Transport neck ring

A carrier ring and split injection mold assembly including a core pin and a powered transport system wherein the carrier ring is supported by an annular collar attached to the powered transport mechanism, said mechanism being operable to support the carrier ring and a preform suspended therefrom for movement to and from various stations in multi-station forming apparatuses after the split injection mold assembly including the core pin have been removed, said assembly comprising

• a pair of mold halves which cooperate to define an injection mold cavity having an open upper end, a carrier ring of annular shape positioned at said upper end of said mold cavity and having an outwardly tapered inside wall aligned with the open end of said cavity, a core pin having a tapered surface and insertable into said mold cavity to a position in which said tapered surface seats on said tapered ring wall and said core cooperates with said mold halves to form a mold cavity corresponding in shape to a lower portion of the desired shape of a hollow preform to be molded in said mold assembly,
• said carrier ring being structured to provide for an interference fit between the carrier ring and the preform so that when the preform is removed from the mold it is supported by said carrier ring, said carrier ring for this purpose having at its inner lowermost extent an annular groove which defines an upper portion of said preform cavity, said annular groove having:
• (a) a substantially horizontal first wall extending radially outwardly in a direction away from said core pin and terminating at a location spaced radially outwardly from said core pin, said first wall defining a portion of the upper surface of said preform cavity;
• (b) a substantially horizontal second wall downwardly displaced from said first wall extending radially inwardly in a direction toward said core pin and terminating at a location spaced radially outwardly from said core pin;
• and
• (c) a downwardly and inwardly extending third wall emanating from the outward most extent of said first wall and terminating at the inward most extent of said second wall,
• said core pin being upwardly removable from said injection mold and said mold halves being movable away from said preform so as to leave said preform suspended solely from said carrier ring with the interior surface of the preform accessible from above through the open center of said carrier ring.