Abstract: A process for producing an injection molded article with a hollow rim portion in an injection molding machine including the steps of injecting a short shot of injection molding material into a mold via an injection nozzle, permitting a mold cavity to fill in an unbalanced manner as a result of a gas channel formed in a wall of the mold, closing the injection nozzle; and injecting a pressurized gas into the short shot of injection molding material, wherein the pressurized gas travels through the gas channel into a rim portion of the mold thereby expanding the injection molding material throughout the mold and simultaneously creating a hollow cavity within the rim portion of the mold.

Abstract: An apparatus for molding a plastic closure includes a male mold assembly including a forming pin and an outer pin sleeve which cooperate with a female mold for defining a mold cavity. To facilitate mechanical stripping of a molded closure from the forming pin, pressurized air is introduced into the molded closure through at least one air passageway which extends axially between the forming pin and pin sleeve. By outwardly expanding and forming the plastic closure during ejection from the forming pin, forces to which the closure is subjected during ejection are significantly reduced, thereby desirably reducing the amount of cooling of the closure that is required during the molding cycle prior to ejection. Significantly increased operating speeds for the compression molding apparatus can thus be achieved.

Abstract: A plastic hollow preform is drawn through a mold passage formed in a closed mold by applying a generally constant suction to a downstream end of a conduit having an upstream end connected to an output end of the mold passage. A flow cross section of the conduit is varied between its upstream and downstream ends so as to vary a rate at which the preform is drawn through the passage by the suction. The flow cross section is varied by displacing a valve element in the conduit between positions in which it differently blocks flow through the conduit.

Abstract: A method of making a plastic container having a body and a finish with at least one external thread includes injection or compression molding a plastic preform having a body and a finish with at least one external thread, blow molding the body of the preform to form the body of the container, and either prior to, subsequent to or both prior and subsequent to blow molding the container body, expanding the injection or compression molded preform finish to form a container finish having at least one injection or compression molded external thread. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the finish is expanded after the container body is blow-molded. The invention can be implemented to expand a narrow-neck preform or container finish to a wide-mouth preform or container finish.

Abstract: Process for manufacturing a breathing bag including a connector portion and a distensible portion including the steps of providing moldable material, forming a portion of the moldable material into the connector portion of the breathing bag and forming another portion of the moldable material into the distensible portion of the breathing bag. The moldable material may be provided by extruding a parison of thermoplastic material; the connector portion of the breathing bag may be formed by compression molding and the distensible portion of the breathing bag may be formed by blow molding or blow and vacuum molding; such distensible portion and connector portions are formed or molded integrally. A breathing bag made by such process.

Abstract: A roof rail in which a rail portion and a plurality of leg portions are integrally molded by use of a mold having a fixed or movable dam provided in a mold cavity, and which is formed of a polyamide resin composition containing a polyamide resin having a crystallization temperature of not higher than 210° C. and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 70° C. and glass fiber, wherein the difference in surface gloss between the surface of the rail portion and the surface of the leg portion is not higher than 5, and the difference in surface roughness between the surface of the rail portion and the surface of the leg portion is not larger than 0.5 ?m.

Abstract: A parison (110) for a container having a substantially constant wall thickness, the container having a base, a top edge defining a round opening, the top edge defining a plane which is not parallel to the plane of the base, a neck portion disposed at the same angle as the plane defined by the top edge, a front outer surface, and a rear outer surface having a lower portion and an upper portion. The parison comprises a cylindrical upper neck portion (140) having a cavity extending therethrough, the upper nock having a top surface (145) edge defining a top plane. The parison also has a hollow, elongated body portion (150) having a closed lower end (155) and an upper end (160), the lower body portion having a major axis extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical upper neck portion, and having a front wall (170) and a rear wall (175). The front wall is thicker than said rear wall. Also included in the invention is a method of producing a bottle (100) from the parison.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a flexible sleeve for a prosthesis or orthesis, including selecting sleeve preform (2) which consists of flexible thermoformable material and having approximately conical or cylindrical shape with a closed end of rounded shape the dimensions of which are matched to those of the stump or stump replica to be fitted with the prosthesis or with the orthesis; heating the preform (2) until it softens; slipping the softened preform over the stump or over the stump replica (1); conforming the shape of the softened preform (2) to that of the stump or of its replica (1); leaving the preform (2) to cool on the stump or on the replica; and removing the cooled preform which constitutes the finished sleeve from the stump or the stump replica.

Abstract: A gas injection moulding method comprising injecting a melt into a mould and injecting gas into the melt to form a gas cavity in the melt, wherein the melt is cooled by use of injection gas cooled to below the external ambient air temperature and/or by a continuous flow of injection gas through the mould.

Abstract: Process for manufacturing hollow plastic bodies, especially motor-vehicle fuel tanks, from an extruded parison of closed cross section, in which at least one cut is made in the parison which is then formed by molding.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for blow molding a plastic container with a mouth and neck portion thereof which is inclined or angled with respect to the body portion of the container, plus a plastic container having an inclined or angled mouth and neck portion.

Abstract: A method of inspecting wall thickness of blow-molded plastic containers includes providing a blow-molder having a plurality of molds and a plurality of associated spindles. The containers are inspected by impinging infrared light thereon and detecting the portion of the infrared light that passes through the container and converting the same into corresponding electrical signals which are delivered to a microprocessor. The microprocessor compares the electrical signals with stored information regarding desired wall thickness of the container and emits output thickness information. The microprocessor receives signals from sensors associated with the blow-molder relating to the position of the molds, the identity of the molds and the identity of the spindles in order that the wall thickness information that is determined by inspection can be associated with specific molds and spindles. The wall thickness information may be averaged over a period of time or a number of containers.

Abstract: A hose 20 made of thermoplastic resin is heated by flowing high temperature such as vapor into the hose, the flow of the high temperature fluid is restricted downstream of he hose to pressurize an interior of the hose. The hose heated in this manner is bent by bending jigs 51 and 52. Lastly, cold temperature fluid such as water is allowed to flow into the hose to cool and harden the hose, thereby producing a flexion resin hose. Alternatively, the hose is formed with a corrugated portion having uneven characteristics in its circumferential direction with respect to tensile strength in the axial direction. High temperature and high pressure fluid is allowed to flow into the hose to heat and pressurize the hose, thereby bending the corrugated portion by an internal pressure. Then, cold temperature fluid is allowed to flow into the hose to cool and harden the hose, thereby producing the flexion resin hose.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for in-mold handle attachment, wherein a portion of a blow-molded container is formed about a retaining member on a handle during blow molding. After forming the container portion about the retaining member, a cooling medium is directed at the location of the container portion in order to accelerate the cooling rate at the container portion. There is achieved at least one of an improvement in the security of the attachment of the handle to the container, and a reduction in the blow-mold processing time.

Abstract: A cooling procedure for the manufacture of plastic parts by injection, that uses a gas under pressure that is lodged in the cavity provided by the two mould parts (1, 2) during at least the cooling phase. The cold gas, and its application, covers both coated and non-coated part.

Abstract: A system and process for gas-assisted injection molding of plastic materials using gas holding pressure in the mold cavity. An infinitely controlled gas pressure valve is utilized to provide initial pressure in a sealed mold and the gas is vented to a prespecified pressure when plastic is injected into the mold cavity. Additional gas is injected into the plastic material from a gas pin assembly in order to force the plastic to completely fill the mold cavity and to provide a hollow cavity in the completed part. Once the injection molding process has been completed and the part has cooled and solidified, the mold is opened, and the completed plastic molded component or part is removed or ejected.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing tubular containers with an open filling opening and with an end that is provided with a seal. The inventive method comprises the following steps: separately producing a preform with a neck with definitive dimensions and a tubular body with smaller dimensions than the definitive form, the tubular body containing the open filling opening; fixing the preform that is produced to a drawing head by its neck and subjecting it to at least one partial heating process; introducing the heated preform that is attached to the drawing head into the inside of a multi-part closed blow mold in such a way that the open filling opening is air-tightly held at the lower end of the blow mold; fitting a blow nozzle to the filling opening of the preform.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a furniture component includes steps of molding a panel component of a flexible compliant plastic, the panel component having a continuous perimeter flange and further having flexible strips extending between portions of the perimeter flange that are shaped to flex to comfortably support a human body part. The method further includes molding a tubular perimeter frame of a reinforced structural plastic different than the flexible compliant plastic onto the panel component, the step of molding the perimeter frame including integrally bonded the perimeter frame to the perimeter flange to stiffen the perimeter flange and support the panel component and further including a gas assist process.

Abstract: The present invention provides processes and an apparatus for injection-molding an article with a fluid channel formed therein. The process includes providing at least first and second resin streams within a mold cavity, causing the flow fronts (16) of the resin streams to meet at a longitudinal point in the mold cavity to form a first layer of solidified resin on a peripheral surface of the mold, the first layer having a knit line (20) at the longitudinal point where the resin streams meet; and introducing a fluid into the molten resin in the mold to form a fluid channel (50) and a second layer (32) of solidified resin, the second layer between the fluid channel and the first layer of solidified resin, wherein the second layer is devoid of a knit line at the longitudinal point in the mold cavity where the first and second flow fronts meet.

Abstract: A mold assembly for blow molding plastic articles is provided having an upper mold member, a lower mold member and a lower support member. The lower mold member is preferably a relatively lightweight plate having a generally centrally located molding cavity matingly matched with an upper molding cavity in the upper mold member. The lower mold member is moved horizontally and optionally vertically beneath an extrusion head as a molten parison is extruded. The lower mold member is then transported to, and positioned within, the lower support member. The upper mold member is then closed over the lower mold member and lower support to close the mold assembly. The molten parison is then expanded in the mold cavity. After the molding operation, the plastic part may be removed and the lower mold member may be cooled by immersion in a cooling fluid. The apparatus to move the lower mold member during extrusion of the parison and to the molding station may be a robotic arm.