Direct Gob Feeding Layout for Uniform Glass Wall Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass container manufacturing methods result in non-uniform wall thickness due to the use of lubricants and complex delivery equipment, leading to the need for thicker walls than necessary.
Innovation Solution
A glass feeding and forming system with laterally spaced feeder orifices and blank molds, eliminating intermediate delivery equipment, and using split induction-heated orifices with interchangeable tip sleeves to maintain uniform temperature distribution and prevent gob freezing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional delivery equipment with lubricants is used, then glass gobs can be transported to molds, but temperature distribution becomes non-uniform causing non-uniform wall thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the intermediate delivery equipment (scoops, troughs, deflectors) and lubricants from the glass gob transport process. By eliminating these components, the system avoids the temperature variation and non-uniformity they cause, allowing gobs to fall directly from the feeder orifices into the molds along vertical axes, thereby achieving uniform wall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the feeder orifices and blank molds into a directly aligned configuration where gobs fall vertically from the orifices into the molds. This merging of the feeding and molding functions eliminates the need for separate delivery equipment and maintains uniform temperature distribution throughout the gob, ensuring consistent wall thickness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex delivery equipment with varying lengths and configurations is used, then glass gobs can be delivered to different sections, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the feeding system into multiple laterally spaced orifices, each aligned with a corresponding blank mold. This segmentation allows different glass container sections to be formed simultaneously at different locations, eliminating the need for complex variable-length delivery equipment while maintaining adaptability to multiple product types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a system where all orifices and their corresponding molds are at the same vertical level, allowing glass gobs to fall directly into molds along vertical axes without requiring complex elevation adjustments or variable-length delivery mechanisms. This equipotential arrangement simplifies the overall device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If lubricants are used in delivery equipment, then glass gobs can be moved, but temperature distribution varies leading to thicker wall requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes lubricants from the glass gob handling process. By eliminating lubricants that cause temperature variation, the system maintains uniform temperature distribution of the glass gobs, allowing for thinner and lighter container walls while still enabling smooth gob movement through direct vertical falling into molds.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Achieves uniform temperature distribution and reduced gob stretching, enabling the production of thinner-walled, lighter-weight glass containers without the need for lubricants and complex delivery systems.
Implementation Method 1
The feeder orifices include orifice pipes including orifice pipe sleeves and orifice pipe heaters to heat the orifice pipes. The feeder orifices also include orifice tips including orifice tip sleeves and orifice tip heaters to heat the orifice tips.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of loading glass gobs into blank molds includes producing glass gobs (G) falling from laterally spaced orifices along falling gob axes (F), and receiving the glass gobs into laterally spaced blank molds (18) having blank mold centerlines (52) corresponding to the falling gob axes. A related system (10) is disclosed. Also disclosed is a multiple gob feeder (12) that includes a feeder vessel (30) including outlets (31) with outlet centerlines (44), and feeder orifices (32, 132, 232) in communication with the feeder vessel and having orifice centerlines (50) coaxial with the outlet centerlines of the outlets of the feeder vessel and establishing gob falling axes and including orifice pipes (62) and orifice tips (64) below the orifice pipes. The orifice pipes include heaters (80) to heat the orifice pipes and the orifice tips include orifice tip heaters (94) to heat the orifice tips.