Rotary plastic blow molding system having in-mold labeling

A method for blow molding comprising:

• rotating a mold wheel of a plastic blow molding machine with the mold wheel supporting a plurality of molds for rotary movement along a rotary path about a mold wheel axis and for concomitant pivotal movement of mold sections of the molds between open and closed positions about associated mold axes that extend parallel with the mold wheel axis and with the mold sections opening in an outward direction from the mold wheel axis and symmetrically about associated mold parting planes that extend from the mold wheel axis through the associated mold axes;
• rotating a dispensing wheel of a dispensing assembly of an in-mold labeler about a dispensing wheel axis that extends parallel to the mold wheel axis, with the dispensing wheel including a plurality of dispensing head assemblies each of which includes a support and a dispensing head mounted on the support for movement along a dispensing head axis of the support between pick and place positions, and with each dispensing head including a pair of label carriers for receiving associated labels in the pick position thereof and for transferring the labels in the place position thereof to an adjacent open mold of the blow molding machine;
• moving the support of each dispensing head assembly by a first cam mechanism during a label depositing operation along the rotary path of the adjacent open mold about the mold wheel axis and angularly positioning the support of the dispensing head assembly by a second cam mechanism such that the dispensing head axis moves in alignment with the moving mold parting plane of the adjacent open mold as the dispensing head is moved on the support during the label depositing operation from the pick position to the place position to deposit the labels within the adjacent open mold in a manner that permits high speed operation of the in-mold labeling;
• and
• transferring labels from a label magazine to the dispensing assembly by:
• moving a plurality of transfer heads on a rotary table so as to pass sequentially adjacent the label magazine which stores a stack of labels with an exposed end from which the labels are sequentially dispensed;
• drawing a vacuum through vacuum openings of the transfer head;
• and
• rotating the transfer heads by a rotary actuator with a rolling motion to engage the vacuum openings with the label at the exposed end of the label magazine and to initially pull an extremity of that label away from the label stack and thereby permit air to move behind the label, to subsequently pull an intermediate portion of the label away from the label stack and thereby permit more air to move behind the label, and to finally pull an opposite extremity of the label away from the label stack in a manner that permits high speed labeling as the label is subsequently transferred from the transfer head to the in-mold labeler for the in-mold labeling of the plastic blow molding machine.

A method for blow molding comprising:

• rotating a mold wheel of a plastic blow molding with the mold wheel that supporting a plurality of molds for rotary movement along a rotary path about a mold wheel axis and for concomitant pivotal movement of mold sections of the molds between open and closed positions about associated mold axes that extend parallel with the mold wheel axis and with the mold sections opening in an outward direction from the mold wheel axis and symmetrically about associated mold parting planes that extend from the mold wheel axis through the associated mold axes;
• rotating a dispensing wheel of a dispensing assembly of an in-mold labeler about a dispensing wheel axis that extends parallel to the mold wheel axis, with the dispensing wheel including a plurality of dispensing head assemblies each of which includes a support and a dispensing head mounted on the support for movement along a dispensing head axis of the support between pick and place positions, and with each dispensing head including a pair of label carriers for receiving associated labels in the pick position thereof and for transferring the labels in the place position thereof to an adjacent open mold of the blow molding machine;
• moving the support of each dispensing head assembly by a first cam mechanism during a label depositing operation along the rotary path of the adjacent open mold about the mold wheel axis and angularly positioning the support of the dispensing head assembly by a second cam mechanism such that the dispensing head axis moves in alignment with the moving mold parting plane of the adjacent open mold;
• camming the dispensing head on the support by a third cam mechanism during the label depositing operation between the pick position and the place position and camming the label carriers between retracted and label transfer positions to deposit the label within the adjacent open mold in a manner that permits high speed operation of the in-mold labeling;
• and
• transferring labels from a label magazine to the dispensing assembly by:
• moving a plurality of transfer heads on a rotary table so as to pass sequentially adjacent the label magazine which stores a stack of labels with an exposed end from which the labels are sequentially dispensed;
• drawing a vacuum through vacuum openings of the transfer head;
• and
• rotating the transfer heads by a rotary actuator with a rolling motion to engage the vacuum openings with the label at the exposed end of the label magazine and to initially pull an extremity of that label away from the label stack and thereby permit air to move behind the label, to subsequently pull an intermediate portion of the label away from the label stack and thereby permit more air to move behind the label, and to finally pull an opposite extremity of the label away from the label stack in a manner that permits high speed labeling as the label is subsequently transferred from the transfer head to the in-mold labeler for the in-mold labeling of the plastic blow molding machine.

A system for plastic blow molding comprising:

• (a) a plastic blow molding machine including:
• a rotary mold wheel that supports a plurality of molds for rotary movement along a rotary path about a mold wheel axis and for concomitant pivotal movement of mold sections of the molds between open and closed positions about associated mold axes that extend parallel with the mold wheel axis and with the mold sections opening in an outward direction from the mold wheel axis and symmetrically about associated mold parting planes that extend from the mold wheel axis through the associated mold axes;
• (b) an in-mold labeler including:
• a dispensing assembly having a base and a dispensing wheel that is rotatably mounted on the base about a dispensing wheel axis that extends parallel to the mold wheel axis, the dispensing wheel including a plurality of dispensing head assemblies each of which includes a support and a dispensing head mounted on the support for movement along a dispensing head axis of the support between pick and place positions, and each dispensing head including at least one label carrier for receiving a label in the pick position thereof and for transferring the label in the place position thereof to an adjacent open mold of the blow molding machine;
• an actuator for moving the support of each dispensing head assembly during a label depositing operation along the rotary path of the adjacent open mold about the mold wheel axis and for angularly positioning the support of the dispensing head assembly about a support axis such that the dispensing head axis moves in alignment with the moving mold parting plane of the adjacent open mold as the dispensing head is moved on the support during the label depositing operation from the pick position to the place position to deposit the label within the adjacent open mold in a manner that permits high speed operation of the in-mold labeling;
• and
• (c) label transfer apparatus for transferring labels from a label magazine to the in-mold labeler, the label transfer apparatus including:
• a transfer head that is movable adjacent the label magazine which stores a stack of labels with an exposed end from which the labels are sequentially dispensed;
• the transfer head including a vacuum opening through which a vacuum is supplied;
• and
• an actuator for moving the transfer head with a rolling motion to engage the vacuum opening with the label at the exposed end of the label magazine and to initially pull an extremity of that label away from the label stack and thereby permit air to move behind the label, to subsequently pull an intermediate portion of the label away from the label stack and thereby permit more air to move behind the label, and to finally pull an opposite extremity of the label away from the label stack in a manner that permits high speed labeling as the label is subsequently transferred from the transfer head to the in-mold labeler for the in-mold labeling of the plastic blow molding machine.

A system for plastic blow molding comprising:

• (a) a plastic blow molding machine having a rotary mold wheel that supports a plurality of molds for rotary movement along a rotary path about a mold wheel axis and for concomitant pivotal movement of mold sections of the molds between open and closed positions about associated mold axes that extend parallel with the mold wheel axis and with the mold sections opening in an outward direction from the mold wheel axis and symmetrically about associated mold parting planes that extend from the mold wheel axis through the associated mold axes;
• (b) an in-mold labeler including:
• a dispensing assembly having a base and a dispensing wheel that is rotatably mounted on the base about a dispensing wheel axis that extends parallel to the mold wheel axis, the dispensing wheel including a plurality of dispensing head assemblies each of which includes a support and a dispensing head mounted on the support for movement along a dispensing head axis of the support between pick and place positions, and each dispensing head including a pair of label carriers for receiving labels in the pick position thereof and for transferring the labels in the place position thereof to an adjacent open mold of the blow molding machine;
• and
• an actuator including a first cam mechanism that moves the support of each dispensing head assembly during a label depositing operation along the rotary path of the adjacent open mold about the mold wheel axis, and the actuator including a second cam mechanism for angularly positioning the support of the dispensing head assembly about a support axis such that the dispensing head axis moves in alignment with the moving mold parting plane of the adjacent open mold as the dispensing head is moved on the support during the label depositing operation from the pick position to the place position to deposit the labels within the adjacent open mold in a manner that permits high speed operation of the in-mold labeling;
• and
• (c) label transfer apparatus for transferring labels from a label magazine to the in-mold labeler, the label transfer apparatus including:
• a rotary table;
• a plurality of transfer heads each of which is mounted on the rotary table for movement thereof adjacent the label magazine which stores a stack of labels with an exposed end from which the labels are sequentially dispensed;
• each transfer head including a pair of vacuum openings through which a vacuum is supplied;
• and
• an actuator for moving the transfer heads relative to the table with a rolling motion to engage one of the vacuum openings with the label at the exposed end of the label magazine and to initially pull an extremity of that label away from the label stack and thereby permit air to move behind the label, to subsequently pull an intermediate portion of the label away from the label stack and thereby permit more air to move behind the label, and to finally engage the other vacuum opening with the label to pull an opposite extremity of the label away from the label stack in a manner that permits high speed labeling as the labels are subsequently transferred to the in-mold labeler for the in-mold labeling of the plastic blow molding machine.

A system for plastic blow molding, comprising:

• (a) a plastic blow molding machine having a rotary mold wheel that supports a plurality of molds for rotary movement along a rotary path about a mold wheel axis and for concomitant pivotal movement of mold sections of the molds between open and closed positions about associated mold axes that extend parallel with the mold wheel axis and with the mold sections opening in an outward direction from the mold wheel axis and symmetrically about associated mold parting planes that extend from the mold wheel axis through the associated mold axes;
• (b) an in-mold labeler including:
• a dispensing assembly having a base and a dispensing wheel that is rotatably mounted on the base about a dispensing wheel axis that extends parallel to the mold wheel axis, the dispensing wheel including a plurality of tracks that extend radially from the dispensing wheel axis, the dispensing wheel also including a plurality of dispensing head assemblies each of which has a support, the supports of the dispensing head assemblies being respectively mounted by the the tracks for radially movement with respect to the dispensing wheel axis, each dispensing head assembly including a dispensing head mounted on its support for movement along a dispensing head axis of the support between pick and place positions, each dispensing head including a pair of label carriers for receiving labels in the pick position thereof and for transferring the labels in the place position thereof to an adjacent open mold of the blow molding machine, and each dispensing head assembly including a pivotal mount that mounts its support for angular movement about a support axis with respect to the dispensing wheel;
• an actuator including a first cam mechanism that moves the support of each dispensing head assembly during a label depositing operation along the rotary path of the adjacent open mold about the mold wheel axis, and the actuator including a second cam mechanism for angularly positioning the support of the dispensing head assembly about the support axis of its pivotal mount such that the dispensing head axis moves in alignment with the moving mold parting plane of the adjacent open mold as the dispensing head is moved on the support during the label depositing operation from the pick position to the place position to deposit the labels within the adjacent open mold in a manner that permits high speed operation of the in-mold labeling;
• and
• a third cam mechanism including an operator for moving each dispensing head with its label carriers thereon between the pick position and the place position where the label carrier are positioned within the adjacent open mold to transfer the labels carried thereby to the mold;
• and
• (c) label transfer apparatus for transferring labels from a label magazine to the in-mold labeler, the label transfer apparatus including:
• a rotary table;
• a plurality of transfer heads each of which is mounted on the rotary table for movement thereof adjacent the label magazine which stores a stack of labels with an exposed end from which the labels are sequentially dispensed;
• each transfer head including a pair of vacuum openings through which a vacuum is supplied;
• and
• an actuator including a rotary actuator member for moving the transfer heads relative to the table with a rolling motion to engage one of the vacuum openings with the label at the exposed end of the label magazine and to initially pull an extremity of that label away from the label stack and thereby permit air to move behind the label, to subsequently pull an intermediate portion of the label away from the label stack and thereby permit more air to move behind the label, and to finally engage the other vacuum opening with the label to pull an opposite extremity of the label away from the label stack in a manner that permits high speed labeling as the label is subsequently transferred from the transfer head to the in-mold labeler for the in-mold labeling of the plastic blow molding machine.