Control for an I.S. machine

A control for a glass forming machine which includes a blank station for forming a parison from a gob of molten glass having a number of mechanisms, a blow station for forming a parison into a bottle, having a number of mechanisms, a feeder system including a shear mechanism for delivering a gob to the blank station, a mechanism for transferring a parison from the blank station to the blow station and a takeout mechanism for removing a bottle from the blank station,

• wherein the glass forming machine has a set machine cycle having a set machine cycle time,
• wherein each of the mechanisms is cycled within the time of one machine cycle,
• wherein the duration of each displacement of each of the mechanisms is determinable,
• wherein interferences exist between the motion paths of the gob, the parison, the bottle and individual mechanisms,
• wherein the displacement of at least one of the mechanisms is divided up into at least two submotions which locates an interference with the gob, the parison, the bottle or another mechanism,
• wherein the thermal forming of the parison and bottle involve a number of thermal forming processes occurring during the time of one machine cycle and having finite durations,
• wherein process air is supplied for at least one process for a finite duration by turning a supply valve “on” and then “off” during the time of one machine cycle,
• wherein an unwrapped bottle forming process wherein a gob of molten glass is sheared from a runner of molten glass, the gob is then formed into a parison in the blank station, the parison is then formed into a bottle in the blow station, and the bottle is then removed from the blow station, takes more than the time of one machine cycle to complete, and
• wherein the start of advancement or retraction for each mechanism and the turning of a supply valve “on” and then “off” are controlled events which are started in a predetermined sequence, comprising
• a computerized model of a mathematical representation of a network constraint diagram of the unwrapped bottle forming process and
• computer analysis means for analyzing said the computerized model as a constrained optimization problem for determining,
• with inputs including the following target inputs:
• 1. the motion durations,
• 2. the submotion durations,
• 3, the machine cycle time,
• 4. the event time in an unwrapped bottle forming process for each displacement to begin and for each valve to be turned “on” and “off”, and
• 5. the thermal forming process times for the thermal processes,
• and including the following additional inputs:
• 1. Motion Duration “N” Limits,
• 2. Thermal Forming Process Duration “N” Limits,
• 3. Collision Branch “N” Limits,
• 4. Sequence Branch “N” Limits,
• whether there is a feasible optimized unwrapped bottle forming process and machine cycle time and the event time in the feasible schedule for each displacement to begin and for each valve to be turned “on” and “off”.