Gas-assisted base blow off methods for blow molding applications
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsRohit Joshi, Ravi D. Mody
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Abstract
This disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a polymer container according to a blow molding or stretch blow molding process, in which the base of the blow mold has at least one orifice for pressurized gas to enter the blow mold through the base. Introducing pressurized gas through the orifice in the blow mold base provides cooling assistance within the gas mold, much earlier than the cooling using conventional methods, which can reduce or eliminate the need for any post mold cooling. This method has been found to be applicable to non-hot fill application bottle and container manufacture.
Claims14
A method of manufacturing a polymer container, comprising:
- a) providing a preform, the preform comprising a thermoplastic polymer;
- b) at a temperature sufficient to plasticize the thermoplastic polymer, stretch blow molding the preform in a blow mold to form a container, wherein the base of the blow mold has two or more orifices equidistant from and equally spaced around the center of the blow mold base for gas to enter the blow mold;
- and
- c) introducing pressurized gas through the two or more orifices in the blow mold base sufficient to cool the container base prior to container evacuation, and subsequently evacuate the container from the blow mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.