Blow-molded plastic wheel and method for manufacturing same

A method for manufacturing an improved wheel comprising the following steps:

• a. injection molding a first interfitting hub;
• b. injection molding a second opposing interfitting hub;
• c. placing said first interfitting hub in one half of an open mold in a conventional blow molding machine;
• d. placing said second opposing interfitting hub in the opposite half of said open mold in a conventional blow molding machine;
• e. extruding a tubular parison between said halves of said open mold;
• f. closing said halves of said mold and capturing said parison between said first interfitting hub and said opposing interfitting hub;
• g. inflating said parison to create a circumferential tube about said first and said second interfitting hubs;
• and
• h. opening said mold and ejecting the improved wheel and flashing from said open mold.

A wheel manufactured in part by conventional blow molding techniques in which a parison is extruded between two opposing halves of an open mold, comprising:

• a. a first circular injection molded disc having an interior and exterior face and a central bore surrounded by a recess, said bore aligned perpendicular to the axis of said disc;
• b. a second opposing circular injection molded disc having an interior and exterior face and a central bore surrounded by a recess, said bore of said first disc aligned with said bore of said second opposing disc;
• c. a web formed from the parison and captured between said first and said second opposing discs;
• d. a tube formed around the outer circumference of said web, said tube and said web being formed from the parison;
• e. a plurality of locking lugs extending from said interior face of said first disc and a plurality of recessed channels defined by the spaces between said lugs;
• and
• f. a plurality of opposing locking lugs extending from said interior face of said second opposing disc and a plurality of opposing recessed channels defined by the spaces between said opposing locking lugs, said locking lugs of said first disc engaging said opposing recessed channels in said second opposing disc and said opposing locking lugs of said second disengaging said recessed channels in said first disc to interlock said disc with said tube.