Injection blow molding machine

Claim 2

In an injection blow molding machine wherein plastic is injection molded into a parison covering a core rod at a first station, blown into a bottle by compressed gas admitted to the interior of said parison through said core rod at a second station, and ejected, in blown bottle form, from said core rod at a third station, said stations being radially disposed in a common plane about a central axis, the improvement consisting of a means for holding said core rods and for transferring said core rods from each station to the next successive station, said means consisting of a rotor, adapted to rotate about said axis with arms projecting radially therefrom, each of said arms including means for mounting core rods thereon in a position projecting perpendicularly from said arms in said plane.

Claim 3

In an improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 1, the further improvement wherein said arms are substantially tangent to said rotor.

Claim 4

In an improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 1, the further improvement consisting of a rigidly mounted member positioned to contact a radial arm of said rotor disposed adjacent said first station, on the side of said radial arm opposite said core rod in said plane.

Claim 5

In an improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 1, the further improvement consisting of a. an injection mold, consisting of a stationary mold half and a movable mold half, positioned at said first station and adapted to enclose a core rod positioned at said first station, when said movable mold half and said rotor with core rod positioned thereon are in a mold closed position, b. a blow mold, consisting of a stationary mold half and a movable mold half, positioned at said second station and adapted to enclose a core rod positioned at said second station, when said movable mold half and said rotor with core rod positioned thereon are in a mold closed position, c. mold opening means for moving said movable mold halves and said rotor, together with the core rods mounted thereon, from the mold closed position in a direction parallel to said axis and away from said stationary mold halves, the distance of movement of said rotor being less than that of said movable mold halves, d. disengagable indexing means for rotating said rotor an angular distance approximately corresponding to the common angle separating each of said work stations from work stations adjacent thereto, and each of said radially projecting arms from arms adjacent thereto, e. disengagement means for disengaging said indexing means and permitting limited free rotational movement thereof at the end of the rotational movement imparted by said disengageable indexing means, f. mold closing means for moving said movable mold halves and said rotor in a direction opposite that of said mold opening means and back to said mold closed position, g. guide means for precisely angularly positioning said rotor with respect to said molds as said mold closing means moves said rotor toward said mold closed position.

Claim 6

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 4, wherein said guide means comprises a pair of spaced wedge members adapted to receive one arm of said rotor as said rotor moves axially toward the mold closed position and to position said rotor angularly as said rotor approaches said mold closed position, one of said wedge members contacting said radial arm of the side of said arm opposite that from which said core rod projects, said wedge member acting as a bearing surface to receive force applied to said arm on the side thereof from which said core rod projects.

Claim 7

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 5, wherein said pair of wedge members are attached to a rigid mounting surface by means permitting slight movement of said wedge means away from one another while urging said wedge members toward one another.

Claim 8

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 6, wherein said core rods consist of a tubular sleeve open at one end to an annular mounting head extending through and attached to said radial arm, the other end of said sleeve including a slide valve for admitting gas from the interior of said core rod into a parison molded around said core rod, said valve being biased in a closed position and including an actuator member extending back to said mounting head adapted to open said valve upon application of a compressive force to said actuator, said machine including gas inlet means, disposed at at least one of said stations, for actuating said valve and admitting pressurized fluid into said core rod, said means consisting of a member having a passageway connected to a source of compressed gas and otherwise terminating in an opening with a member projecting from the center thereof, said opening and said projecting member adapted by pivotal movement of said gas inlet means, to engage and to disengage said annular mounting head and said core rod valve, respectively, said gas inlet means being urged away from such engagement and being forced, by contact with said rotor as it moves toward its mold closed position, into such engagement.

Claim 9

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in clAim 7, further including seating means in the area of engagement of said core rod and said opening in said pressurized fluid inlet means to prevent loss of gas therefrom during said engagement.

Claim 10

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 6, further including valve means for interrupting the flow of pressurized fluid through said gas inlet means and for actuating said valve to permit said flow upon engagement of said means and said core rod.

Claim 11

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 1, wherein movable mold halves of said injection and said blow molds are mounted on a common movable platen, said blow mold half being attached thereto by stress relief means limiting the compressive force applied by said platen on said blow mold, said force limiting means being adapted to produce a disproportionately greater compressive force on said injection mold than on said blow mold.

Claim 12

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 10, further including abutment means to stop the closure movement of said movable platen in the area of said blow mold just prior to completion of said closure movement in the area of said injection mold.

Claim 13

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 10, wherein said stress relief means comprises compressive spring means interposed between said movable platen and said blow mold.

Claim 14

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 1, including (I) control means, which in response to movement of said movable platen and said rotary wheel indexing means into said mold closed position (a) activate a bottle stripper means at said third station, (b) initiate mechanisms to introduce pressurized fluid into said blow mold through said core rod at said second station and to injection mold a parison at said first station, and (c) declutch said stripper movement from said indexing movement, (II) limit switches activated by said stripper means to prepare a machine recycle means, (III) means responsive to completion of parison molding for initiating movement of said movable platen and said rotary wheel indexing means into said mold open position, (IV) means in response to said mold opening movement for (a) clutching said indexing means to said stripper means and (b) returning said stripper mechanism to its starting position, said movement functioning through said clutching means to produce indexing movement of said indexing means, and (V) means activated by the return of said stripper mechanism to its starting position and the discharge of a product from the machine to initiate recycle of the machine.

Claim 15

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 13, further including mis-indexing sensing means to stop all function of the machine in the event of the attempted mold closure with the rotary wheel indexing means angularly displaced from any proper index position.

Claim 16

An improved injection blow molding machine, as recited in claim 14, wherein said mis-indexing sensing means comprises a 360*-180* out of position sensor comprising a protruding ball sensor member urged outwardly and a sensing means activated by any inward movement of said ball member, said member and said means being adapted to produce a signal upon the application of compressive force to said ball member at any point on the outer hemisphere of said ball member, said ball sensor member engaging slots therefor along the periphery of a shaft associated with said rotor parallel to the axis thereof.