One-piece blow mold halves for molding a container

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/676,371, filed Feb. 19, 2007.

The invention relates to the field of blow molding.

Blow molding is a process commonly used for producing hollow plastic objects. A typical blow molding operation involves mold halves which are closed about an extruded parison of warm plastic and the introduction of air into the closed-off parison to cause same to conform to the shape of the mold cavity. After the plastic has cooled, the mold halves are separated to release a molded product. The mold halves are typically provided with interior conduits through which heat carrying medium is circulated, to heat or cool the mold as necessary in the particular application.

Containers for consumer products are often provided with features such as finishes (threaded necks which receive caps) and “push-ups” or “Champagne” bases (hollows formed in the bases of the containers to provide stability). Historically, portions of the mold halves which define these features in the finished container are defined by inserts which are machined separately from the remainder of the mold and then secured thereto.

Inserts are also used to apply details such as dates, logos and codes to the surface of the molded product, to achieve small variations in the shape of the molded product without the requirement of manufacturing an entirely new mold and, when machined out of harder material than the remainder of the mold, to provide enhanced wear resistance to portions of the mold that can benefit therefrom.

By segmenting the mold halves, mold cavities of very complex shapes can be routinely constructed using conventional three-dimensional milling machinery, as is generally available in mold-making shops.

A blow mold forms one aspect of the invention. This blow mold comprises a pair of mold halves having an operative configuration wherein said mold halves together define a cavity for a container. The container has a main body and a characteristic selected from the group of characteristics consisting of: a push-up base; an integral finish; and an embossed or a debossed feature. Each of the pair of mold halves has a first portion and a second portion formed integrally with the first portion. The first portion and the second portion are machined out of a single piece of metal. When the pair of mold halves is in the operative configuration, the first portions collectively define the main body and the second portions collectively define the characteristic.

This blow-mold is used in a method of producing a container which forms another aspect of the invention. This method comprises the steps of:

• • providing a quantity of material having an interior void such that the quantity of material is disposed inside the cavity;
  • introducing air into the void to conform the material to the shape of the cavity;
  • allowing the material to harden to produce a molded article selected from the group consisting of the container and a precursor product adapted to be trimmed to produce the container; and
  • opening the mold to release the molded article.

According to other aspects of the invention,

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Industry Class:
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes

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