Owens-Brockway Plastic Products Inc.

Michael D Seitz

James E Gerdeman

Apparatus for, and method of, conveying tandem thermoplastic containers from a molding machine to a tail removal station, the tandem containers being positioned with their axes extending horizontally but possibly out of parallel with one another and with their ends possibly out of alignment with one another. The apparatus includes a spaced pair of synchronously driven endless conveyors that convey tandem containers to a downwardly inclined ramp, the ramp having a wedge on its tandem supporting surface that engages outwardly projecting beads on each of the containers of the tandem to orient the tandems with their ends parallel, the downwardly inclined ramp also serving to orient the tandems with their axes parallel. The apparatus also has a spaced pair of horizontally extending and synchronously driven worm gears for spacing the tandems and advancing them toward the tail removal station, the worm gears advancing the tandems over a ramp that engages the tail of each tandem to position all tails horizontally for proper severing.

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Toledo, OH, United States of America

Michael D Seitz