Method for producing injection molded multilayer articles

Claim 1

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, consisting essentially of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials compared to the first composite stream; directly injection molding the second composite stream into a desired configuration; and selecting a layer thickness for the layers of the first and second materials in the second composite stream so that at least about 90 percent of the layers are substantially continuous after the second composite stream is injection molded into the desired configuration.

Claim 2

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, consisting essentially of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials compared to the first composite stream; directly injection molding the second composite stream into a desired configuration; and selecting a layer thickness for the layers of the first and second materials in the second composite stream so that at least about 90 percent of the layers are substantially continuous after the second composite stream is injection molded into the desired configuration.

Claim 11

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, consisting essentially of the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first, second, and third diverse thermoplastic materials in a selected layer order, the selected layer order being characterized by the placement of a layer of the third material between any otherwise adjacent layers of the first and second materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first, second, and third materials and retaining the selected layer order; directly injection molding the first composite stream into a desired configuration; and selecting a layer thickness for said first, second, and third materials in the first composite stream so that at least about 90 percent of the layers are substantially continuous after the second composite stream is injection molded into the desired configuration.

Claim 12

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, consisting essentially of the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first, second, and third diverse thermoplastic materials in a selected layer order, the selected layer order being characterized by the placement of a layer of the third material between any otherwise adjacent layers of the first and second materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first, second, and third materials and retaining the selected layer order; directly injection molding the first composite stream into a desired configuration; and selecting a layer thickness for said first, second, and third materials in the first composite stream so that at least about 90 percent of the layers are substantially continuous after the second composite stream is injection molded into the desired configuration.

Claim 13

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; wherein at least one of the first and second materials in the first composite stream comprises less than about 15 percent by volume of the first composite stream; and injecting the first composite stream into a plurality of mold cavities possessing differing geometries as a part of a multicavity injection molding process; wherein layers of the at least one material extend fully throughout the plurality of mold cavities and the multilayer articles produced therefrom.

Claim 14

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; wherein at least one of the first and second materials in the first composite stream comprises less than about 15 percent by volume of the first composite stream; and injecting the first composite stream into a plurality of mold cavities possessing differing geometries as a part of a multicavity injection molding process; wherein layers of the at least one material extend fully throughout the plurality of mold cavities and the multilayer articles produced therefrom.

Claim 15

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; dividing the first composite stream into a plurality of substreams having discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials; combining the plurality of substreams such that a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of one such substream are generally angularly oriented with respect to a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of a second such substream; and injection molding the generally angularly oriented combined substreams into a desired configuration wherein exposed edges of layers of the first or second, or first and second, materials adjacent at least one critical surface of the article are reduced in number or in extent, or in number and extent compared to an article formed by directly injection molding the first composite stream without the forming and combining of substreams therefrom.

Claim 16

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; dividing the first composite stream into a plurality of substreams having discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials; combining the plurality of substreams such that a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of one such substream are generally angularly oriented with respect to a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of a second such substream; and injection molding the generally angularly oriented combined substreams into a desired configuration wherein exposed edges of layers of the first or second, or first and second, materials adjacent at least one critical surface of the article are reduced in number or in extent, or in number and extent compared to an article formed by directly injection molding the first composite stream without the forming and combining of substreams therefrom.

Claim 17

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials compared to the first composite stream; wherein at least one of the first and second materials in the second composite stream comprises less than about 15 percent by volume of the second composite stream; and injecting the second composite stream into a plurality of mold cavities possessing different geometries as a part of a multicavity injection molding process; wherein layers of the at least one material extend fully throughout the plurality of mold cavities and the multilayer articles produced therefrom.

Claim 18

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials compared to the first composite stream; wherein at least one of the first and second materials in the second composite stream comprises less than about 15 percent by volume of the second composite stream; and injecting the second composite stream into a plurality of mold cavities possessing different geometries as a part of a multicavity injection molding process; wherein layers of the at least one material extend fully throughout the plurality of mold cavities and the multilayer articles produced therefrom.

Claim 19

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials compared to the first composite stream; dividing the second composite stream into a plurality of substreams having discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials; combining the plurality of substreams such that a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of one such substream are generally angularly oriented with respect to a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of a second such substream; and injection molding the generally angularly oriented combined substreams into a desired configuration wherein exposed edges of layers of the first or second, or first and second, materials adjacent at least one critical surface of the article are reduced in number or in extent, or in number and extent compared to an article formed by directly injection molding the second composite stream without the forming and combining of substreams therefrom.

Claim 20

A method of making a multilayer plastic article, comprising the steps of: coextruding a first composite stream comprised of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of at least first and second diverse thermoplastic materials; manipulating the first composite stream to form a second composite stream having an increased number of discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials compared to the first composite stream; dividing the second composite stream into a plurality of substreams having discrete, generally planar and parallel layers of the first and second materials; combining the plurality of substreams such that a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of one such substream are generally angularly oriented with respect to a majority of the layers of the first and second materials of a second such substream; and injection molding the generally angularly oriented combined substreams into a desired configuration wherein exposed edges of layers of the first or second, or first and second, materials adjacent at least one critical surface of the article are reduced in number or in extent, or in number and extent compared to an article formed by directly injection molding the second composite stream without the forming and combining of substreams therefrom.