Alcoa Closure Systems International, Inc.

H-c Industries, Inc.

Heinz Otto Gonser

Wendell D Willingham

Paul W Robbins

Peter S Miller

Xiaoli Ma

Kevin Eugene Boyle

A compression molding apparatus includes a female mold half which receives a charge of molten plastic and a cooperating male plunger which compression molds the molten plastic into an article within the female mold half. A slide mold part is located between the male plunger and the female mold half. The slide mold part includes left and right slide mold halves which when brought into juxtaposition, define a central mold space. The left and right mold halves are slidable toward and away from each other, to form the central mold space and to open the central mold space respectively. The male portion is reciprocated downwardly to undertake the compression molding, and a cam mechanism is activated by the reciprocation to close the slide mold part during compression molding. The return stroke opens the slide mold part to allow removal of the molded article without stripping or unscrewing the molded article from the slide mold part. In an exemplary embodiment, a bottle-like container is formed by compression molding which includes a neck having an external thread. The external thread is formed in the central mold space of the slide mold part. The cam mechanism is arranged to open the slide mold part to release the threaded neck of the container for removal from the mold apparatus.

Cam mechanism with side action for compression molding process

A method and apparatus for vertically scoring a tamper-indicating plastic closure includes a rotatably-driven carousel which includes mandrel assemblies at the periphery thereof. Each mandrel assembly includes a rotatable mandrel on which a respective closure is positioned in operative association, so that the mandrel and closure are moved relative to an associated scoring mechanism. The scoring mechanism includes at least one, and preferably a plurality, of rotatably driven scoring blades, with each blade arranged to engage and cut the pilfer band of a respective closure. Significantly, the system can be operated so as to closely approximate the preferred radial movement of the blade with respect to the closure, thus minimizing 'digging' of the scoring blade into the plastic of the closure.

Method for scoring a tamper-indicating plastic closure

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Brownsburg, IN, United States of America

Heinz Otto Gonser