Emhart Industries, Inc.

Robert J Duga

Robert L Doughty

Robert Spurr

Robert J Douglas

Constantine W Kulig

John E Suomala

Kenneth L Bratton

Robert P Andersen

An improved drive assembly for a straight line shear mechanism or like, reciprocably mounted mechanism of a glassware forming machine wherein the mechanism is coupled by an arm to a drive rod, the improvement lying in the provision of an adaptable joint between the drive rod and the arm. Such joint permits a limited amount of radial repositioning of the arm relative to the drive rod, and a lesser amount of axial repositioning and reorientation. A preferred design of such joint utilizes a hardened sleeve fitted around a segment of the drive rod, such sleeve having a flange to provide a radial surface. A rod nut placed at the other end of the sleeve provides a second radial surface. A bushing secured within an aperture of the arm by a bushing nut is housed around the sleeve between the sleeve flange and the rod nut. Such bushing has an inner diameter which is somewhat greater than the outer diameter of the sleeve to provide a radial clearance region, and its axial length is slightly less than the separation of the sleeve flange and rod nut thereby providing limited axial clearance.

Drive apparatus for straight line shear mechanism

A gob distributor comprising a head inclining at least one gob scoop relatively displaceable through a predetermined angular range. The gob scoop can be displaced by structure which includes a ball screw, a nut, a housing, and a carriage secured to the nut. The carriage has an upstanding arm which will strike a selectively located and contained compression pad in the event the ball nut is displaced beyond its intended range. The arm may also, prior to striking the pad, displace a plunger which will operate a control switch to disable the system.

Gob distributor

A gob distributor comprising a head including at least one gob scoop having a pinion and a rack for interconnecting with the pinion so that the gob scoop can be rotatively displaced through a predetermined angular range including an intermediate location whereat the scoop is parallel to the rack. The gob scoop can be displaced by structure which includes a ball screw, a nut, a housing, and a carriage secured to the nut. The carriage has an upstanding arm, and is located at a selected location by the operation of first and second opposed single acting cylinders which are mounted on the ball screw housing with the rods thereof intersect the upstanding arm. The rods advance to a fully advanced position locating the upstanding arm at the selected location with the gob scoop at the neutral position.

A gob distributor is disclosed having a head including at least one gob scoop having a pinion and a rack for interconnecting with the pinion so that the gob scoop can be rotatively displaced through a predetermined angular range. The rack is displaced by a ball screw assembly wherein a vertically oriented forked link having a bottom end and two vertically spaced top ends connects the rack to the ball screw nut. Each of the top ends is secured to ball screw nut so that the link can be reoriented relative to the ball screw nut about a vertical axis passing through the top ends to compensate for misalignment between the ball screw and the link and the bottom end is connected to the rack so that any out of parallelism in either a horizontal or a vertical plane between the link and the rack will be accommodated.

A fluid transferring mechanism especially adapted for providing cooling fluid to the scoops of a glass gob distributor having a housing and an oscillating member mounted therein. The housing has inlet and outlet passageway having an exit and entrance respectively at the interface between the housing and oscillating member. The oscillating member has first and second grooves in its outer surface which communicates with the exit and entrance respectively during the entire oscillation of the oscillating member. A passageway connects the first and second grooves to provide a path for the fluid from the inlet and outlet passageways.

Internally cooled gob chute

An override for a positive drive mechanism which includes a first bearing block which is fixedly secured to tie rods and a second bearing block which is secured to the tie rods through release and relatch means. The blocks are designed to couple to either a positive drive unit or a unit to be driven by the drive unit. When the driven unit encounters a solid obstruction, release and relatch means associated with the second bearing block will permit the tie rods to slide within the second bearing block, thereby allowing the driven unit to stop. The override mechanism is advantageous in that within a relatively small physical size when a high maximum preselected load in the mechanism is attained, the mechanism will release and apply no further load to the drive. Very long override strokes can be accommodated after which the device will reset at the end of each stroke.

Positive drive override mechanism

One or more jigs or frameworks are provided at a location remote from the glass feeder so several different plunger assemblies can be made up for ready installation in the feeder. Each jig is made up with the help of an alignment tool having characteristics peculiar to that feeder and to the orientation of the plungers relative to the feeder. The extensive downtime now required to repair or replace the refractory plungers in the feeder can be minimized by following the method detailed herein for use of the alignment tool and subsequent fabrication and assembly of the jig or framework in which the plungers are assembled away from the feeder.

Method and apparatus for aligning a plunger assembly in a glass feeder

A glass feeder plunger operating mechanism driven by an electric motor controlled by a programmable computer programmed to drive the motor in a predetermined manner in order to generate a predetermined motion profile of one or more glass feeder plungers. The plungers are secured to the end of a cantilevered lateral support bracket which is cyclically and vertically reciprocated by cyclical oscillations of the electric motor. The output shaft of the motor is connected to a ball screw in threaded engagement with a ball nut which is secured to a member connected to the plunger support bracket. The plunger support bracket is attached to a moveable vertical support shaft which maintains plunger alignment during the range of motion. The operating mechanism is attached to a frame which is adjustable in two dimensions to facilitate alignment of the plungers with their respective orifices. Air cylinders are provided to counter-balance the weight of the members being vertically reciprocated. Overload means is provided to limit plunger damage in the event excessive operating forces are encountered. Various sensor switches and adjusting means are disclosed to facilitate plunger alignment and control.

Electronic glass feeder plunger operating mechanism

In a machine system for continuous formation of molecularly oriented plastic bottles by blowing heat-conditioned parisons comprising a plurality of parison-forming stations, i.e., sixteen (16); a plurality of blowing stations, but fewer in number than the number of parison-forming stations, i.e., four (4); and a storage area between the parison-forming and parison-blowing stations, improvements are described primarily in the storage area and in the mechanisms for transferring hot parisons from the parison-forming station to the storage area and from the storage area, sequentially in multiples, to the blowing station.

Delay stretch and blow machine system

A neck ring assembly including ejector pins for engaging a parison finish for holding a parison centrally within a neck ring upon the initial opening of the assembly in a positive stripping action. After a small amount of neck ring opening, the neck rings are free of the parison finish permitting no further side load on the take-out mechanism. The stripping mechanism including ejector pins is then completely drawn away from the parison to allow the parison to be removed. The device is simple in construction, has few moving parts, and requires no auxiliary power for operation.

Neck ring assembly

Machine system for continuous formation of molecularly oriented plastic bottles by blowing a heat-conditioned parison comprising a set number (N) of parison forming stations and a set but lesser number (N/X) of blowing stations, N/X being an integral fraction of N. A storage area is constructed and arranged between the parison forming and blowing stations. In the method of operation, N number of parisons are formed simultaneously at the parison forming stations, transferred to the storage area, and N/X of the parisons are sequentially withdrawn from the storage area and blown in the set number N/X of blowing stations. The temperature in the storage area is maintained within the temperature range suitable for blowing. Effective use is made of the blowing stations without loss of thermal energy from the parison forming stations.

Process for formation of molecularly oriented plastic bottles

Machine system for formation of molecularly oriented plastic bottles

Machine system for continuous formation of molecularly oriented plastic bottles by blowing heat-conditioned parisons comprising a modular unit including a parison forming section for simultaneously forming a plurality, preferably four, of parisons in injection molds, each mold having a neck ring assembly; a blowing or bottle forming section for simultaneously blowing the same number of bottles in blow molds as there are parisons in the parison forming section, and an invert arm assembly having a plurality of arms constructed and arranged between said parison forming section and bottle forming section so that the extreme end of each invert arm will retain the neck ring assembly of the injection mold, and in a first position the arms and neck rings are in operable association with the parison injection molds and in a second position are in operable association with the blow molds. In the method of operation, the arms of the invert arm assembly retain the neck rings of the parison forming molds, the parisons are simultaneously molded, the invert arm and neck ring assembly inverted, i.e., rotated 180 degrees, depositing the formed parisons and neck rings in operable association with an open blow mold. After blow mold closing, the neck rings are opened and the invert arms carrying the neck rings are again inverted, i.e., rotated 180 degrees in the opposite direction, to the first invert movement, and the cycle begins again. The machine system provides for rapid manufacture of bottles, is compact, and makes efficient use of machine components.

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Enfield, CT, United States of America

Robert J Duga