Deep grip mechanism within blow mold hanger and related methods and bottles

A mold hanger for supporting a mold in a blow molding station, the mold hanger having a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, the mold hanger comprising:

• a piston sleeve fully contained within the mold hanger and orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction;
• a piston sleeve head end having a size and shape, and capping the piston sleeve;
• a piston slideably engaged with and fully contained within the piston sleeve, the piston having a top conforming to the size and shape of the piston sleeve head end and a bottom;
• a moveable insert integral with the piston bottom and configured to be pushed by the piston bottom in an inward direction away from the piston sleeve head end into a mold supported by the mold hanger;
• a latch in the piston sleeve configured to prevent the piston from moving away from the mold under pressure from air used to blow mold a bottle in the mold;
• and
• a first source of fluid pressure configured to apply pressure to the piston top to push the piston slideably away from the piston sleeve head end and toward the mold;
• wherein the piston top has an area larger than a cross sectional area of the moveable insert.

A mold hanger for supporting a mold in a blow molding station, the mold hanger having a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, the mold hanger comprising:

• a piston sleeve fully contained within the mold hanger and orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction;
• a piston sleeve head end capping the piston sleeve;
• a piston slideably engaged with and fully contained within the piston sleeve, the piston having a top conforming to the size and shape of the piston sleeve bead end and a bottom;
• a moveable insert integral with the piston bottom and configured to be pushed by the piston bottom in an inward direction away from the piston sleeve head end into a mold supported by the mold hanger;
• and
• a first source of fluid pressure configured to apply pressure to the piston top to push the piston slideably away from the piston sleeve head end and toward the mold;
• wherein the piston top has an area larger than a cross sectional area of the moveable insert, and the mold hanger is no more than about one inch thick beyond the piston sleeve head end.

A mold hanger for supporting a mold in a blow molding station, the mold hanger having a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, the mold hanger comprising:

• a piston sleeve fully contained within the mold hanger and orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction;
• a piston sleeve head end having a size and shape, and capping the piston sleeve;
• a piston slideably engaged with and fully contained within the piston sleeve, the piston having a top conforming to the size and shape of the piston sleeve head end and a bottom;
• a moveable insert integral with the piston bottom and configured to be pushed by the piston bottom in an inward direction away from the piston sleeve head end into a mold supported by the mold hanger;
• and
• a first source of fluid pressure configured to apply pressure to the piston top to push the piston slideably away from the piston sleeve head end and toward the mold;
• wherein the piston top has an area larger than a cross sectional area of the moveable insert, and the moveable insert is configured to be pushed at least about one half inch into the mold supported by the mold hanger.

A mold hanger for supporting a mold in a blow molding station, the mold hanger having a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, the mold hanger comprising:

• a piston sleeve fully contained within the mold hanger and orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction;
• a piston sleeve head end having a size and shape, and capping the piston sleeve;
• a piston slideably engaged with and fully contained within the piston sleeve, the piston having a top conforming to the size and shape of the piston sleeve head end and a bottom;
• a moveable insert integral with the piston bottom and configured to be pushed by the piston bottom in an inward direction away from the piston sleeve head end into a mold supported by the mold hanger;
• and
• a hinge rotatably secured to a back of the blow molding station and a clasp to close a front of the blow molding station during blow molding;
• and
• a first source of fluid pressure configured to apply pressure to the piston top to push the piston slideably away from the piston sleeve head end and toward the mold;
• wherein the piston top has an area larger than a cross sectional area of the moveable insert.