Process for producing ferrules by injection molding polymers while rotating a mold part

Claim 1

A process for producing thin walled ferrules by injection-molding a liquefied thermoplastic polymer having rigid rod-shaped molecules into a mold having a rotatable cylindrical center core, including the steps of: selecting a thermoplastic polymer from a class consisting of liquid crystal polymers, fiber-filled or mineral-filled thermoplastics, the liquified polymer having a linear coefficient of thermal expansion between 6×10 -6 /°K and 2×10 -6 /°K; injecting said selected polymer into said mold in a direction generally perpendicularly toward said cylindrical center core and forming a flow path in said mold for said selected polymer in two directions around said cylindrical center core; rotating one of said mold or said cylindrical center core only simultaneously with said step of injecting and without rotation after the mold is filled and producing a tangential force on said selected polymer disorienting said rigid rod-shaped molecules, thereby preventing flow lines; and cooling said mold, thereby producing a ferrule having a linear coefficient of thermal expansion between 6×10 -6 /°K and 2×10 -6 /°K.