Plastipak Packaging, Inc.

Michael C Kitzmiller

Gates M Moss

Richard C Darr

James J Miller

William C Young

Charles Hatch

Harvey Shannon Holt

Gates Moss

An extruded PET parison includes a first extruded polymer comprising PET, and a second extruded polymer comprising PET. In embodiments, the first extruded polymer and the second extruded polymer are co-extruded, and the first extruded polymer has an intrinsic viscosity that is higher that the intrinsic viscosity of the second extruded polymer. A monolayer embodiment is also disclosed. In embodiments, a monolayer extruded PET container is comprised of bottle grade PET resin that has been solid stated and may have an IV from about 0.96 to about 1.4.

Extruded PET parison, container, and method

A hollow plastic article having a wall with an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion, wherein a part of the outside wall portion has a slip resistant, tactile surface relative to the remainder of the outside wall portion to provide an improved gripping surface on the article.

Plastic article

Plastic container

A multi-layer preform for forming multi-layer containers includes an extruded inner barrier layer, said inner layer having an upper portion adapted to be formed into an upper portion of a container, an intermediate portion adapted to be formed into an intermediate portion of a container, an extruded and a base portion adapted to form a base portion of a container. The preform includes an outer injection molded layer.

Multi-layer containers and preforms

A plastic blow molded container (10) including a coextruded blow molding (12) has a wall (22) including: (a) an inner layer (26) of a virgin plastic; (b) an inner intermediate layer (28) of recycled plastic which is relatively dark; (c) an outer intermediate layer (30) of an opaque plastic that visually hides the dark recycled plastic; and (d) an outer layer (32) of a pigmented plastic of a lighter color which is not visually distorted by the darker inner intermediate layer (28) of recycled plastic due to the opaqueness of the outer intermediate layer (30). Titanium dioxide is preferably utilized to provide the opaqueness of the outer intermediate layer (30) in order to visually block the darker color of the recycled plastic of the inner intermediate layer (28). The inner layer (26) of virgin plastic, the outer intermediate layer (30) of opaque plastic and the outer layer (32) of pigmented plastic each has a thickness that is at least about 0.1 of the total thickness of the wall, and the inner intermediate layer (28) of recycled plastic normally will have a thickness on the order of about 0.55 to 0.65 of the total thickness of the wall. The construction of the container has particular utility when the wall 22 including each of its layers is made of high density polyethylene.

Coextruded multilayer plastic blow molded container

A rotary plastic blow molding machine (10) includes a rotary wheel (14) mounted on a base (12) and having a plurality of mold stations (30) with mold supports (34) that are mounted by inner and outer slide supports (32a,32b) and moved by an operating cam mechanism (56) in association with a lock mechanism (62) and an unlocking cam mechanism (64) to provide blow molding of an extruded parison. The inner and outer slide supports (32a,32b) are preferably aligned radially with respect to the rotational axis of the wheel (14) and the operating cam mechanism preferably includes a pair of gas springs (98) for providing uniform pressure in the closing of the mold supported by the mold supports (34). A mold recompression mechanism (128) removes mold closing pressure from the lock mechanism (62) prior to operation of the unlocking cam mechanism (64) in preparation for mold opening after completion of the blow molding cycle.

Rotary plastic blow molding machine

A rotary plastic blow molding machine (20) including a base (22), a wheel (24) mounted for rotation on the base about a rotational axis A and a programmable logic controller (PLC) (100) mounted on the wheel for rotation therewith to control operation of a plurality of mold stations (40) on the wheel. The blow molding machine (20) as disclosed also has at least one sensor (62) mounted on the wheel (24) for rotation therewith to sense an operating parameter of each mold station and to generate an associated operation signal. The PLC (100) is coupled to the at least one sensor (62), processes the sensed operation signal and controls the machine (20) operation in response to the signal.

Rotary plastic blow molding

A plastic blow molding machine (40) having a wheel (44) rotatable on a base (42) about a horizontal axis (A) includes a plurality of mold stations (90) mounted on the wheel about the rotational axis and having a pair of mold supports (94) movable toward and away from each other in a parallel relationship to the rotational axis at closing and opening stations (114,116). Operating cams (120,124) of the closing and opening stations cooperate with operating cam followers (110) of the mold stations to provide closing and opening mold movement, and locking cam followers (122,126) of the closing and opening stations cooperate with locking cam followers (112) of the mold stations to lock and unlock a lock mechanism (102) that operates directly between the mold supports (94) of each mold station so that there is no loading of the frame (46) of the wheel during the machine operation. The operating cams (120,124) are preferably biased by associated operating gas springs (136,138), and the locking cams (122,126) are likewise preferably biased by locking gas springs (140,142). The wheel (44) includes a frame (46) having a pair of end frame portions (86) and a central frame portion (88). This central frame portion (88) has a pinion (166) mounted thereon and meshed with a pair of racks (170) respectively mounted on the pair of mold supports (94) to center the mold upon closing.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Loramie, OH, United States of America

Michael C Kitzmiller