Patent Application
20070269545
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. In describing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention improve upon the conventional molds for use with, for example, a wheel-type blow mold machine by permitting the molds to be easily removed from the platens.
The invention provides a system that greatly reduces the time required to remove a mold set from a wheel-type blow mold machine and replace it with another mold set. Replacing molds with a conventional system is a time consuming effort that requires the removal of four to eight water hoses from the mold, the removal of one or two blow cylinders from the mold, the exchange of blow needles appropriate for the new mold and the removal of four screws per mold half to remove mold half from the platen. This procedure is then reversed to install the new molds. For a wheel-type blow mold machine having 24 molds, the above procedure is repeated for each of the 24 molds.
A mold mounting system in accordance with the invention holds the mold halves onto their respective platens by means of a permanent magnet. In one embodiment of the invention, the magnet is bolted to the aluminum mold half, the mold half is aligned to the platen by way of a key that is adjustable for the “tilt” setup for each mold set. A safety pin is used to assure that the mold halves stay mounted to their respective platens in case of an accidental deactivation of one or both of the magnets. In particular embodiments, the blow cylinders and ejector assemblies stay mounted to the mold halves when the mold halves are disconnected from their respective platens. Multiple alignment methods for aligning the mold halves relative to their respective platens and each other can be used. For example, a key can be used to align each mold half relative to its respective platen, pins and bushings can be used to align the mold halves (more specifically the mold cavities) relative to each other, and pins and bushings can be used to align each mold half relative to a water manifold of the blow mold machine.
Molds for wheel-type blow mold machines are typically made of aluminum which, as is well known, is not influenced by magnetic force fields. As a result, either a magnet or a plate of material that is influenced by magnetic forces is mounted on, or in a recess in, each of the aluminum mold halves. The magnet, whether mounted on the platen or on the mold half, is provided with a means for turning the magnet on and off. In particular embodiments, the plate (or the magnet) that is mounted on the platen is pivotable around a dowel pin so as to maintain the ability to change the mold position in the blow molder as needed depending on the process. The plate can also function as a key to facilitate the correct placement of the mold on the platen prior to turning on the magnets. As the mold is being slid into location on the key, the water connection can be made and alignment pins can engage between the mold and the water manifold to ensure proper alignment. Once the mold is in proper position, a safety pin can be inserted to ensure that the mold half does not separate from the platen even if the magnet fails. Connection of air lines to the blow cylinders by way of quick change fittings completes the mold reinstallation process.
An example of an embodiment of the invention is shown in
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It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention.
The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification are intended only to teach those skilled in the art the best way known to the inventors to make and use the invention. Nothing in this specification should be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. All examples presented are representative and non-limiting. The above-described embodiments of the invention may be modified or varied, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
