Abstract: A roller dryer for clay pipe comprised of a support means for transporting pipe through a tunnel dryer and roller carriage means for rotating the pipe to achieve uniform drying thereof. The roller dryer can accommodate pipes of different lengths and diameters while maintaining the lineality and concentricity of the pipe sections.

Abstract: Disclosed is apparatus for simultaneously subjecting the inside and outside surfaces of a procession of containers to a gaseous treatment, such as the hardening by heating of a previously applied liquid coating. The containers each provide a closed end and another open end by which it rests on a conveyor which carries a procession of the cans through a treatment region. Structure is provided for the creation of a difference in air pressure as applied to different portions of the open ends of the containers to induce air currents interiorly of thereof.

Abstract: Cylindrical two-piece cans are decorated with thermally curable inks and coatings and are placed on generally horizontally extending pins of a pin-chain conveyor. The cans are then moved through a flame drying chamber to dry the inks and coatings by direct impingement of flame on the can surface. The cans are thereafter moved through a cooling chamber and then are discharged from the pin-chain conveyor which circulates back to the decorator unit to receive newly decorated cans. The pins of the pin-chain conveyor can be at an angle to the horizontal and the pins can have brushes or the like to grip the internal surface of the can. The flame dryer unit consists of gas and air-fed burner heads disposed in one of several different patterns along the path taken by the cans through the flame dryer housing. Flame impinges directly on the can and the can moves through the tunnel at a speed sufficient to prevent heat damage to the can.

Abstract: A conveyor system for conducting cans which are freshly coated with an ink or other coating through a chamber to dry or cure the coating, the chamber being provided with an energy-emitting source adapted to dry or cure the coating. In order to effect uniform exposure of the cans which are subjected to directed energy from the source, the system includes an endless link belt having a train of pins thereon which extend laterally into the chamber to support the cans, the belt being driven at a controllable speed to advance the cans through the chamber. Also included is an endless sprocket chain which cooperates with sprocket wheels mounted on the outer ends of the pins to cause the pins and the cans supported thereby to rotate as the cans advance through the chamber, the sprocket chain being driven in a selected direction and at a controllable speed relative to the speed of the belt, whereby the direction of can rotation and the rotary rate thereof are adjustable to optimize the drying or curing of the cans.

Abstract: A plurality of core rods with parisons thereon are mounted to an indexing head with the core rods disposed in a temperature conditioning chamber and wherein the core rods are simultaneously rotated to effect temperature distribution throughout the parisons. Pluralities of core rods are angularly disposed and simultaneously rotated. The apparatus is particularly useful in orientation injection blow molding, wherein the parison is a relatively thick cross section or wherein the parison thermoplastic has a low thermal conductivity.

Abstract: The end of a tubular member to be heated is received in an annular space between a central core and a shroud. Hot gas passes through passageways in the central core against the inside surface of the tubular member, then along the inside surface to the end of the tubular member, and then along the outside surface of the tubular member. At least one of the flow of hot gas along the inside surface and the flow of hot gas along the outside surface of the tubular member is caused to follow a spiral path.

Abstract: A portable cabinet which is fitted with means for washing and drying one or more footballs. The cabinet is fitted with a hinged top cover, with the several compartments of the cabinet open to the top. A central compartment is fitted with a battery power supply connected by switching and a timer to a motor mounted in the central compartment. The motor is joined by a first shaft to an air blower in one side compartment mounted below an electrical heating element and to a water circulating pump mounted in the second side compartment, connected to circulate water from a storage tank through a shower spray head mounted in the top of the second compartment onto a football detachably mounted to a second shaft joined by belt and pulleys to the motor shaft. A football may be detachably mounted to the second shaft in the first side compartment above the heating element.

Abstract: There is disclosed a water cooled support bar comprised of a pipe within a pipe which assures the axial position of a cylinder-like sleeve of heat shrinkable foam thermoplastic material on a glass container during transport from an assembly station on a turret machine into a tunnel-type oven and until the thermoplastic sleeve shrinks sufficiently snugly onto the container to be held thereby. Polyethylene material, and perhaps other polyolefins, have the tendency to become more pliable and grow or enlarge under heat prior to actually shrinking. It is during this initial heat-up time the invention serves to retain the sleeve form in place on the container. The support pipe includes a Teflon or like lubricious surface layer at least along the side thereof adjacent the plastic sleeve lower edge. The lubricious surface layer combined with water cooling prevents sticking of the plastic on the support bar.

Abstract: In the coating of glass containers with a plastic film, the curing of the applied plastic film to the container is an extremely important phase of the overall process. Generally, the most economical method of achieving cure is to carry a plurality of the bottles through an oven where the curing operation is accomplished, the bottles being carried on a moving belt. In order to allow such containers to be carried on the moving belt, the base must achieve a partial cure, prior to being placed on the conveying means for passage through the oven. In accordance with the present invention, means and a method are disclosed for providing a sufficient cure of the coated container base to allow for final curing in the oven.

Abstract: A device for tempering and/or sterilizing objects which must be kept free of contamination by foreign particles, such as for example, ampules sterilized in pharmaceutical preparations, has a housing and means for supporting the objects in the housing. A pair of gas distribution plates are mounted in the housing in spaced relationship to each other, on either side of the support means, and cooperate with means for supplying conditioned air to produce a laminar flow of the conditioned air downwardly over the objects being treated. The conditioned air has a substantially different temperature than the objects being treated and can be either heated or cooled depending upon whether the device is used for sterilizing or tempering. Because of the maintenance of laminar flow in the housing, the number of contaminating particles per space unit which can come into contact with the objects being treated is decreased.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for heating parisons or other thermoplastic compots preparatory to forming the component to a different shape, as by blow molding. The parisons are heated by conveying them past an elongated infra-red radiator in spaced relation to the radiator. A concave reflector is provided for each parison, the reflector being movable with the parison in fixed relation thereto. The parison is located at the focal location of the reflector so that heat from the radiator bypassing the parison is reflected back to the parison.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to an ultraviolet curing oven particularly adapted for drying one piece bodies of two piece cans, the oven including a housing through which passes a conveyor carrying a plurality of brushes for supporting the can bodies thereon and means for rotating the brushes to thereby rotate the can bodies past ultraviolet lamps to dry or cure the can bodies which had earlier been base coated.The brushes are rotated through the use of a stationary chain meshing with a sprocket carried by each brush.The ultraviolet lamps are disposed in pairs generally but not perfectly parallel to the direction of can body travel through the oven, and means are provided for rotating the ultraviolet lamps both toward and away from the can bodies so that particularly in the latter case the can bodies and/or brushes will not be burned or scorched should stoppage of the conveyor occur for any reason.

Abstract: Apparatus for ultra-violet light curing by photopolymerization of radiation free ink or coating material, which is coated on the peripheral surfaces of a multisided rotatable object: each uncured ink coated object is positioned on a rigid or resilient support at the end of a respective mandrel; the mandrels are rotatably journaled to an endless belt, or the like, which moves the mandrels and the objects supported thereon through a radiation oven; each mandrel carries a wheel, which engages a rack that is oriented parallel to the pathway of the mandrels through the oven such that the mandrels and the objects they support are rotated as they move along the path through the oven; a radiation emitting lamp in the oven is in a plane that is spaced from the axes of the objects as they move through the oven and is generally parallel to the path of movement of the objects through the oven; the lamp is oriented obliquely to the direction of extension of the mandrels and the objects as they pass through the oven to cau