Molten glass feeding and molding
AssigneeOwens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.
InventorsScott Weil, Walter Anderson, Karl Johnston, Robin L. Flynn, Gregory W. Nafziger, Alexandra Fuller, Bernard Altendorfer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of providing glass from a glass melting furnace to at least one mold, including providing an uninterrupted glass communication path from an outlet of the glass melting furnace to the at least one mold, and pressurizing the path at a location downstream of the outlet to move molten glass into the at least one mold. A related system, apparatus, and molding equipment are also disclosed.
Claims44
An apparatus for providing molten glass, comprising:
- a glass feeder in downstream fluid communication with a glass forehearth, the glass feeder including a conduit configured for directing molten glass from the glass forehearth;
- and
- at least one mold configured to receive the molten glass,
- wherein the glass feeder is configured to provide an uninterrupted glass communication path from an outlet of the glass forehearth to the at least one mold.
A method of providing glass from a glass melting furnace to at least one mold, comprising:
- providing an uninterrupted glass communication path from an outlet of the glass melting furnace to the at least one mold;
- and
- pressurizing the path at a location downstream of the outlet to move molten glass into the at least one mold.
A method of molding a glass parison, comprising:
- flowing a molten glass stream along a glass communication path from an outlet of a glass melting furnace to a mold;
- pressurizing the glass communication path at a location downstream of the outlet to advance molten glass into the mold to establish a molten glass charge in the mold;
- and thereafter
- stopping advancement of the molten glass into the mold before the molten glass fills the mold;
- and thereafter
- separating the molten glass charge in the mold from the molten glass upstream of the mold.
A glass parison molding apparatus, comprising:
- a mold including mold sections openable and closeable with respect to one another and having through passage portions extending between lower and upper ends and neck ring interlock features;
- a neck ring assembly including
- neck ring sections openable and closeable with respect to one another and having mold body ends with axially facing end surfaces, radially inwardly facing neck finish forming portions, mold body interlock features, guide body midsections with guide hub pockets and guide slot portions, and plunger ends with annular extending walls establishing a plunger sleeve counterbore, and
- a guide ring including a neck finish forming hub carried in the guide hub pockets of the neck ring sections and having a throughbore and a counterbore, and a guide flange carried in the guide slot portions of the neck ring sections;
- a plunger sleeve having a wall establishing a plunger passage and including a neck ring section that extends axially into the plunger sleeve counterbore of the neck ring;
- and
- a plunger in the plunger passage of the plunger sleeve and movable axially along the plunger sleeve and including a neck ring shoulder, wherein the neck ring section of the plunger sleeve is located radially between the neck ring shoulder of the plunger and the annular extending walls of the plunger ends of the neck ring sections when the plunger is in a fully advanced position relative to the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.