Blow-mold wheel speed-up package

An apparatus for blow molding containers, the apparatus comprising:

• a mold wheel having a rotational axis;
• a plurality of molds attached to the mold wheel, the molds being openable for discharging the containers after molding, and each of the molds having an opening direction substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the mold wheel;
• an air blower for introducing blow air into the molds to farm the containers within the molds;
• a mold opening controller for controlling when the molds are opened and closed;
• and
• a receiving device for receiving the containers from the mold wheel and transferring the containers to a container conveyor,
• the receiving device having a longitudinal direction substantially perpendicular to the opening direction of the molds and substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the container when released from the mold, and
• the longitudinal direction of the receiving device being non-horizontal,
• wherein the mold opening controller opens the molds such that each of the containers is released from the mold wheel after the mold molding that container has rotated past a lowest point of rotation of the mold wheel, and
• the controller opens the molds such that each of the containers is released from the mold wheel between 5° and 40° of rotation past the lowest point of rotation of the mold wheel.

A method of increasing the production rate of a container molding machine having a mold wheel, the mold wheel having a plurality of molds for molding containers, each of the molds having an opening direction substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the mold wheel, the method comprising:

• increasing a rotational duration over which the molds are held in a closed position to mold the containers;
• increasing a rotational duration over which blow air is introduced to each of the molds;
• and
• angling a receiving device for receiving the containers from the mold wheel and transferring the containers to a container conveyor,
• the receiving device having a longitudinal direction substantially perpendicular to the opening direction of the molds and substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the container when released from the mold, and
• the angling of the receiving device being such that the longitudinal direction of the receiving device is non-horizontal,
• wherein the molds are opened such that each of the containers is released from the mold wheel after the mold molding that container has rotated past a lowest point of rotation of the mold wheel, and
• the molds are opened such that each of the containers is released from the mold wheel between 5° and 40° of rotation past the lowest point of rotation of the mold wheel.