Monsanto Company

Joseph R Reilly

L John Berggren

Lars G Schon

Charles L Chin

Leonard J Witkowski

Thomas F Sincock

Apparatus for temperature-conditioning workpieces comprises a series of bar assemblies for supporting a number of elongated molded parts in side-by-side relationship, heat transfer assemblies including horizontally spaced panels extending along a chamber, means for conveying the parts supported in the bar assemblies through the chamber between the panels and rotating means operatively interconnected with the conveying means and bar assemblies for turning the parts. Infeed means sequentially release loaded bar assemblies at regular intervals to the chamber while metering means preferably driven through downstream equipment continuously release bar assemblies to the discharge end of the chamber. Reciprocable gate means allow temperature-conditioned parts to drop out of the bar assemblies to collection equipment. Process improvements include (a) varying parts conditioning time by varying the number of bar assemblies in the fixed length chamber; (b) maintaining a temperature gradient between circumferentially uneven thick and thin sections of a preform wall to be reshaped into a molecularly oriented article in order to even out wall thickness reductions occurring during stretching in the article forming step.

Method for temperature conditioning parts

Method for continuously forming molecularly oriented articles using a multi-station rotary stretch-blow molding machine wherein a plurality of partible blow molds angularly spaced about a continuously rotating support are provided with means for moving the mold sections of said molds between open and closed positions in synchronization with rotation of said support, additional means to longitudinally reciprocate a stretch rod within a cavity of each of said molds and further means for projecting the rod into the cavity and retracting it therefrom, said rod moving means being operable in combination and in synchronization with said mold movements. Another feature involves continuously and simultaneously feeding workpieces to and discharging articles from a stretch-blow mold machine. The workpiece, while at molecular orientation temperature, is held temporarily or stored at each moving mold while an article is being formed in the cavity of such mold from a prior preform.

Method for continuous stretch-blow molding

Apparatus for charging heated preforms to moving loading hoppers of a blow molding machine comprises support assemblies for the preforms, a series of laterally adjacent slide assemblies at the outlet of a temperature-conditioning chamber and above the plane of movement of moving loading hoppers of a blow molding machine, conveying means for linearly transporting the support assemblies through the chamber and above the slide assemblies and means for sequentially actuating the slide assemblies according to a predetermined sequence. The method comprises linearly continuously advancing such preforms supported in side-by-side relationship above circularly moving loading hoppers of a blow molding machine and removing supports from beneath the side-by-side positioned preforms according to a predetermined sequence to permit each preform to drop by gravity into a particular one of such hoppers then passing beneath it.

Method and apparatus for loading blow molding machines

Apparatus for temperature-conditioning workpieces comprises a series of bar assemblies for supporting a number of elongated molded parts in side-by-side relationship, heat transfer assemblies including horizontally spaced panels extending along a chamber, means for conveying the parts supported in the bar assemblies through the chamber between the panels and rotating means operatively interconnected with the conveying means and bar assemblies for turning the parts. Infeed means sequentially release loaded bar assemblies at regular intervals to the chamber while metering means preferably driven through downstream equipment continuously release bar assemblies to the discharge end of the chamber. Reciprocable gate means allow temperature-conditioned parts to drop out of the bar assemblies to collection equipment. Process improvements include a.) varying parts conditioning time by varying the number of bar assemblies in the fixed length chamber; b.) maintaining a temperature gradient between circumferentially uneven thick and thin sections of a preform wall to be reshaped into a molecularly oriented article in order to even out wall thickness reductions occurring during stretching in the article forming step.

Method and apparatus for temperature conditioning parts

A process for handling workpieces by sequentially loading them into holder portions of continuously moving carrier assemblies, simultaneously abruptly shifting a group of such holders to workpiece-release positions at a discharge station while continuing movement of the carrier assemblies back toward the loading stations, and resetting the holders prior to arrival at the loading station in order to receive additional workpieces. The apparatus includes a holder trip mechanism portion of each carrier assembly, means supporting such assemblies for sequential movement along an endless path, an actuating assembly for simultaneously triggering the trip mechanisms of a group of the carrier assemblies at the discharge station and reset means for returning the holders to workpiece-engaging positions. The process and apparatus is especially adapted for use in combination with a system for temperature-conditioning elongated molded parts.

Workpiece carrier assembly

In apparatus for handling molded plastic articles, some of which are to be segregated, the improvement comprising a rotatable screw conveyor and adjacent, opposite support bar forming a path for the articles between them, such bar having a retractable portion to allow articles to either move out of or proceed along the path depending on the position of the retractable portion, and a reciprocable plunger operable with the retractable portion on receipt of a suitable control signal generated by a temperature sensing controller upstream of the retractable portion.

Method and apparatus for handling and trimming blow molded articles

Method for handling workpieces

Apparatus for continuously forming molecularly oriented articles generally comprising a multi-station rotary stretch-blow molding machine wherein a plurality of partible blow molds angularly spaced about a continuously rotating support are provided with means for moving the mold sections of said molds between open and closed positions in synchronization with rotation of said support, additional means to longitudinally reciprocate a stretch rod within a cavity of each of said molds and further means for projecting the rod into the cavity and retracting it therefrom, said rod moving means being operable in combination and in synchronization with said mold movements. Another feature of this invention involves means for continuously and simultaneously feeding workpieces to and discharging articles from a stretch-blow mold machine. From a process standpoint, the workpiece, while at molecular orientation temperature, is held temporarily or stored at each moving mold while an article is being formed in the cavity of such mold from a prior preform.

Apparatus for continuous stretch-blow molding

In apparatus for conditioning preforms to be molded into containers which includes a temperature-conditioning assembly for bringing the preforms to orientation temperature and a supply assembly therefor, the combination is provided therewith of a preform cooling assembly proximate to the temperature-conditioning assembly for reducing the temperature of preforms to below orientation temperature, an integral extension of the supply assembly of the type used with the temperature conditioning assembly, means operatively associated with the temperature-conditioning assembly or downstream stretch-blow assemblies for actuating the cooling assembly loading mechanism plus means for collecting preforms at the outlet of the cooling assembly.

Forming molecularly oriented containers from preforms

In trimming moils from plastic articles with a blade interposed in a path along which the articles are moving while engaged with fixed and moving guides, the improvement downstream of the blade is provided of a rotatably driven moil discharge wheel and an opposite cooperating anvil forming a moil discharge path between them. The process improvements involve engaging the moil after cutting by the blade with the surfaces of the wheel and anvil and conveying the engaged moil along a path away from that taken during cutting by means of the revolving wheel.

Method and apparatus improvements for trimming plastic articles

In a method of conditioning preforms to be molded into containers which includes feeding them in groups to a temperature-conditioning zone where they are reduced to orientation temperature for immediate molding into containers, improvements are provided which involve diverting other groups away from the temperature-conditioning zone to an adjacent cooling zone wherein they are reduced to a temperature whereat sticking together cannot occur, prior to collecting them for later molding.

In trimming moils from plastic articles with a blade interposed in a path along which the articles are moving while engaged with fixed and moving guides, the improvement is provided of a retractable blade assembly movable between operative and inoperative positions by fluid motor power to permit passing articles through the path either while being trimmed or not, depending on up or downstream conditions. Means may also be included for shifting one of the guides, preferably the stationary one, into and retracted from its operative position on one side of such path.

Apparatus for handling workpieces

Multiaxially oriented containers are formed from an extruded, molecularly orientable thermoplastic parison having a programmed wall thickness. The parison while at extrusion temperature is sealed at one end and expanded incrementally in a conditioning mold into the shape of a preform which is allowed to set therein for a brief time period in order to develop an outer skin at reduced temperature. The full wall of the variable thickness preform is then reduced in temperature to within the orientation temperature range and the preform then stretched longitudinally and expanded radially in a finishing mold to develop axial and radial orientation while forming the container. Since the thicker portion(s) of the programmed parison do not cool as much in the conditioning mold as do the thinner portion(s) they consequently subsequently stretch to a greater extent, and this phenomenom must be compensated for in the initial programming step. The container finish is preferably formed in the conditioning mold while the thermoplastic is at elevated temperature. The molecularly orientable thermoplastic may be a high nitrile-group-containing polymer having excellent barrier properties of the type covered by the trademark LOPAC.

Apparatus for forming multiaxially oriented containers

In inflating a parison via a hollow needle carried on a piston slidably reciprocable with respect to a blow mold cavity, the improvement comprising means accessible through the forward end of the needle for releasably securing the needle to the piston.

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Naugatuck, CT, United States of America

Joseph R Reilly