Stripper for blow molding machine

Claim 2

In a blow molding apparatus for forming hollow articles including a rotatable turret having plural side faces with sets of parison pins projecting outwardly therefrom, spaced operating stations including at least one ejection station disposed therearound and means for indexing said turret to place pin sets with formed articles thereon at said ejection station, the improvement comprising mechanical means including stripper fingers projecting between said pins to engage formed articles thereon and reciprocating means to move the fingers outwardly parallel to the pins to strip articles formed thereon therefrom, stroke adjusting means including stop means adjustable along the path of movement of said fingers to vary the span of stroke of said fingers, and means to lower said fingers from between said pins to bypass the automatic stripping function thereof.

Claim 3

An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further including feeler means adjacent said ejection station to detect the condition of said pins when said turret is indexed to move said pins from said ejection station.

Claim 4

In a blow molding apparatus for forming hollow articles including a rotatable turret having plural side faces with sets of parison pins projecting outwardly therefrom, spaced operating stations including at least one ejection station disposed therearound and means for indexing said turret to place pin sets with formed articles thereon at said ejection station, the improvement comprising mechanical means including stripper fingers projecting between said pins to engage formed articles thereon and reciprocating means to move the fingers outwardly parallel to the pins to strip articles formed thereon therefrom, stroke adjusting means including stop means adjustable along the pAth of movement of said fingers to vary the span of stroke of said fingers, and means to lower said fingers from between said pins to bypass the automatic stripping function thereof, further including feeler means adjacent said ejection station to detect the condition of said pins when said turret is indexed to move said pins from said ejection station, wherein said feeler means comprises a plurality of upwardly extending fingers disposed on a rocker arm, said fingers being configured to be normally cleared by unincumbered pins when indexed thereby but deflected thereby when said pins are not cleared or are out of alignment, and switch means to interrupt operation of said apparatus and disposed to be actuated by said rocker arm when said fingers are deflected.

Claim 5

In a blow molding apparatus for forming hollow articles including a rotatable turret having plural side faces with sets of parison pins projecting outwardly therefrom, spaced operating stations including at least one ejection station disposed therearound and means for indexing said turret to place pin sets with formed articles thereon at said ejection station, the improvement comprising mechanical means including stripper fingers projecting between said pins to engage formed articles thereon and reciprocating means to move the fingers outwardly parallel to the pins to strip articles formed thereon therefrom, stroke adjusting means including stop means adjustable along the pAth of movement of said fingers to vary the span of stroke of said fingers, and means to lower said fingers from between said pins to bypass the automatic stripping function thereof, further including feeler means adjacent said ejection station to detect the condition of said pins when said turret is indexed to move said pins from said ejection station, wherein said feeler means comprises a plurality of upwardly extending fingers disposed on a rocker arm, said fingers being configured to be normally cleared by unincumbered pins when indexed thereby but deflected thereby when said pins are not cleared or are out of alignment, and switch means to interrupt operation of said apparatus and disposed to be actuated by said rocker arm when said fingers are deflected.

Claim 6

An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said rocker arm is provided with openings for receiving said feeler fingers at spaced points therealong, whereby the position of said feeler fingers along said rocker arm can be altered to correspond to varying molded article configurations.

Claim 7

An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said stop means include first and second microswitches adjacent said reciprocating means and connected thereto to interrupt operation thereof when actuated, said first switch being disposed adjacent said fingers to limit movement of said reciprocating means toward said apparatus when engaged by said fingers and actuated, said second switch being disposed to limit movement of said reciprocating means away from said apparatus when engaged thereby and actuated.

Claim 8

In a blow molding apparatus for forming hollow articles including a rotatable turret having plural side faces with sets of parison pins projecting outwardly therefrom, spaced operating stations including at least one ejection station disposed therearound and means for indexing said turret to place pin sets with formed articles thereon at said ejection station, the improvement comprising mechanical means including stripper fingers projecting between said pins to engage formed articles thereon and reciprocating means to move the fingers outwardly parallel to the pins to strip articles formed thereon therefrom, stroke adjusting means including stop means adjustable along the path of movement of said fingers to vary the span of stroke of said fingers, and means to lower said fingers from between said pins to bypass the automatic stripping function thereof, said stop means include first and second microswitches adjacent said reciprocating means and connected thereto to interrupt operation thereof when actuated, said first switch being disposed adjacent said fingers to limit movement of said reciprocating means toward said apparatus when engaged by said fingers and actuated, said second switch being disposed to limit movement of said reciprocating means away from said apparatus when engaged thereby and actuated, wherein said reciprocating means includes at least one support bar disposed parallel to said pins and said stroke adjusting means includes a stripper mount adjustably disposed on said support bar, said mount supporting said fingers and having a longitudinally adjustable stop rod associated therewith parallel to said pins and positioned to engage said first microswitch, whereby adjustment of the position of said mount on said support bar to clear the free ends of said pins with said reciprocating means extended fully away from said machine and adjustment of said stop rod to actuate said first microswitch when said fingers are coincident with the other ends of said pins with said reciprocating means disposed toward said machine provides adjustment of the span of stroke of said fingers.

Claim 9

In a blow molding apparatus for forming hollow articles including a rotatable turret having plural side faces with sets of parison pins projecting outwardly therefrom, spaced operating stations including at least one ejection station disposed therearound and means for indexing said turret to place pin sets with formed articles thereon at said ejection station, the improvement comprising mechanical means including stripper fingers projecting between said pins to engage formed articles thereon and reciprocating means to move the fingers outwardly parallel to the pins to strip articles formed thereon therefrom, stroke adjusting means including stop means adjustable along the path of movement of said fingers to vary the span of stroke of said fingers, and means to lower said fingers from between said pins to bypass the automatic stripping function thereof, said stop means include first and second microswitches adjacent said reciprocating means and connected thereto to interrupt operation thereof when actuated, said first switch being disposed adjacent said fingers to limit movement of said reciprocating means toward said apparatus when engaged by said fingers and actuated, said second switch being disposed to limit movement of said reciprocating means away from said apparatus when engaged thereby and actuated, wherein said reciprocating means includes at least one support bar disposed parallel to said pins and said stroke adjusting means includes a stripper mount adjustably disposed on said support bar, said mount supporting said fingers and having a longitudinally adjustable stop rod associated therewith parallel to said pins and positioned to engage said first microswitch, whereby adjustment of the position of said mount on said support bar to clear the free ends of said pins with said reciprocating means extended fully away from said machine and adjustment of said stop rod to actuate said first microswitch when said fingers are coincident with the other ends of said pins with said reciprocating means disposed toward said machine provides adjustment of the span of stroke of said fingers.

Claim 10

An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means to lower said fingers includes a pivotal mount supporting said fingers for pivoting thereof on an axis perpendicular to and in the common plane of said fingers.

Claim 11

A mechanism in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reciprocating means and said stroke adjusting means include at leaSt one support bar disposed parallel to said pins and a stripper mount adjustably disposed on said bar, said mount supporting said fingers and having a longitudinally adjustable stop rod associated therewith parallel to said pins, first and second microswitches associated with said reciprocating means to limit movement thereof toward and away from said one end of said pins respectively, said first microswitch being disposed to be engaged by said stop rod for actuation thereby.