Mold clamp assembly for blow molding machine and method
AssigneeGraham Engineering Corporation
InventorsPaul W. Klinedinst, John M. Mathy, Paul M. Oles
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mold clamp assembly for a rotary-type or shuttle-type blow molding machine is mounted on a frame and includes a mold opening and closing drive connected to the two mold halves independently of the frame so that when the mold halves are closed, clamp forces are not transmitted to the mold halves through the frame.
Claims22
A mold clamp assembly for a blow molding machine, the assembly comprising:
- a frame;
- first and second mold halves on the frame;
- a slide member connecting said mold halves to said frame to permit movement of the mold halves toward and away from each other;
- an extendable and retractable drive having opposed drive ends, said drive located adjacent the first mold half;
- a shift member attached to one end of the drive and to said first mold half;
- a shift rod attached to said shift member and extending past the mold halves;
- a first tension member attached to the other end of the drive, said tension member extending past the mold halves;
- a pivot arm mounted on the tension member adjacent the second mold half, the pivot arm having a first end connected to the shift rod, a second end connected to the second mold half and a pivot connected to the tension member;
- said shift member, said shift rod, and said tension member being movable relative to the frame without transmitting forces to the frame;
- wherein actuation of said drive closes the mold halves without transmitting clamp forces through the frame.
A mold clamp assembly for a blow molding machine comprising:
- a frame;
- first and second mold halves on the frame;
- a drive located adjacent the first mold half;
- a shift member connected between the first mold half and the drive free of the frame;
- a shift mechanism connected between the second mold half and the drive free of the frame, the mechanism extending past the mold halves;
- the drive having a first position in which the mold halves are held in a closed position by the shift member and the mechanism and a second position in which the mold halves are held in an open position by the shift member and the mechanism, said shift member and shift mechanism movable relative to the frame without transmitting forces to the frame;
- wherein opposed clamp forces holding the mold halves closed when the drive is in the first position are transmitted directly from the drive to the mold halves through the member and the mechanism without transmission through the frame.
A method of opening and closing mold halves in a blow molding machine of the type having a frame, first and second mold halves mounted on the frame and movable between open and closed positions, a drive, and connections between the drive and the mold halves, comprising the steps of:
- A. moving the drive from a first position to a second position to move the mold halves to the open position;
- and
- B. moving the drive from the second position to the first position to close the mold halves and exert a clamp force sufficient to hold the mold halves on a parison and hold the mold halves closed during blow molding by transmitting opposed clamp forces from the drive to the mold halves without transmitting clamp forces through the frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.