US 5,855,838 A · Method and apparatus for blow-molding hollow articles

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are provided for blow-molding hollow articles. The blow-molding apparatus includes a carrousel mounted to rotate within a support frame. The carrousel carries four molds around a circular mold path. Two blow-molding work stations are disposed next to the mold path in fixed positions relative to the frame. The carrousel is indexed to cause each mold to pause by each work station one time during each carrousel revolution. The molds pause by each work station to allow blow-molding operations to be performed in conjunction with each mold at each work station. At one blow-molding work station, located at the 12:00 position of the mold path, an extruder injects parison into each mold. At the other work station, located in the 9:00 position of the mold path, a take-out mechanism extracts blow molded articles from the molds. The carrousel is additionally indexed, i.e., "double-indexed", to cause each mold to pause in the 10:30 position of the mold path where an in-mold labeling mechanism inserts a label into each mold.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method for molding articles including the steps of:

providing a rotary blow-molding assembly including a carrousel supported to rotate around a central axis, at least two mold stations supported on the carrousel to revolve about the central axis, each mold station including at least one mold;
rotating the carrousel into a first indexing position that pauses a selected one of the mold stations in a position adjacent a first work station;
rotating the carrousel into a second indexing position that pauses the selected mold station in a position adjacent a second work station;
and
rotating the carrousel into an additional number of indexing positions and pausing the carrousel in each of the additional number of indexing positions such that the total number of carrousel indexing positions is equal to at least twice the number of mold stations supported on the carrousel whereby each mold station is paused in at least one position following the first work station and prior to the second work station during each 360.degree. mold station revolution.

2 more elements

A method for molding articles using a rotary blow-molding assembly having a support frame, a carrousel supported on the frame to rotate about a central axis, at least two mold stations supported on the carrousel, each mold station including at least one mold, the method including the steps of:

rotating the carrousel into a first indexing position that pauses a selected one of the mold stations in a position adjacent a parison-extrusion work station;
providing parison in a mold cavity in the selected mold station;
injecting air into the parison to form the parison into a hollow article;
rotating the carrousel into a second indexing position that pauses the selected mold station in a position adjacent an article-release work station;
removing the article from the mold cavity;
and
rotating the carrousel into at least one additional indexing position that pauses the selected mold station in a position between the article-release work station and the parison-extrusion work station, the carrousel being paused in a number of indexing positions equal to at least twice the number of mold stations supported on the carrousel.

4 more elements

A method for molding articles including the steps of:

providing a rotary blow-molding assembly having a support frame, a carrousel supported on the frame to rotate about a central axis, at least two mold stations supported on the carrousel, each mold station including at least one mold;
rotating the carrousel into a first indexing position that pauses a selected one of the mold stations in a position adjacent a parison-extrusion work station;
providing parison in a mold cavity in the selected mold station;
injecting air into the parison to form the parison into a hollow article;
rotating the carrousel into a second indexing position that pauses the selected mold station in a position adjacent an article-release work station;
removing the article from the mold cavity;
and
rotating the carrousel into at least one additional indexing position that pauses the selected mold station in a position between the article-release work station and the parison-extrusion work station, the carrousel being paused in a total number of indexing positions equal to at least twice the number of mold stations supported on the carrousel.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for blow-molding hollow articles

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for blow-molding hollow articles

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16