Electra Form, Inc.

Anthony F Newport

Charles J Brun, Jr

Stephen A Bright

Dwayne Bercot

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.

Conduit for flexible hot manifold assembly for injection molding machines

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. Additional apparatus for cooling the molded plastic articles includes a support fixed to a surface of the first mold base confronting the second mold base, a plurality of article receiving tubes mounted for movement on the support between a first position aligned with the mold core units and a second position laterally spaced from the first position, a plurality of nozzles are fixed to the second mold base in alignment with the second position and are adapted to direct cooling fluid on plastic articles held by the receiving tubes when the first and second mold bases are positioned adjacent to each other.

Parison molding and cooling apparatus

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. A boom is coupled to the second molding elements and a trolley is coupled for linear movement along the boom, the article engaging elements being coupled to the trolley for movement out of the molding machine when it is open and into the channels when the molding machine is closed.

Molded part take-out apparatus

Flexible hot manifold assembly for injection molding machines

An adjustable cam track for an injection molding machine includes a set of guides coupled to a moveable platen for guiding the movement of space defining surfaces which are movably mounted to a stripper platen as it moves with respect to the movable platen. A set of cam followers coupled to the space defining surfaces cause relative movement of each pair of surfaces to release molded articles previously striped from the molds of the molding machine. A set of cam inserts engage the cam followers and are adjustably positionable with respect to the guides to adjust the point of release of the molded articles. Each guide includes a pair of guide walls forming a channel defining two limits of position of the cam follower engaged therein. Each cam insert is received between the guide walls and includes a pair of cam insert walls spaced apart by a distance about equal to the size of the cam follower engaged therein to define a path of movement for the cam follower between the two limits of position. Each cam insert includes a first toothed rack, while a second toothed rack is removably fixed to each guide and engages the first toothed rack to fix the position of each cam insert relative to each guide only at certain preselected locations to coordinate the operation of all the cam followers thereby avoiding any wear imbalance.

Adjustable cam track for an injection molding machine

A plurality of injection cores are inserted by a movable platen into corresponding injection cavities defined by mold inserts within a stationary platen, and the cores extend through corresponding split transfer mold cavities. After hollow preforms with threaded neck portions are molded within the cavities, the preforms are removed from the mold cavities, separated from the injection cores, and then shifted transversely by the split transfer molds to cooling or blow cavities defined by blow cavity inserts within the stationary platen on opposite sides of the corresponding injection cavities. The transfer molds return to receive the injection cores, and corresponding blow core units are inserted into the preforms within the blow cavities for pressurizing and expanding the preforms into firm contact with the blow inserts. The preforms are removed from the blow cavities by the blow cores in alternate cycles of press operation and are then released by retraction of the blow cores. The split transfer molds are shifted transversely in opposite directions and are opened and closed by a cam system which includes cam tracks mounted on the movable platen and incorporating cam track switches.

Production of preforms and blow molded articles

A plurality of injection cores are inserted by a movable platen into corresponding injection cavities defined by mold inserts within a stationary platen, and the cores extend through corresponding split transfer mold cavities. After hollow preforms with threaded neck portions are molded within the cavities, the preforms are removed from the mold cavities, separated from the injection cores, and then shifted transversely by the split transfer molds to cooling or blow cavities defined by blow cavity inserts within the stationary platen on opposite sides of the corresponding injection cavities. The transfer molds return to receive the injection cores, and corresponding blow core units are inserted into the preforms within the blow cavities for pressurizing and expanding the preforms into firm contact with the blow inserts. The preforms are removed from the blow cavities by the blow cores on alternate cycles of press operation and are then released by retraction of the blow cores. The split transfer molds are shifted transversely in opposite directions and are opened and closed by a cam system which includes cam tracks mounted on the movable platen and incorporating cam track switches.

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New Carlisle, OH, United States of America

Anthony F Newport