Carrier with exchangeable chuck
AssigneeCincinnati Milacron Inc.
InventorRoger D. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An article carrier is provided for blow molding equipment which permits relatively simple exchange of the article gripping chuck portion of the carrier. The carrier includes a carrier body, a spindle rotatably supported by the body, an article gripping chuck removeably attached to the spindle and seals between the chuck and the spindle and between the chuck and a preform retained thereby. The chuck is provided with article gripping levers preferably rotatably supported by ball and socket joints. The levers have preform grasping projections at one end and first and second ball ends at the other end. The first ball end mates with the chuck body socket and the second ball end is engaged by a lever actuating ring slidably mounted on the outside of the chuck body.
Claims10
An article gripping chuck for use in a blow molding machine conveyor including article carriers, the blow molding machine producing finished articles from article preforms having a formed portion and a formable portion injecting an expansion fluid into the preform, the article gripping chuck comprising:
- (a) a chuck body having a surface for mounting to a carrier and a passage therethrough for admission of the expansion fluid;
- (b) a plurality of article gripping levers rotatably supported upon the chuck body for selectively engaging the formed portion of an article preform to hold the open end thereof in communication with the passage, each lever having a formed portion engaging projection at one end thereof, and at the opposite end of such lever a first ball end on one side for rotatably engaging said chuck body and a second ball end disposed to rotatably engage the below described annular actuating means;
- (c) annular actuating means slidably disposed upon the exterior of the chuck body for rotatably engaging said opposite ends of said levers for imparting radial swinging of said one ends responsive to sliding motion on said chuck body;
- (d) biasing means for retaining urging said annular acting means in a formed portion preform engaging position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.