from the hopper 10. A screw 14 is located
in the barrel 18, and the
screw 14 is used to process (or convert) the material 50 to make the
injectable material 52 (the details
of this conversion process is known to those skilled in the art and therefore
the details will not be
described here). The screw 14 is connected to an actuator 16 that is used to
actuate movement of the
screw 14. The barrel 18 includes a barrel head 19 (which is another example of
the conduit 11) that is
mounted to an end of the barrel 18. A machine nozzle 20 (which is also another
example of the
conduit 11) is attached to the barrel head 19. The machine nozzle 20 is
attached to a stationary mold
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portion 22. (sometimes referred to as the "mold portion") of a mold 21. The
machine nozzle 20 passes
through a stationary platen 26. The machine nozzle 20 is used to convey the
material 52 from the
extruder 12 to the mold 21. The mold 21 also includes a movable mold portion
24 (sometimes
referred to as the "mold portion") that is movable relative to the stationary
mold portion 22. The
stationary mold portion 22 is attached to the stationary platen 26. The
movable mold portion 24 is
attached to (or is supported by) a movable platen 28. The extruder 12 pushes
or injects the material
52 into the mold 21 to mold the molded article 54. The component body 9
includes, at least in part,
any one or more of: the conduit 11, the barrel 18, the barrel head 19, the
machine nozzle 20, the mold
21 and/or the mold portions 22, 24.
According to a variant, the component body 9 (implemented as barrel 18 or as
the barrel head 19 for
example) includes a combination of (i) an outer shell made of the alloy and
(ii) an inner liner that is
made of the alloy. According to another variant, the component body 9 includes
a combination of (i)
an inner liner that is made of the alloy and (ii) an outer shell not made of
the alloy.
Preferably, the system 100 further includes (but is not limited to), amongst
other things, tangible
subsystems, components, sub-assemblies, etc, that are known to persons skilled
in the art; these items
are not depicted and not described in detail since they are known. Such items
are described in
Injection Molding Handbook (Edited by Osswald/Tumg/Gramann; ISBN: 3-446-21669-
3; Published
by HANSER Publishers, Munich, Germany). These items may include (for example):
(i) tie bars (not
depicted) that operatively couple the platens 26, 28 together, and/or (ii) a
clamping mechanism (not
depicted) coupled to the tie bars and used to generate a clamping force that
is transmitted to the
platens 26, 28 via the tie bars (so that the mold 21 may be forced to remain
together while the
material 52 is injected into the mold 21). These other things may include:
(iii) a mold break force
actuator (not depicted) coupled to the tie bars and used to generate a mold
break force that is
transmitted to the platens 26, 28 via the tie bars (so as to break apart the
mold 21 once the molded
article 54 has been molded in the mold 21), and/or (iv) a platen stroking
actuator (not depicted)
coupled to the movable platen 28 and is used to move the movable platen 28
away from the stationary
platen 26 so that the molded article 54 may be removed from the mold 21, and
(vi) hydraulic and/or
electrical control equipment, etc.
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a molding-material handling component
of a metal molding
system according to a second exemplary embodiment. The component body 9
includes, at least in
part, a hot runner nozzle 34 (which is an example of a hot-runner component
32) of a hot runner 30.
The alloy of the component 8 is used in hardened and tempered state. To
provide sufficient wear
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resistance at high temperatures, various surface treatments may be applied.
The surface improvements
may involve thermal diffusion treatments such as nitriding, carburizing and
nitrocarburizing. As a
second method of surface improvement a ceramic coating may be applied. The
third method may
involve a combination of thermal diffusion and coatings.
The description of the exemplary embodiments provides examples of the present
invention, and these
examples do not limit the scope of the present invention. It is understood
that the scope of the present
invention is limited by the claims. The exemplary embodiments described above
may be adapted for
specific conditions and/or functions, and may be further extended to a variety
of other applications
that are within the scope of the present invention. Having thus described the
exemplary embodiments,
it will be apparent that modifications and enhancements are possible without
departing from the
concepts as described. It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments
illustrate the aspects of
the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is
not intended to limit the
scope of the claims. The claims themselves recite those features regarded as
essential to the present
invention. Preferable embodiments of the present invention are subject of the
dependent claims.
Therefore, what is to be protected by way of letters patent are limited only
by the scope of the
following claims:
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