Abstract: A cryogenic stretch blow molding apparatus including a stretching rod mounted to a blow mold rod seal assembly for sliding movement therethrough, into and longitudinally stretching a plastic parison, the stretching rod including a cooling fluid tube defining a cooling fluid inlet port for connection to a source of a cooling fluid and a cooling fluid outlet port to introduce the cooling fluid within the container, and a heater disposed in a cavity defined in the blow mold rod seal assembly for heating the blow mold rod seal assembly so that at least a portion of the stretching rod is maintained at a temperature above a preselected level to prevent accumulation thereon of ice sublimated from water vapor present in the blow air and portions of seals of the blow mold rod seal assembly are maintained at a temperature above a predetermined level to prevent seal failure.

Abstract: A blow molding apparatus configured to receive plastic parisons and output blow molded containers including a support frame and a parison conveyor attached to the support frame and having a plurality of parison supports and a drive mechanism for driving the parison supports in a stepped movement circuit, advancing the parison supports by a curvilinear distance corresponding to a curvilinear spacing between a preselected number of parison supports. A first parison transfer assembly is adapted to receive the preselected number of the parisons from the parison supports.

Abstract: A molded article retrieval apparatus in combination with a plastic article molding machine. The molding machine has at least a first mold portion and a second mold portion, at least one of the first and second mold portions being reciprocally movable with respect to the other mold portion, between a conjoined position, wherein a set of articles of plastic can be formed in a set of cavities defined by the conjoined first and second mold portions, and a spaced-apart position, wherein the set of articles of plastic can be released from the cavities into a gap formed between the first and second mold portions. The molded article retrieval apparatus includes an article carrier having at least two sets of article receivers, each set of article receivers being positionable at a different lateral alignment of the article carrier within the gap to receive an entire set of the articles of plastic, and a mover for moving the article carrier into and out of the gap.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for forming stretch blow molded containers having uniform sidewall thickness from physical symmetric parisons. Parisons are heated non-uniformly by rotating at a non-uniform rate in a heating station. A sensor determines the angular orientation of the parisons emerging from the heating station. Each parison is angularly reoriented at a repositioning station prior to introduction into a stretch blow molding station having non-round interior surfaces, so that the temperature profile of each parison corresponds with differential expansion required to form the desired non-round container.

Abstract: A cooling assembly includes a base and at least one body having at least one opening, each opening including an inner surface. An insert is situated within each opening, each insert having an inner surface and an outer surface. The outer surface of each insert confronts a corresponding body inner surface to define a volume. At least one connection is provided between the volume and a source of fluid coolant for filling the volume with the fluid coolant. The insert includes at least one surface which moves to conform at least in part to the outer surface of a molded article whereby heat transfer occurs between the molded article and the fluid coolant across the insert.

Abstract: In a machine for promoting spherulite crystal growth in polyester bottle preform finishes, a gear arrangement for controlling the rate of vertical motion of a quill support platform to insure simultaneous engagement of all of the preforms onto adjacent gauges sized to a standard dimension for the preform finishes, the gear arrangement including two pairs of spur pinion gears positioned on opposite sides of the machine base engaging racks fixed to quill support platform and a plurality of rods fixed to the pinion gears and arranged in a rectangular array containing miter bevel gears fixed to the ends of the plurality of rods situated at the corners of the array, the miter bevel gears being engaged together in pairs to coordinate the rotation of all the rods and the vertical movement of the quill support platform.

Abstract: A mold core assembly for removable installation in a molding machine includes a first lock element attached to a core and a second lock element movably attached to a core retainer. The second lock element is movable between a locked position fitted in locking connection with the first lock element and an unlocked position separated from the first lock element. A slip ring surrounds the first lock element of the core, engaging and holding the second lock element in its locked position. A spring is connected between the core retainer and the slip ring, with the spring biased to oppose movement of the slip ring away from its locked position so that the core is normally held in its locked position in the core retainer.

Abstract: A manifold assembly for supplying plastic material from a plastic source to a mold assembly in an injection molding machine includes a flexible manifold having an interior conduit connected between the plastic source and the mold assembly. The flexible manifold is configured to define an input connector, a first curved segment attached to the input connector, a second curved segment, an output connector attaching the second curved segment to the mold assembly, and an intermediary segment connecting the first and second curved segments. This provides the flexible manifold with a generally S-shaped configuration that flexes with temperature changes to maintain a substantially constant positioning between the input connector and the output connector, preventing thermally induced movement of the mold assembly with respect to the input connector as heated plastic is injected through the conduit.

Abstract: A blow molded plastics container includes an injection molded annular neck portion which is sealed by injection molding to an annular wall portion of an injection molded top end wall having a part-spherical center portion. The center portion has five circumferentially spaced and upwardly projecting annular lip seals, two of which surround openings within the top end wall. An injection molded rotatable closure snap-fits onto the neck portion and has a mating part-spherical center portion which engages the lip seals. The closure has one opening which is selectively and progressively alignable with the annular lip seals in response to indexing the closure in one direction. An integrally molded one-way latch extends between the center portions of the closure and top end wall and prevents reverse rotation of the closure except between a consumer open position and a sealed reclosable position.

Abstract: Apparatus for injection molding plastic articles includes a first mold base, a plurality of mold cavity units fixed to the first mold base, a second mold base, and a plurality of mold core units fixed to the second mold base in alignment with the mold cavity units fixed to the first mold base, the mold bases being reciprocally movable longitudinally with respect to each other, and a stripper plate, situated between the first and second mold bases and movable with respect to the second mold base, carrying a plurality of pairs of secondary mold elements, the secondary mold elements cooperating with the mold cavity-units and mold core units to define the surface of the plastic articles.

Abstract: A molded parison handling apparatus for removing hollow plastic parisons used in the manufacture of oriented plastic bottles from an injection molding machine includes a base having an arm coupled to the injection molding machine. A carriage mounted on the arm moves in a first dimension into and out of the space between the molding elements of the molding machine. A frame cooling unit coupled to the carriage engages the body portion of a set of parisons as they are released from the molding machine. A first motor moves the cooling apparatus to any of three preselected positions along the first dimension located outside the molding machine. A transfer assembly includes three sets of grabbers mounted on a gantry for movement with respect to the base. One set of grabbers grabs the finish portion of the parisons from the cooling apparatus.

Abstract: A molding machine including a mold for molding articles of plastic in the molding machine and apparatus for removing the molded articles from the molding machine. The mold includes molding elements movable by the molding machine in a first dimension between a closed conformation where the molding elements define cavities in which the articles are molded and an open conformation where the molding elements are separated from each other by a distance sufficient to permit release of the molded articles in a space between the molding elements. A first molding element includes channels situated on opposite sides of the molded articles for receiving the article removing apparatus while the molding elements are in the closed conformation. A cam track is fixed to the first molding element and a cam coupled to article holders is engaged in the cam track to move the article holders elements from a position aligned with the channels toward engagement with the molded articles as the molding elements open.

Abstract: A preform for use in the production of a container in a blow-molding operation includes an inner parison molded in a first mold to include a finish portion including a mouth-defining opening, a threaded outer surface adapted to engage a container closure, and a lower margin including a support ring, a closed bottom portion including a gate vestige, and a barrel portion extending between the finish portion lower margin and the bottom portion, and an outer parison molded in a second mold and consisting essentially of a barrel portion having a length similar to the inner parison barrel portion and a bottom portion including an opening for receiving the inner parison gate vestige, the outer parison having an inner surface conformably matching the inner parison outer surface. The outer parison is mechanically telescopically assembled over the inner parison outside the first and second molds to form a layered preform, the preform optionally including an intermediate layer.

Abstract: An article repositioning apparatus for an injection stretch blow molding machine is disclosed for simultaneously molding a plurality of containers from plastic parisons. Between work stations, the apparatus repositions articles from a compact, evenly spaced first position to an extended, unevenly paired second position. After insertion of the articles into receivers slidably mounted on tracks, the receivers are moved by a servo motor to various separations by sliding movement along the tracks, the receivers attached to aligning ribs threadably engaged with ball screws. Simultaneously, the tracks are moved by a second servo motor to uneven paired separations by attachment to movable scissors having large and small scissor portions.

Abstract: An apparatus for serially molding articles from a plastic resin material includes an extruder having an output for producing a stream of plasticized resin material. A circular array of molds is arranged about a central area and a runner system coupled between the extruder output and the circular array of molds maintains the stream of plasticized resin material at a temperature suitable for molding. A valve is connected between the runner system and an input leading to an accumulator chamber of each mold of the circular array for sequentially directing the plasticized resin into each of the molds to form a molded article therein. A molded article extractor sequentially removes the molded article from each of the molds, and a molded article handling apparatus coupled to the molded article extractor arranges the molded articles in a series for removal through the central area.

Abstract: An integrated plastic injection mold and blow mold machine includes an injection mold assembly having a cooled exterior mold assembly connected to a plastic injector for injecting plastic. A cooled core assembly is positionable within the cooled exterior mold assembly to define a mold cavity for accepting injected plastic from the plastic injector to form a parison. To allow transfer of the parison to a blow mold assembly, the cooled core assembly is movable with respect to the cooled exterior mold assembly. A thread split holds the parison and is used to first form the neck of a parison, and then move the parison from the injection mold assembly to the blow mold assembly. In addition, the parison is formed by use of a removable cooled core that is movable with respect to the thread split.

Abstract: A closure is intended for use on a container having an opening defined by a rim portion and a finish including a ledge situated below the rim portion. The closure includes a central body portion sized to cover the container opening and a peripheral portion adapted to contact the rim portion of the container. A plurality of tabs are unitarily fixed to the peripheral portion, each tab including a tang adapted to engage the ledge of the container finish. Each tab also includes a thinned, stressed portion between the tang and the rim portion which is reactive to an application of heat to cause shortening of the tab length. The thinned portion also acts as a hinge to permit flexural displacement of the tab with respect to the body portion. The closure when applied to a container is completed by a band which encompasses the tabs, the band also being reactive to an application of heat to cause contraction of the band to insure continued engagement between the ledge and tangs.

Abstract: A blow molded plastics container includes an injection molded annular neck portion which is sealed by injection molding to an annular wall portion of an injection molded top end wall having a part-spherical center portion. The center portion has five circumferentially spaced and upwardly projecting annular lip seals, two of which surround openings within the top end wall. An injection molded rotatable closure snap-fits onto the neck portion and has a mating part-spherical center portion which engages the lip seals. The closure has one opening which is selectively and progressively alignable with the annular lip seals in response to indexing the closure in one direction. An integrally molded one-way latch extends between the center portions of the closure and top end wall and prevents reverse rotation of the closure except between a consumer open position and a sealed reclosable position.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a recyclable container includes a mechanism for holding a reusable shell, fitting a liner preform over the reusable shell, and blow forming the liner preform within the reusable shell to provide a disposable liner for the reusable shell. The disposable liner is removable to permit recycling of the reusable shell. In a preferred embodiment, the mechanism is an integrated injection mold and stretch blow mold machine that both creates the liner preform and blow forms the liner into reusable shell.

Abstract: A manifold assembly for supplying plastic material from a plastic source to a mold assembly in an injection molding machine includes a flexible manifold having an interior conduit connected between the plastic source and the mold assembly. The flexible manifold is configured to define an input connector, a first curved segment attached to the input connector, a second curved segment, an output connector attaching the second curved segment to the mold assembly, and an intermediary segment connecting the first and second curved segments. This provides the flexible manifold with a generally S-shaped configuration that flexes with temperature changes to maintain a substantially constant positioning between the input connector and the output connector, preventing thermally induced movement of the mold assembly with respect to the input connector as heated plastic is injected through the conduit.