Abstract: A method for connecting and disconnecting an injection molding machine to and from a shutoff assembly includes the steps of mating a nozzle of the injection molding machine to a seat in an exterior wall of a chamber of the shutoff assembly, advancing an elongate stem through a first opening into the chamber, and flowing molten polymer into the chamber and out a second opening in the chamber and on to a mold or sprue bar. The mold may be decompressed by maintaining a movable body disposed in the chamber in a forward position with the elongate stem and allowing the molten polymer to flow out the first opening. The injection molding machine may be disconnected from the shutoff assembly by withdrawing the stem of the nozzle from the chamber through the first opening, allowing molten polymer downstream of the movable body to push the movable body into engagement with a sealing surface of a interior entry wall of the chamber, and disconnecting the nozzle from the seat.

Abstract: At least one wafer is suspended on a respective jig shaft above a polishing platen. The degree of parallelism between the wafer and the polishing platen is controlled using a three-point suspension, which allows for planar pitch adjustments using vertical actuation algorithms. As the wafer is lowered into contact against the polishing platen, a load cell senses how much of the weight of the jig shaft, wafer mount and wafer continues to be supported by the jig. The vertical displacement of the wafer is controlled using a linear actuator responsive to a signal from the load cell. Vertical actuation of the wafer serves to increase or decrease this amount of supported weight, in turn decreasing or increasing the amount of applied downforce exerted between the wafer and the platen. A compression spring is used to increase the resolution of the pressure control. Finally, system components exposed to the work environment are encapsulated by chemically resistive components to prevent corrosion of system components.

Abstract: A photosensitive diode has an active region defining a majority carrier of a first conductivity type and a minority carrier of a second conductivity type. An extraction region is disposed on a first side of the active region and extracts minority carriers from the active region. It also has majority carriers within the extraction region flowing toward the active region in a condition of reverse bias. An exclusion region is disposed on a second side of the active region and has minority carriers within the exclusion region flowing toward the active region. It receives majority carriers from the active region. At least one of the extraction and exclusion region provides a barrier for substantially reducing flow of one of the majority carriers or the minority carriers, whichever is flowing toward the active region, while permitting flow of the other minority carriers or majority carriers flowing out of the active region.

Abstract: A detector of incident infrared radiation has a first region with a first spectral response, and a second region with a second, different spectral response. The second absorption region is stacked on the first and may be separated therefrom by a region in which the chemical composition of the compound semiconductor is graded. Separate contacts are provided to the first and second absorption regions and a further common contact is provided so as to permit the application of either a bias voltage or a skimming voltage across the respective pn junctions. The detector may be operated such that a preselected one of the absorption regions responds to incident infrared radiation of a predetermined waveband while the other absorption region acts as a skimmer of dark current, thereby enhancing the signal to noise ratio of the detector.

Abstract: A vehicle floor tray is molded from a thermoplastic polymer sheet such that it has high shear and tensile strength, an acceptable degree of stiffness and a high coefficient of friction on its upper surface. The floor tray has first, second, third, and fourth sidewalls integrally formed with the floor, which has a reservoir. The reservoir has a plurality of longitudinally and transversely oriented baffles standing up from the general surface of the reservoir portion to impede lateral movement of water.

Abstract: An injection molding shutoff assembly that includes a chamber containing a movable body movable between rear and forward positions. In the rear position, the movable body provides a seal and prevents flow of molten plastic out the chamber inlet, called drool. When the movable body is in the forward position, one or more passages permit flow of the molten plastic around the movable body and to an exit in the chamber, leading to one or more molds. In an alternate embodiment, the apparatus also includes an elongate stem that maintains the movable body in the forward position allowing the injection molding system to decompress, thereby eliminating drool and decreasing downtime.

Abstract: Tubular ends are heated to a predetermined temperature above 1200 degrees Celsius and surrounded by a shield gas when the tubular ends are pressed together to form forge welded tubular ends. The forge welded tubular ends are then cooled down rapidly from said temperature above 1200 to at most 600 degrees Celsius within 3 minutes after the forge welding operation.

Abstract: The drilling of new holes into a vehicle fender fold is avoided by providing a mud flap with at least one rotating clamping member that clamps to the wheel well fender fold and, spaced from this clamping member, a tab which captures the end of a wheel well fender fold between itself and a general rear surface of the mud flap body. It is preferred that the tab be integrally molded with the mud flap body.

Abstract: A hanger for suspending multiple articles, such as automotive floor mats, is injection-molded in one piece from a suitable polymer. The hanger has at least four stationary article gripping members and four mobile article gripping members which are fastenable to respective ones of the stationary gripping members. Article-supporting fingers of the stationary gripping members extend horizontally away from the hanger body, two in one direction and two in another. The stationary gripping members are arranged in pairs, with one member in a pair extending in one direction, and the other member of the pair extending in an opposite direction. In one embodiment, a shared structural plate makes up a portion of the “C” channel for each gripping member in the pair.

Abstract: The drilling of new holes into a vehicle fender fold is avoided by providing a mud flap with a sliding clamping member. When an attachment bolt is slid in a slot formed in the polymeric mud flap body, the sliding clamping member slides with it from a disengaged position to a second position behind the fender fold. A wall integrally formed in the mud flap body prevents rotation of the clamping member as the attachment bolt is rotated, drawing the clamping member forwardly on the threads of the attachment bolt to clamp the fender fold between the sliding clamping member and a stationary clamping member insert-molded into the mud flap body.

Abstract: A three-dimensional digital model of a vehicle foot well is used to mold a vehicle floor tray such that large areas of at least two upstanding walls of the tray depart from respective surfaces of the foot well by no more than an eighth of an inch.

Abstract: A vehicle floor tray is molded from a thermoplastic polymer sheet such that it has high shear and tensile strength, an acceptable degree of stiffness and a high coefficient of friction on its upper surface. The floor tray has first, second, third, and fourth sidewalls integrally formed with the floor, which has a reservoir. The reservoir has a plurality of longitudinally and transversely oriented baffles standing up from the general surface of the reservoir portion to impede lateral movement of water.

Abstract: Principal components of injection molding apparatus include a U-frame, a carrier plate remotely affixable to the U-frame, preferably two cavity blocks remotely affixable to the carrier plate, a corresponding pair of core blocks, and a hot runner assembly remotely affixable to rear faces of the core blocks. These components are placed in a hydraulic press. In a molding operation, the U-frame, carrier plate and cavity blocks move as a unit relative to the hot runner assembly and the core blocks affixed thereto. To quickly change out one or both block pairs, a subassembly comprising the carrier plate and all core and cavity blocks is remotely released from the U-frame and the hot runner assembly and is removed as a unit. Face clamps in the front face of the carrier plate, the rear face of the cavity blocks, the rear face of the core blocks and the front face of the cavity blocks speed the changeout process and obviate potential damage to the molding geometry.

Abstract: An alignment and fixing apparatus for positioning and securing an optical fibre in alignment with an optical source, in which the optical fibre is coupled, at two longitudinally separated points along the fibre, to respective ones of a pair of cantilever arms. Lateral movement of one of the cantilever arms induces a smaller lateral movement of the other cantilever arm, thereby enabling precision lateral displacement of an end of the fibre proximal to the optical source.

Abstract: A transparent vehicle license plate frame has an annular elastomeric gasket. The frame includes a periphery and an inner side for disposal adjacent to a license plate. The elastomeric gasket is disposed on the inner side near the periphery of the frame and is injection-molded into an annular frame channel so as to molecularly adhere to the bottom and sides of a peripheral annular channel molded into the frame.

Abstract: A vehicle floor tray is molded from a thermoplastic polymer sheet such that it has high shear and tensile strength, an acceptable degree of stiffness and a high coefficient of friction on its upper surface. The floor tray design is digitally fitted to a foot well of a particular model of vehicle such that a lower surface of the tray is no more than one-half of an inch from a digitally acquired model of the foot well surface.

Abstract: Structures and methods to inject electrons into an insulator from a semiconductor layer that are then collected in a thin layer of a direct semiconductor material which in turn emits light by bandgap recombination.