Equipment for making plastic articles

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING HALLOW TUBE-LIKE MEMBERS FROM HARDENABLE RESIN MATERIAL COMPRISING A FORMING DIE HAVING A PASSAGE THERETHROUGH AND A DIE CORE POSITIONED THEREIN TO DEFINE WITH THE DIE PASSAGE AN ANNULAR GENERALLY STRAIGHT FORMING PASSAGE IN WHICH RESIN MATERIAL IS SHAPED AND SOLIDIFIED TO FORM A TUBE-LIKE MEMBER, SAID FORMING PASSAGE HAVING AN ENTRANCE END THROUGH WHICH UNFORMED RESIN MATERIAL IS FED FOR FORMING THE HARDENING AND AN EXIT END THROUGH WHICH A FORMED TUBE-LIKE MEMBER IS WITHDRAWN, AND WITHDRAWING MEANS COMPRISING A GRIPPING DEVICE MOUNTED ADJACENT THE EXIT END OF SAID FORMING MACHINE FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH A PULLING STROKE IN THE DIRECTION OF WITHDRAWAL OF THE FORMED ELONGATED MEMBER FROM SAID EXIT END, SAID GRIPPING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ANNULAR GRIPPER ELEMENT OF PLIABLE MATERIAL SURROUNDING THE MEMBER BEING WITHDRAWN, SAID GRIPPER HAVING A HOLE THERETHROUGH GENERALLY CONFORMING TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF THE MEMBER BEING FORMED, A SLUG MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CORE, SAID SLUG BEING SIZED AND POSTIONED TO FIT INSIDE THE MEMBER BEING FORMED ADJACENT SAID GRIPPER ELEMENT, MEANS FOR COMPRESSING SAID GRIPPER ELEMENT TO TIGHTLY ENGAGE THE MEMBER BEING WITHDRAWN AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GRIPPER ELEMENT IN THE DIRECTION OF WITHDRAWAL.