Plastic Bottle Log Trimmer and Method
AssigneeGraham Engineering Corporation
InventorsJohn Brown, John M. Mathy, JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary trimmer for trimming flash and the blow dome from a plastic bottle forming a portion of a plastic blow molded log discharged from a blow mold includes flash punching, a neck support plate, and a guillotine blade. The neck support plate is movable by a plate drive to move adjacent the neck of the plastic log to support the neck during cutting of the blow dome and cooperates with a log holder to essentially support the entire outer periphery of the neck. The guillotine blade is movable by a blade drive to pass through the plastic log and sever the blow dome from the neck of the log.
Claims20
A method of trimming a blow dome from a neck of a plastic bottle forming a portion of a plastic blow molded log discharged from a blow mold, the neck extending along an axis, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing an untrimmed log on a log holder and locating a guillotine assembly away from the log holder while the log is being placed on the log holder, the guillotine assembly comprising a blade to cut the blow dome from the bottle neck and a neck support plate;
- (b) positioning the guillotine assembly adjacent the log holder after the log has been placed on the log holder, the neck support plate and blade spaced from and overlaying a first side of the plastic log in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the neck when the guillotine assembly is adjacent the log holder;
- (c) moving the neck support plate a predetermined distance towards the plastic log and stopping the neck support plate adjacent the neck after such movement;
- (d) moving the blade towards and through the plastic log after performing step (c) to trim the blow dome from the neck;
- (e) moving the guillotine assembly from its position adjacent the log holder to a position away from the log holder after performing step (d);
- and
- (f) removing the trimmed log from the log holder after performing step (e).
An assembly for trimming a blow dome from a neck of a plastic bottle forming a portion of a plastic blow molded log discharged from a blow mold, the neck extending along an axis, the assembly comprising:
- a log holder;
- a carrier, a blade, and a neck support plate, the blade comprising a cutting edge;
- the carrier movable between a retracted position and an extended position spaced from the retracted position, the blade and the neck support plate carried by the carrier for movement with the carrier between retracted and extended positions;
- the blade movable with respect to the carrier between a raised position and a lowered position spaced from the raised position of the blade, the cutting edge of the blade on a leading end of the blade as the blade moves from the raised position to the lowered position;
- the neck support plate movable with respect to the carrier between a raised position and a lowered position spaced from the raised position of the plate;
- a carrier drive operatively connected to the carrier for moving the carrier between said retracted and extended positions;
- a blade drive operatively connected to the blade for moving the blade between said raised and lowered positions of the blade;
- a plate drive operatively connected to the neck support plate for moving the neck support plate between said raised and lowered positions of the neck support plate;
- the blade and neck support plate spaced from the log holder each a respective first distance in a first direction when the blade and neck support plate are each in the raised position;
- the blade and neck support plate overlaying the log holder in said first direction when the carrier is in the extended position;
- the blade moving towards said log holder when the blade is moving from the raised position to the lowered position when the carrier is in the extended position;
- and
- the neck support plate moving towards the log holder when the neck support plate is moving from the raised position to the lowered position when the carrier is in the extended position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.