US3601858A — Extruding-blowing machine for making hollow plast…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 406 words

Machine for manufacturing plastic hollow bodies by extrusionblowing, which comprises a shaft mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a support rigid with said shaft, means for rotatably and continuously driving said shaft and said support, an extruder adapted to produce a continuous tubular blank or parison delivered in a vertical direction, a plurality of molds disposed at spaced intervals about the axis of rotation of said shaft, each mold comprising a fixed half-mold and a movable halfmold adapted to be moved parallel to said axis of rotation, double-acting longitudinal pneumatic actuators of the cylinderand-piston unit type, carried by said rotary support and associated with the different molds respectively, each actuator comprising a piston forming in said actuator two chambers, namely a front mold-opening chamber and a rear mold-closing chamber, and a rod rigid with said piston and extending through said actuator, said movable half-mold being secured to a first or front end of said rod, a fixed transverse plate centered to said axis of rotation of said mold support and disposed behind said pneumatic actuators, an opening ramp and a closing ramp carried by said fixed transverse plate and extending along circular arcs centered to said axis of rotation, rollers carried by the rear ends of the rods of said pneumatic actuators, said rollers engaging said opening and closing ramps, a programmer rotatably solid with said mold support and comprising, for each mold, a group of associated pneumatic valves including an opening valve and a closing valve connected to the front opening chambers and to the rear closing chambers respectively of the associated pneumatic actuators, and a fixed mold opening cam and a fixed mold-closing cam acting upon said mold opening and closing valves, respectively, during the rotation of said mold support, said opening and closing cams being so disposed, in relation to the relevant opening and closing ramps, that when the fixed mold-opening cam controls the opening of a pneumatic opening valve associated with a given mold the roller carried by the rod of the pneumatic actuator associated with this mold is urged against a curved portion of the opening ramp defining the mold opening law, and that similarly, when the fixed closing cam causes the opening of the closing valve associated with a mold the roller carried by the rod of the pneumatic actuator associated with the mold is urged against the curved portion of the closing ramp defining the mold closing law.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 406 words

Machine for manufacturing plastic hollow bodies by extrusionblowing, which comprises a shaft mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, a support rigid with said shaft, means for rotatably and continuously driving said shaft and said support, an extruder adapted to produce a continuous tubular blank or parison delivered in a vertical direction, a plurality of molds disposed at spaced intervals about the axis of rotation of said shaft, each mold comprising a fixed half-mold and a movable halfmold adapted to be moved parallel to said axis of rotation, double-acting longitudinal pneumatic actuators of the cylinderand-piston unit type, carried by said rotary support and associated with the different molds respectively, each actuator comprising a piston forming in said actuator two chambers, namely a front mold-opening chamber and a rear mold-closing chamber, and a rod rigid with said piston and extending through said actuator, said movable half-mold being secured to a first or front end of said rod, a fixed transverse plate centered to said axis of rotation of said mold support and disposed behind said pneumatic actuators, an opening ramp and a closing ramp carried by said fixed transverse plate and extending along circular arcs centered to said axis of rotation, rollers carried by the rear ends of the rods of said pneumatic actuators, said rollers engaging said opening and closing ramps, a programmer rotatably solid with said mold support and comprising, for each mold, a group of associated pneumatic valves including an opening valve and a closing valve connected to the front opening chambers and to the rear closing chambers respectively of the associated pneumatic actuators, and a fixed mold opening cam and a fixed mold-closing cam acting upon said mold opening and closing valves, respectively, during the rotation of said mold support, said opening and closing cams being so disposed, in relation to the relevant opening and closing ramps, that when the fixed mold-opening cam controls the opening of a pneumatic opening valve associated with a given mold the roller carried by the rod of the pneumatic actuator associated with this mold is urged against a curved portion of the opening ramp defining the mold opening law, and that similarly, when the fixed closing cam causes the opening of the closing valve associated with a mold the roller carried by the rod of the pneumatic actuator associated with the mold is urged against the curved portion of the closing ramp defining the mold closing law.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 101 words

Machine according to claim 1, comprising, for each mold, a first pneumatic pipeline connecting the front opening chamber of the pneumatic actuator associated with this mold to the pneumatic opening valve of said programmer, a first circuit selector interposed in said first pneumatic pipeline, a second pneumatic pipeline connecting the rear closing chamber of said pneumatic actuator to the pneumatic closing valve and a second circuit selector interposed in said second pneumatic pipeline, each one of said first and second circuit selectors comprising an orifice permitting of connecting a compressed-air injection nozzle for manually controlling the mold opening and closing movements.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 208 words

Machine according to claim 1, comprising a substantially semicylindrical skirt rigid with said fixed transverse plate and having secured thereto the aforesaid opening and closing ramps, and wherein said opening and closing ramps comprise, in developed view and as seen from the roller inlet end to the roller outlet end, a first pair of rectilinear transverse edges between which each roller is adapted to be engaged, then a second pair of curved edges inclined to the rear, then a third pair of rectilinear transverse edges, said closing ramp ending with a fourth curved edge inclined in the forward direction and connected to a fifth rectilinear transverse edge, the shapes of said second curved and rearwardly inclined edge of said opening ramp and said fourth curved and forwardly inclined edge of said closing ramp being such that the longitudinal accelerations impressed to said rollers as a consequence of the law of motion defined by said curved edges be zero at the points where said edges merge into the adjacent rectilinear transverse edges and into the points of inflexion of the curved edges, the fourth curved edge of the closing ramp having a point of inflexion at the point engaged by said roller when the movable half-mold engages said parison.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 37 words

Machine according to claim 1, comprising openings formed in said fixed transverse plate supporting the closing and opening ramps to permit an easy access from the rear of the machine to the pneumatic valves of said programmer.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 42 words

Machine according to claim 1, comprising bearings disposed centrally of said fixed transverse plate carrying the closing and opening ramps, the shaft rigid with said mold support being rotatably mounted in relation to said transverse plate through the medium of said bearings.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 52 words

Machine according to claim 1, comprising, for each mold, a first plate secured to the front end of the rod of the associated pneumatic actuator and to which the movable half-mold is mounted, and a longitudinal block rigid with said rotary support, for guiding said mold-supporting plate during its longitudinal sliding movement.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 298 words

Machine according to claim 6, comprising a second transverse plate forming an integral part of the rotary mold support and carrying all the fixed half-molds, and, for a mold, two anchor lugs secured to the two lateral faces of the first plate carrying the movable half-mold, respectively, the front ends of these anchoring lugs constituting hornlike projections of greater width, a pair of upper and lower hooks mounted on the second plate carrying the fixed half-molds, on either side of each fixed half-mold, each pair of said upper and lower horns registering with an anchor lug of the corresponding movable half-mold, the upper and lower hooks of each pair being pivotally mounted to said second plate, said hooks comprising on the rear side of said second plate, curved rear ends bearing against the edge of the horn of the associated anchoring lug, in the closed-mold position, for locking the relevant mold, a slot formed in said second movable half-mold supporting plate and through which extend the upper and lower hooks of a same pair, a pneumatic actuator for locking and releasing the mold, said actuator being disposed on the front side of said second plate carrying the fixed half-molds, each pneumatic locking and release actuator acting upon the front ends of a pair of upper and lower hooks, whereby the stroke of the rod of said actuator in one direction causes the movement of the rear curved ends of said upper and lower hooks away from each other and therefore the release of the relevant mold. the stroke in the opposite direction of the rod of said actuator causing the movement of the curved rear ends of said hooks towards each other for clamping therebetween the associated anchoring horns and thus lock the mold in its closed position.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 202 words

Machine according to claim 7, which comprises, for each mould, first and second pneumatic locking and release actuators controlling first and second pairs of upper and lower hooks respectively, locking pipe lines connected to first chambers of said pair of pneumatic locking and release actuators, release pipelines connected to said second chambers of said pair of pneumatic locking and release actuators, a pneumatic locking valve and a pneumatic release valve forming part of said programmer and connected to said locking and release pipelines respectively, a pneumatic distributor connected between said pneumatic locking valve and said locking pipeline, said pneumatic distributor comprising an inlet directly connected to said locking valve, a first control inlet directly connected to the inlet of said distributor and a second control inlet, a manually operated monitoring valve inserted between said second control inlet and the distributor inlet, a lever for controlling said monitoring controlling said monitoring valve, a masking member rigid with the rod of said pneumatic mold-opening and closing actuator and adapted to receive said monitoring-valve control lever, and an opening formed in said masking member and so positioned that said opening registers with said monitoring-valve control lever only when said mold is in its closed position.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 176 words

Machine according to claim 1, which comprises, for each fixed and movable half-mold, a mold carrier plate secured in turn to a corresponding supporting plate, first holes formed in said mold carrier plate, first screws extending through said holes for securing said half-mold to said mold carrier plate, second holes formed through said mold carrier plate, nuts and second screws housed in said second holes for securing said mold carrier plate to its supporting plate, ducts formed in said mold carrier plate, first orifices formed in a first face of said mold carrier plate which contacts said supporting plate, said orifices communicating with said ducts, second orifices formed in said supporting plate which register with said fiRst orifices formed in said first face of said mold carrier plate and are intended for the circulation of cooling water and possibly for supplying compressed air, and third orifices formed in said second face of said mold carrier plate which contacts said half-mold and communicates with said ducts for transmitting cooling water and possibly compressed air within said half-mold.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 74 words

Machine according to claim 9, in which said plate carrying the movable half-mold comprises two longitudinal ducts formed within said plate and communicating respectively with a first pair of orifices of relatively large diameter formed in the first face of said mold carrier plate for the ingress and exhaust of cooling water, said two longitudinal ducts also communicating with third orifices of smaller diameter formed in the second face of said mold carrier plate.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 120 words

Machine according to claim 9, wherein the plate carrying the fixed half-mold has formed therein a pair of longitudinal ducts communicating respectively with first orifices of relatively great diameter formed in the first face of said mold carrier plate and also with third orifices of smaller diameter formed in the second face of said plate, said mould carrier plate further comprising a third longitudinal duct, a fourth compressed-air inlet orifice communicating with said third longitudinal duct and formed in the first face of said mold carrier plate, and a fifth compressed-air exhaust orifice formed in the second face of said mold carrier plate and located beneath half-mold fixed half-mold in order to supply compressed air to a pneumatic sprue-removing device.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 125 words

Machine according to claim 1, comprising a hydraulic motor, an output shaft of said hydraulic motor rotatably driven therefrom, first and second sprockets rotatably solid with said output shaft of said hydraulic motor, first and second chain wheels, one chain wheel being rigid with the machine shaft while the other chain wheel is mounted for loose rotation on said shaft, first and second endless chains operatively connecting said first sprocket to the first chain wheel and said second sprocket to said second chain wheel, respectively, a chain tensioning device adapted to couple said chain wheels and tending to pivot said chain wheels in opposite directions, a brake adapted to act upon said shaft of said hydraulic driving motor, and a brake actuator controlling said brake.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 101 words

Machine according to claim 12, which comprises a hydraulic feed system associated with said hydraulic motor for driving the machine, said system comprising an oil reservoir, a constant output pump taking oil from said reservoir and forcing same towards said hydraulic motor, a first spring-loaded valve for returning the excess oil to the reservoir and, downstream of said hydraulic motor, an output regulator for adjusting the motor speed, a distributor adapted to open or close said hydraulic circuit for the electric ON-OFF control of the machine, and a second spring-loaded valve branched off said output regulator and said ON-OFF control distributor.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 97 words

Machine according to claim 13, comprising a pneumatic distributor including a hydraulic control inlet and two outlets to which the actuator controlling the brake associated with the shaft of said hydraulic motor is connected, a source of compressed air connected to said pneumatic distributor, a hydraulic valve having its inlet connected to the pipeline supplying hydraulic fluid to said hydraulic motor and its outlet connected to the control inlet of said pneumatic distributor, said hydraulic valve being normally closed when the machine is inoperative, and electric control means for opening said hydraulic valve when starting the machine.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 104 words

Machine according to claim 1, which comprises a frame structure carrying the rotary mold support, a plurality of feet through which said frame structure bears on the floor, each foot comprising a show shoe and a vertically adjustable rod rigid with said frame structure, said shoe being also rigid with saiD rod, a duct formed through said shoe, a source of compressed air, a flexible house connecting said source of compressed air to said duct, a resilient pad on the floor and a base member bearing upon said resilient pad to permit the production of an air cushion between said shoe and said baseplate.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 109 words

Machine according to claim 15, which further comprises at the extruder''s frame structure a pair of horizontal brackets rigid with said last-named structure at the lower portion thereof, vertical wings constituting the extensions of said horizontal brackets, a pair of frames carried by said structure and adapted to receive said vertical wings in central recesses, and adjustment screws extending through the sides of each frame and engaging with their ends the faces of the vertical wings of said brackets, for adjusting the position of the frame structure of the machine in relation to the frame structure of said extruder when said machine frame structure is floating on said air-cushions.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1974-08-30	1975-03-01	1975-08-31	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1978-08-30	1979-03-01	1979-08-31	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1982-08-30	1983-03-01	1983-08-31	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Extruding-blowing machine for making hollow plastic articles

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