Settle blow air baffle assembly

A baffle assembly for controlling delivery of settle blow air to a glassware blank mold of a glassware forming machine, said glassware blank mold having a seat and a locating surface, said baffle assembly including:

• a holder having at least one air passage,
• a baffle head having an air-impervious base coupled to said holder, an outer sealing surface, and an annular face engageable with the seat of the blank mold,
• an outer ring having a first portion movably mounted on said holder, a second portion extending radially outward from said first portion with an inner sealing surface engageable with said outer sealing surface of said baffle head, and a third portion extending from said second portion and engageable with the locating surface of the blank mold, and
• said at least one air passage in said holder opening upstream of said outer sealing surface of said baffle head and said inner sealing surface of said outer ring,
• a spring to yieldably bias said outer ring along said holder toward the blank mold and toward an extended position over said baffle head in which said inner sealing surface of said outer ring engages said outer sealing surface of said baffle head to block air flow from said at least one air passage and permit air pressure to build upstream of said baffle head to provide an immediately available supply of pressurized settle blow air upstream of said baffle head,
• said baffle assembly being movable between a retracted position in which said baffle assembly is spaced from the seat of the blank mold and an end position in which said annular face on said baffle head engages the seat of the blank mold, wherein
• initial advancement of said baffle assembly from said retracted position toward the blank mold brings said third portion of said outer ring into initial engagement with the locating surface of the blank mold while said sealing surfaces remain engaged,
• continued advancement of said baffle assembly toward the blank mold displaces said baffle head relative to said outer ring so that said sealing surfaces separate to open a gap between said sealing surfaces and permit flow of said immediately available supply of pressurized settle blow air through said gap and into the blank mold, and
• further advancement of said holder toward said blank mold and said end position brings said annular surface of said baffle head into contact with the seat of the blank mold to terminate airflow from said baffle assembly into the blank mold.