Back to results
US 2010/0230868 A1Published application
Rotary Blow Molding Machine with Movable Clamp Assemblies and Method
AssigneeGraham Engineering Corporation
InventorPaul M. Oles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A continuous blow molding machine includes a mechanism for shifting molds upstream during closing to reduce between-mold flash.
Claims25
A continuous rotary blow molding machine including a main frame;
- a rotary frame on the main frame;
- a plurality of mold clamp assemblies mounted on and spaced around the rotary frame, each mold clamp assembly including a blow mold having two halves defining a mold cavity when the mold is closed, a first drive, connections between the first drive and the mold halves whereby the first drive moves the mold halves between open and closed positions;
- a flow head on the main frame to extrude a continuous parison for capture by successive molds as the molds are rotated past the flow head;
- and an upstream mold-shift mechanism, wherein the upstream mold-shift mechanism shifts each mold in an upstream direction on the rotary frame as the rotary frame moves the mold in a downstream direction over the parison and the first drive closes the mold halves on the parison to position the closed mold adjacent to the next upstream mold and reduce flash between the molds.
1 more element
A continuous rotary blow molding machine including a main frame;
- a rotary frame on the main frame;
- a plurality of mold clamp assemblies spaced around the circumference of the rotary frame;
- a rotary connection between each mold clamp assembly and the frame, each mold clamp assembly including a blow mold and a first drive to open and close the blow mold;
- a first parison extruding flow head on the main frame to extrude a parison for capture in cavities in molds rotated past the flow head;
- and a second drive operable during movement of each open mold past the flow head to shift the assembly supporting such mold in an upstream direction so that the mold is adjacent the next upstream mold when closed by the first drive, wherein between mold flash is reduced.
2 more elements
The method of blow molding plastic containers using a continuous rotary blow molding machine having a continuously rotating frame, a plurality of blow molds spaced around the rotating frame, a mold cavity in each mold and a flow head, comprising the steps of:
- A) extruding a parison from the flow head at a speed less than the circumferential speed of the mold cavities;
- B) continuously rotating the molds on the frame downstream past the parison;
- C) maintaining each mold open while moving the mold over the parison and then closing the mold on the parison;
- and
- D) moving each mold upstream on the rotating frame during closing of the mold on the parison so that the mold moves downstream at a rate essentially equal to the extrusion rate of the parison and the mold is located adjacent to the next upstream mold to reduce flash between the molds.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.