Post-mold cooling apparatus

Apparatus for cooling a molded article made in an injection mold formed from mold halves, the molded article having a first region at a relatively high heat and an adjacent region at a relatively lower heat, the apparatus comprising:

• an end-of-arm tool having at least one holder, the end-of-arm tool being configured to be movable between (i) a first position between the mold halves where it receives the molded article into a respective one of the at least one holder, and (ii) a second position outside of the mold, the at least one holder being configured to hold a molded article at a time when the molded article retains an amount of heat;
• and
• a cooling pin on a frame located adjacent the second position, the cooling pin having a tip, said frame being configured to move relative to the end-of-arm tool to cause insertion of the tip of the cooling pin into the molded article after the end-of-arm tool reaches the second position;
• said cooling pin having an internal channel terminating at the tip, said frame and said cooling pin being configured to cause the cooling pin, upon insertion into the molded article by relative movement of the frame and the end-of-arm tool, to be within the molded article but spaced away from the first region and not in contact therewith, said cooling pin being configured to be connectable to a cooling fluid delivery system arranged to force gaseous cooling fluid along the internal channel to cause expulsion of the gaseous cooling fluid from the tip mostly in a direction of the first region to accentuate cooling within at least the first region;
• said frame being configured to be positioned, during the expulsion of the gaseous cooling fluid from the tip, with respect to the end-of-arm tool such as to define an open system having a passageway allowing venting of gaseous cooling fluid from an interior of the molded article to an ambient environment;
• and
• said apparatus being configured to be operational, during the expulsion of gaseous cooling fluid from the tip, to distance the frame from the end-of-arm tool, and the passageway of the open system is produced by formation of a space between a region of an external surface of the cooling pin and an open end of the molded article both located within the respective holder.