Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Direct application of fluid pressure differential to... – Including application of internal fluid pressure to hollow...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-08
2001-06-05
Davis, Robert (Department: 1722)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Direct application of fluid pressure differential to...
Including application of internal fluid pressure to hollow...
C264S537000, C425S526000, C425S529000, C425S534000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241939
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method of heat blow molding, and particularly relates to heating a preform and blow molding the heated preform into a container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus for heat blow molding a container is described, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,812, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-40624 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-40625.
The heat blow molding apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,812 comprises a heating station
10
and a blow molding station
12
arranged perpendicular to the heating station
10
to form an L-shaped layout, as shown in
FIG. 15
of the accompanying drawings. The heating station
10
includes four carrying paths, each of which carries one preform to be heated in its upright state. The blow molding station includes a plurality of pallets
14
each of which receives a row of four heated preforms in their upright state. These pallets
14
are circulated in a rectangular path having longer and shorter sides. The longer sides of the rectangular path extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the preforms are carried in the heating station
10
. A set of four preforms are blow molded into containers at the middle of one of the longer sides. When each of the pallets
14
has moved to a removal section
16
, the molded containers are removed out of the system.
The heat blow molding systems described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 53-40624 and 53-40625 are designed to heat and carry a row of inverted preforms simultaneously, the heated and inverted preforms being then blow molded using blow molds into containers.
The heat blow molding apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,812 will form an L-shaped layout because the direction in which the preforms are carried in the heating station
10
is perpendicular to the longer sides of the rectangular path in the blow molding station
12
. As a result, the blow molding station
12
will not be arranged within the width of the heating station
10
to form an irregular layout. This raises a problem in that dead spaces will be created to increase an area of installation particularly when a plurality of such systems are arranged.
In particular, when beverage containers are to be molded, it is desirable to maintain a molding room clean. The maintenance of such a wide and clean area will increase the necessary cost. It is thus desired that the area of installation be reduced as much as possible.
In such a heat blow molding system, the upright preforms are heated in the heating station
10
. In such a situation, the neck portions of the preforms will be topped. In addition, the heat will upwardly move along the upright preforms. This may excessively heat the preform necks and deform them. In such a case, furthermore, the carrying members for holding the upper parts of the preforms may be subjected to adverse effects from the heat.
In addition, the upright and heated preforms are blow molded also in the blow molding station
12
. Therefore, the necessary parts including stretching rods for stretching the preforms in the blow molding step must be disposed above the preforms. This increases the entire height of the apparatus and thus raises a problem in securing the space of installation and also in performing the maintenance.
In the heat blow molding systems described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 53-40624 and 53-40625, the preforms are heated and blow molded in their inverted state. After the preforms have been heated at the same time, they are sequentially moved to and blow molded by the individual blow molds. Therefore, the individual heated preforms will be different from each other in time required to heat and blow mold the preforms. This raises a problem in that the quality of product becomes irregular.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a heat blow molding apparatus which can reduce the area of installation as small as possible.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method of heat blow molding which will not excessively heat the neck portions of the preforms and which will prevent the preform carrying members from being subjected to adverse effects from the heat.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a heat blow molding apparatus which has a reduced entire height and a reduced installation space and which can be easily maintained.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a heat blow molding apparatus which can make the quality of product regular by equalizing time required to heat the preforms simultaneously and then blow mold the heated preforms.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a heat blow molding apparatus comprises:
a supply section for supplying preforms each having a neck portion;
a heating station for heating the preforms supplied from the supply section;
a transfer section for transferring the preforms after they have been heated in the heating station; and
a blow molding station for blow molding the preforms transferred from the transfer section into containers,
the supply section, the heating station, the transfer section and the blow molding station being arranged linearly along a first direction in which the preforms are carried,
wherein the supply section comprises:
an arrangement mechanism for arranging the preforms with a given pitch in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction while maintaining the preforms in their upright state with the neck portions thereof facing upward; and
an inverting and delivering mechanism for inverting the upright preforms and for delivering the inverted preforms to the heating station,
wherein the heating station comprises:
first carrying paths disposed parallel along the first direction;
first carrying members for supporting the inverted preforms delivered from the supply section;
a first carrying mechanism for intermittently carrying the first carrying members along the first carrying paths;
a heating box located in each of the first carrying paths; and
a rotation mechanism for rotating the preforms at least within the heating box,
wherein the transfer section has a movement mechanism for moving the preforms carried parallel along the first carrying paths from the heating station to the blow molding station for delivery while maintaining their inverted position, and
wherein the blow molding station comprises:
a second carrying path formed into a substantially rectangular configuration having two shorter sides and two longer sides, the two longer sides being positioned parallel to the first direction;
second carrying members for supporting the preforms in their inverted state, the second carrying members being carried along the second carrying path;
a second carrying mechanism for intermittently carrying the second carrying members along the second carrying path;
a receiving section located in one of the two shorter sides that is disposed on the side of the transfer section in the second carrying path;
a blow molding section located in one of the two longer sides in the second carrying path for stretch blow molding the preforms received by the receiving section simultaneously into containers; and
a removal section located in the other shorter sides opposed to the receiving section for removing the containers after being molded in the blow molding section.
According to the present invention, the supply section, the heating station, the transfer section and the blow molding station are disposed linearly along the direction in which the preforms are carried. In addition, the longer sides of the second carrying path in the blow molding station are located parallel to the direction in which the preforms are carried (i.e., first direction) in the heating station. As a result, the apparatus will not be spread in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the preforms are carried. This can provide a minimum area of installation. The area of the cleaned room in which beverage con
Netsu Yoichi
Sakurai Atsushi
Sato Koichi
Takada Minoru
Cislo & Thomas LLP
Davis Robert
Hoffman Esq. David L.
Nissei ASB Machine Co. Ltd.
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