Blow molding machine with molds moved mechanically and without the aid of electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10442129-B2
Application number	US-201515523455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2015
Priority date	Nov 4, 2014
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

An extrusion blow mold machine forming hollow containers. The machine has at least one pair of opposing half molds that combine to form a mold and define a mold cavity. Each of the half molds is positioned on a carrier plate and includes first, second, and third mold segments. The first and third mold segments can move with respect to each other and with respect to the second, fixed mold segment. A mechanical structure creates vertical movement of the first and third mold segments relative to the second mold segment as the mold opens horizontally, without the aid of any electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic device. A closing unit engages the carrier plate to move the carrier plate and its respective half mold toward and away from the opposing half mold and its respective carrier plate, thereby closing and opening the mold.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An extrusion blow mold machine forming hollow containers from a tube or parison of resin material, the blow mold machine comprising:
at least one pair of opposing half molds that combine to form a mold and define a mold cavity, each of the half molds positioned on a respective carrier plate and including a first mold segment, a second mold segment, and a third mold segment mounted adjacent to the path of the tube or parison of resin material that will form the container, the first and third mold segments movable with respect to each other and with respect to both the second mold segment and the axis of the tube between an open position that permits passage of the tube between the mold segments, and a closed position in which the mold segments cooperate to form a closed mold cavity for blow molding the container;
a mechanical structure creating vertical movement of the first and third mold segments relative to the second mold segment as the mold opens horizontally, without the aid of any electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic device;
a closing unit that engages at least one of the carrier plates to move the at least one carrier plate and its respective half mold toward and away from the opposing half mold and its respective carrier plate, thereby closing and opening the mold; and
a central plug (a) located on the second mold segment and b) moving horizontally during the opening phase of the mold to facilitate extraction of the container from the mold cavity and (c) returning to its original position during the closing phase of the mold.

2. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first mold segment and the third mold segment are each movable in the vertical direction with respect to the second mold segment and the second mold segment is fixed to and integral with the carrier plate that generates the closure of the two half molds.

3. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 1 , wherein the container has an undercut or recess on its bottom surface, and at least one of the first mold segment and the third mold segment has a stem that extends into the undercut or recess after the container is blow molded.

4. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine produces one container per mold cavity.

5. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine produces multiple containers per mold cavity in a neck-to-neck configuration.

6. An extrusion blow mold machine forming hollow containers from a tube or parison of resin material, the blow mold machine comprising:
at least one pair of opposing half molds that combine to form a mold and define a mold cavity, each of the half molds positioned on a respective carrier plate and including a first mold segment, a second mold segment, and a third mold segment mounted adjacent to the path of the tube or parison of resin material that will form the container, the first and third mold segments movable with respect to each other and with respect to both the second mold segment and the axis of the tube between an open position that permits passage of the tube between the mold segments, and a closed position in which the mold segments cooperate to form a closed mold cavity for blow molding the container;
a mechanical structure creating vertical movement of the first and third mold segments relative to the second mold segment as the mold opens horizontally, without the aid of any electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic device, the mechanical structure including:
(a) pins located in the second mold segment which drive movement of the first and third moveable mold segments and which are pushed horizontally inside the half mold during the closing phase of the mold;
(b) wedges located in the second mold segment, engaged and moved by the pins, and having an angled surface; and
(c) hooks carried by each of the first and third mold segments, each hook having an angled surface corresponding to the angled surface of the wedges,
wherein the angled surfaces of the wedges engage the correspondingly angled surfaces of the hooks so that, by translating along the horizontal axis, the wedges determine the vertical displacement of the hooks and therefore of the first and third mold segments; and

a closing unit that engages at least one of the carrier plates to move the at least one carrier plate and its respective half mold toward and away from the opposing half mold and its respective carrier plate, thereby closing and opening the mold.

7. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 6 , wherein the amount of vertical displacement of the first and third mold segments that occurs for a specific amount of horizontal translation of the pins is predetermined by the angle of the correspondingly angled surfaces of the hooks and wedges.

8. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 7 , wherein the angle for the correspondingly angled surfaces of the wedges and hooks is between about 30 and 60 degrees.

9. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 8 , wherein the angle for the correspondingly angled surfaces of the wedges and hooks is about 45 degrees.

10. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 6 , wherein the container has an undercut or recess on its bottom surface, at least one of the first mold segment and the third mold segment has a stem that extends into the undercut or recess after the container is blow molded, and the angled surfaces of the wedges and the correspondingly angled surfaces of the hooks are predetermined so that the vertical displacement of the first and third mold segments as the mold opens suffices to move the stems out of the undercut or recess on the container.

11. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 6 , further comprising at least one spring that facilitates movement of the pins and, therefore, the wedges during the opening phase of the mold.

12. The extrusion blow mold machine according to claim 6 , further comprising safety rods being located in the second mold segment coaxially with respect to the pins and having corresponding springs, wherein during the approach of the two half molds in the closing phase of the mold the pins are counteracted by the safety rods and their corresponding springs to void damage to components of the blow mold machine in the event that, during the closing phase, obstacles, debris, or other foreign elements are placed between the first mold segment and the second old segment or between the second mold segment and the third mold segment.

13. An extrusion blow mold machine forming hollow containers from a tube or parison of resin material, the blow mold machine comprising:
at least one pair of opposing half molds that combine to form a mold and define a mold cavity, each of the half molds positioned on a respective carrier plate and including a first mold segment, a second mold segment, and a third mold segment mounted adjacent to the path of the tube or parison of resin material that will form the container, the first and third mold segments movable with respect to each other and with respect to both the second mold segment and the axis of the tube between an open position that permits passage of the tube between the mold segments, and a closed position in which the mold segments cooperate to form a closed mold cavity for blow molding the container;
a mechanical structure creating vertical movement of the first and third mold segments relative to the second mold segment as the mold opens horizontally, without the aid of any electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic device;
a closing unit that engages at least one of the carrier plates to move the at least one carri

Assignees

• Graham Packaging Co
• Simoparma Packing Italia S R L

Inventors

• Pinardi Gabriele
• Minghetti Moreno

Classifications

• B29C2049/566

  Locking means · CPC title

• B29C2049/546

  by translatorilly actuating an auxiliary mould part while the mould is still in a closed position · CPC title

• B29C49/4802 Primary

  with means for locally compressing part(s) of the parison in the main blowing cavity · CPC title

• B29C49/541

  having a recessed undersurface · CPC title

• B29C2049/4892

  Mould halves consisting of an independent main and bottom part · CPC title