US 4,526,074 AGranted

High-speed apparatus and method for trimming thermoformed articles

AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation

InventorDavid E. Johnson

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Abstract

A high-speed apparatus and a method for successively trimming a plurality of thermoformed articles from a surrounding continuous web of a thermoformable foam plastic film material. A male locator urges the thermoformed articles molded into the web against a cutter so as to trim the articles from the web, with the articles being retained in a recess within the cutter. Subsequently trimmed articles form a state of nested articles within the recess.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A trim apparatus for successively trimming a plurality of thermoformed articles from a surrounding continuous web of a foam plastic film material, comprising:

(a) stationary cutting means including a blade member encompassing a cavity in conformance with the peripheral dimension of each said thermoformed article, said cutting means comprising stationary platen means having a recess extending therethrough and forming said cavity, said blade member being fastened to said platen means so as to extend about the circumference of said recess;
(b) male locator means having a protruding surface portion facing said blade member in axial alignment therewith, said protruding surface portion being dimensioned to conform with the interior dimensions of the thermoformed articles;
means for reciprocating said male locator towards and away from said cutting means, said protruding surface portion extending into engagement with said cavity at the end of the forward stroke of said male locating means and being spaced from said cutting means at the return stroke thereof so as to provide a gap between said blade member and said male locator means, said male locator means further comprising a second recess encompassing said protruding surface portion, said second recess for receiving said blade member at said end of a forward stroke of said male locator means;
(c) and means for feeding said web of plastic film material in synchronism with the return stroke of said male locator means through the gap intermediate said trim knife means and said male locator so as to sequentially position thermoformed articles on said web in axial alignment intermediate said cutting means and said male locator means, whereby said protruding surface portion at the forward stroke of said male locator means urges said article onto said blade member so as to cause the latter to trim the article from said plastic web and to retain said trimmed article on said blade member within said cavity.

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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A trim apparatus for successively trimming a plurality of thermoformed articles from a surrounding continuous web of a foam plastic film material, comprising:

(a) stationary cutting means including a blade member encompassing a cavity in conformance with the peripheral dimension of each said thermoformed article, said cutting means comprising stationary platen means having a recess extending therethrough and forming said cavity, said blade member being fastened to said platen means so as to extend about the circumference of said recess;
(b) male locator means having a protruding surface portion facing said blade member in axial alignment therewith, said protruding surface portion being dimensioned to conform with the interior dimensions of the thermoformed articles;
means for reciprocating said male locator towards and away from said cutting means, said protruding surface portion extending into engagement with said cavity at the end of the forward stroke of said male locating means and being spaced from said cutting means at the return stroke thereof so as to provide a gap between said blade member and said male locator means, said male locator means further comprising a second recess encompassing said protruding surface portion, said second recess for receiving said blade member at said end of a forward stroke of said male locator means;
(c) and means for feeding said web of plastic film material in synchronism with the return stroke of said male locator means through the gap intermediate said trim knife means and said male locator so as to sequentially position thermoformed articles on said web in axial alignment intermediate said cutting means and said male locator means, whereby said protruding surface portion at the forward stroke of said male locator means urges said article onto said blade member so as to cause the latter to trim the article from said plastic web and to retain said trimmed article on said blade member within said cavity.

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