Graham Packaging Company, L.p.

Roy N Krohn

David A Kesselman

Earle Ellis

David W Cargile

Gregory Duane Taylor

Larry M Taylor

Ed Roubal

Edward Roubal

Bernd Klingenmaier

Bob Stoolmaker

Rafael F Berrittella

Norberto O Gomez

John A Garman

Jeff Enfield

The invention provides a mold for use in a wheel blow-molding device. The mold has a first half and a second half, each half having a rotation direction and a transverse direction perpendicular to the rotation direction, each half having a container-shaped cavity, adapted to receive a parison, wherein the cavity has a body portion and a neck portion; and a blow pin tip disposed in the mold, adapted to be inserted into an open end of the parison in the neck portion of the cavity, the blow pin tip being adapted to blow a gas into the parison to blow mold a container.

In-mold finished neck on a continuous extrusion blow molder

The invention provides a base structure of a container. The base structure includes a support heel that defines any number of touch points for contact with a horizontal surface. The support heel includes inner and outer portions that merge with the container's corrugated support flute and sidewall, respectively. The base structure also includes a fin that forms the zipper pinch and extends transverse to and intersects corrugations of the corrugated support flute.

Hot-fill container base structure

A method of ejecting a container from a blow mold comprises the steps of: opening a blow mold containing a container, the blow mold comprising a pair of pistons having a head and a heel, an end cap disposed behind the heel, and a pair of ejector rods, each ejector rod coupled to a different one of the pair of pistons; forcing a fluid against each head of each of the pair of pistons, extending each of the ejector rods to maintain contact with an opposite side of a center portion of the container in the blow mold and pushing the container from the blow mold; and forcing a fluid against the heel of each of the pair of pistons operative to retract the pair of ejector rods away from the container when the container is separated from the blow mold.

Center cylinder ejection assist

A method of ejecting containers from a blow mold comprises the steps of: opening a blow mold containing containers, the blow mold comprising a pair of pistons having a head and a heel, an end cap disposed behind the heel, and a pair of ejector rods, each ejector rod coupled to a different piston; simultaneously with the opening forcing a fluid against each head of each of the pair of pistons, extending each of the ejector rods to maintain contact with an opposite side of a center portion of the containers in the blow mold and pushing the containers from the blow mold; and forcing a fluid against the heel of each of the pair of pistons operative to retract the pair of ejector rods away from the containers when the containers are separated from the blow mold.

A dispenser. The dispenser comprises a radially surrounding sidewall having a first end, where the sidewall is molded as one piece. The first end of the sidewall comprises a neck finish, where the neck finish comprises an opening and a protrusion adapted for sealingly engaging a corresponding opening of a cap.

Dispenser with an integrally molded neck finish

An extruder for extruding extrudate is provided and includes a generally cylindrical barrel portion having an end face. A screw conveyor is rotatably arranged coaxially within the barrel portion and has a downstream end. The screw conveyor has helical flights that define a first flow path with the barrel for the extrudate. The first flow path has a first cross-sectional area. An adapter is arranged on the end face of the barrel portion and defines an exit portion of the extruder. A screw tip is secured to the downstream end of the screw conveyor and extends into the adapter. The screw tip and the adapter define a second flow path for the extrudate with a second cross-section area being at least as large as the first cross-sectional area.

Reservoir reducing screw tip

An apparatus, mounted to a mold, for injecting air into a mold cavity and removing exhaust from the mold cavity, comprising: a blow cylinder body block mounted to the mold having a conduit to the mold cavity, wherein the blow cylinder body block comprises an insulator and the conduit has walls; a needle passing through the blow cylinder body block and the conduit, wherein the needle is connected to a piston, wherein the needle has a needle passage, and wherein compressed air is applied to the piston to extend the needle into the mold cavity and retract the needle from the mold cavity; and an insulator between the needle and the conduit walls.

Insulated apparatus for injecting and removing compressed air from a cooled mold cavity

In blow molding, each mold has two or more cavities, each respectively fed by two or more parisons. Each cavity fed by a separate parison may itself include two or more article cavities aligned with its parison.

Multi-parison/dual cavity wheel blowmolds

A squeezable tube-shaped plastic container ( ) having a one-piece construction formed by extrusion blow-molding techniques. The container ( ) has a retractable end wall ( ) which is positionable into an outwardly projecting position and an inverted position. The end wall ( ), as blown, is in the outwardly projecting position and is thereafter inverted so that a tamper indicating covering ( ) can be attached to the end ( ) of the container ( ) thereby sealing the end wall ( ). The inverted end wall ( ) permits the container ( ) to be free standing on the standing ring ( ). In use, the flexible sidewall ( ) of the container ( ) is squeezed to snap the end wall ( ) from the inverted position to an outwardly projecting position to enable ready access to a dispensing opening ( ) on the end wall ( ). An efficient and cost effective method for forming the container ( ) and an intermediate article ( ) formed during the method are also disclosed.

Extrusion blow-molded squeezable tube-shaped container and method for making same

At least one blow-molded plastic container and one compression molded lid are simultaneously produced in a blow mold. Preferably, the method and apparatus utilize a mold capable of simultaneously receiving a pair of extruded parisons. One of the parisons is utilized to produce a pair of aligned container bodies and the other of the parisons is utilized to form a pair of aligned closures. In this manner, a container and closure combination can be manufactured having perfect color matching and can be readily recycled in its entirety. In addition, the method and apparatus according to the present invention significantly reduces tooling costs and required machine capitol.

Apparatus for making a plastic container and closure combination

Method and apparatus for making a plastic container and closure combination

A separate parison separation assembly for each parison in a multiple parison blow molding apparatus. Each assembly has a shear plate secured in a recess machined into the mold in order to provide a positive and repeatable location of the shear plate. The shear plate is square and provides eight cutting edges; each of the four sides of the shear plate by rotating the shear plate as an edge wears, and by turning it over. The shear plate has a useful life up to eight times that of the prior art designs. The cut-off knife for each assembly is secured to the other half of the mold, directly on its surface, with a compression pocket cut into the face of this half of the mold to contain and to compress the parison between the mold halves. The design eliminates open space at the edge where the flash forms, reducing the mass of polymer at the edge and thus the temperature of the flash edge.

Growing community of inventors

Wrightsville, PA, United States of America

Roy N Krohn