Milacron LLC, Cincinnati, was awarded a U.S. patent for a "heat-seal failure prevention apparatus" used for molding an EVOH barrier layer into PP containers and capsules to extend shelf life.
The new patent corresponds with an earlier patent (8,801,991) that covers the molded article itself.
"Specifically, the patents describe the positioning of the EVOH barrier layer in the heat-seal portion of the container flange, such that the heat sealing of the foil or film lid does not affect the integrity of the EVOH barrier layer," a Milacron spokesperson said. "The technology works in high-speed co-injection molding up to 64 cavities, single-face molds or stack molds, at fast cycle times."
The primary commercial application to date is the manufacture of coffee capsules in the U.S. and Europe. Paul Swenson is the inventor.
Patent 9,592,652; March 14In other patent news:
LED structure. Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG, Fürth, Germany, is developing a new decorating technology that incorporates electronic illumination into a molded structure, such as a control panel, eliminating assembly operations. The multilayer structure includes a decorative layer and a plastic carrier, on which at least one lighting element is arranged. The decorative and carrier layers are fixed in one mold half, either by mechanical clamping or vacuum. They are then back-injection molded. The carrier layer can be a circuit board made of FR4, polyimide or paper, with a thickness of up to 2mm. FR4 is a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate.
Patent Application 20170066168; published March 9
3-D printing. Stratasys Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn., has developed an automated support- cleaning system. In the invention, an aqueous cleaning solution circulates in a tank to remove a support structure from a 3-D model. Fast, cost-effective removal of support structures is an important goal as 3-D printing moves toward mass production. Support structures are usually built underneath overhanging portions or in cavities of objects under construction, using the same printing method that produces the part itself.
Patent 9,592,539; March 14Extrusion blow molding. A new approach seeks to overcome problems with visible lines in extrusion blow molded containers. In the new technology, an inside wall of the container neck has at least one calibrated structure extending, at least in places, over a periphery of the inside wall. The technology is being developed by Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH, Hard, Austria.
Patent Application 20170066549; published March 9Injection molding. Imflux Inc., a Procter & Gamble subsidiary based in Hamilton, Ohio, continues to build an impressive intellectual property portfolio for its proprietary approach to low-pressure molding. The company has more than 30 granted patents and hundreds filed. Its most recently granted patent is for a fail-safe pressure mechanism designed to protect a mold from potentially damaging injection pressures and clamping forces.
Patent 9,604,398; March 28Composites. An invention from Toray Industries Inc., Tokyo, seeks to improve how resin flows into a preform for resin-transfer molding. The primary goal is to prevent development of air traps that could affect the strength or appearance of a part. The invention involves the use of air, sensors, special mold construction and specialized equipment.
Patent 9,604,415; March 28 Micro injection. Dr. Boy GmbH & Co. KG, Neustadt-Fernthal, Germany, was awarded a German patent for a screw piston plasticizing unit designed to significantly reduce dwell time of plasticized material in the screw channel without the need for preplasticizing. The invention is described as important for temperature-sensitive materials and targets small parts for medical, automotive and electronics applications. It is already commercially available. (See PMM, December 2015, Page 52.)
German patent 102015116625; Jan. 12
Patents and patent applications can be viewed at www.uspto.gov
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