Patent Application
20060174656
The present disclosure is directed to glassware forming machines, and more particularly to a valve for selectively controlling flow of cooling wind to operating elements of the glassware forming machine.
Glassware forming machines include a number of operating mechanisms or elements that form molten glass gobs into articles of glassware. Individual section glassware forming machines include a plurality of identical machine sections operating out of phase with each other. Each section includes a plurality of glassware forming elements, such as blank molds and blow molds, mounted on a section box that is internally pressurized with air. One or more shut-off valves are suspended within the section box for controlling application of the air, termed “cooling wind,” from within the section box to various operating elements of the machine section. For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/892,677, filed Jul. 15, 2004, discloses a glassware forming machine having an air-operated or solenoid-operated shut-off valve suspended within each machine section box for controlling application of cooling wind to the machine neck rings. JP 06-064931 (1994) discloses a glassware forming machine having a shut-off valve suspended within the section box for controlling application of cooling wind to the section blow molds. A general object of the present disclosure is to provide a glassware forming machine having a cooling wind shut-off valve of reduced cost and complexity, and having a reduced number of moving parts.
The present disclosure involves a number of aspects or inventions, which may be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
A glassware forming machine in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure includes at least one operating element for forming molten glass gobs into articles of glassware, a source of wind for cooling the operating element, and a system for controlling flow of the cooling wind. The system includes a shut-off valve having a valve body with an air flow passage and an expansible air bladder mounted within the passage. A control valve selectively feeds air under pressure into the expansible bladder to expand the bladder and block the passage. In the preferred embodiments of the disclosure, the bladder is mounted on an arm that is cantilevered from one end of the valve body, and a mounting/transition plate removably mounts the opposing end of the valve body on the glassware forming machine. The mounting/transition plate preferably is of a material having lower thermal conductivity than the valve body to retard heat transfer to the valve body and the bladder.
The disclosure, together with additional objects, features, advantages and aspects thereof, will best be understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:
The disclosure of above-noted U.S. application Ser. No. 10/892,677 is incorporated herein by reference.
Shut-off valve 18 includes a transition plate 22 mounted, as by bolts 24, beneath section box wall 14. A valve body 26 is suspended by screws 27 (
Valve element 32 preferably includes a central body 34 having a T-shaped air passage 36 that communicates with an air passage 38 that extends through arm 30 and valve body 26. Passage 38 communicates through a passage 40 in mounting/transition plate 22 with a control air opening 42 in section box wall 14. Resilient O-rings 44, 46, 48 or other suitable sealing means are provided between the abutting surfaces of body 34 and arm 30, valve body 26 and transition plate 22, and plate 22 and wall 14 respectively. An air bladder 50 is mounted by clamp rings 52, 54 on the exterior of body 34 so that air passage 36 communicates with the sealed interior of the bladder. Bladder 50 may be of reinforced rubber or other suitable flexible resilient composition. A nose cone 56 preferably is mounted on the end of body 34 remote from arm 30, and is generally centrally positioned within air passages 28,29. One suitable valve element 32 is marketed by Firestone under the trade designation “AirPicker.”
A control vale 60, which may be a pneumatic control valve or an electrical solenoid-operated control valve, receives control signals from a suitable source, such as an electronic controller, and selectively feeds compressed air to or exhausts air from opening 42 in section box wall 14. This air is fed through passages 40, 38 and 36 to the interior of bladder 50, selectively to expand the bladder from the relaxed or open position of
As noted above, the interior surface of passage 28 in valve body 26 preferably is substantially cylindrical, and valve element 32 preferably is centrally positioned within valve body 26 so that bladder 50 is uniformly expanded against the interior surface of the valve body in the position of
There thus has been disclosed a glassware forming machine with cooling wind shut-off valve that fully satisfies all of the objects and aims previously set forth. For example, shut-off valve 18 has only one moving part—i.e., expansible/contractible flexible resilient air bladder 32—as distinguished from the multiple moving parts that are characteristic of the prior art. The disclosure has been presented in conjunction with a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and a number of modifications and variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations readily will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing disclosure. The disclosure is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
