Floating Mount Bottom Plate Holder for Glassware Forming

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Solution Overview

Problem

In glassware forming machines, inadequate sealing between the spud and its mounting base, and between the spud and the bottom plate, leads to leakage of cooling wind into the vacuum passage, and the fixed mounting of the outer ring results in a large annular gap, making the seal prone to fracture during installation.

Innovation Solution

A floating ring is captured by a cap plate on a base for limited lateral movement, with a hollow spud rigidly secured to the ring, allowing cooling wind and vacuum passages to open through the spud and ring respectively, and the bottom plate is removably telescopically received over the ring and spud, featuring external seals for sliding engagement and face seals between components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the outer ring is fixed mounted on the base, then the mounting structure is simple and stable, but a large annular gap is necessary which makes the seal prone to fracture during installation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting structure stabilityVSAvoidseal reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The outer ring is changed from a fixed mounting to a floating mounting that allows limited lateral movement. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the ring to self-align with the bottom plate during installation, reducing the required annular gap and preventing seal fracture while maintaining operational stability through the cap plate constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Device complexity

If adequate sealing is not achieved between the spud and mounting base, then the structure remains simple, but cooling wind leaks into the vacuum passage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing structure complexityVSAvoidsealing effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A floating seal ring is introduced as an intermediary element between the spud and the mounting base. This seal ring floats on the base and carries the sealing function, allowing the spud to be rigidly secured to the outer ring while preventing cooling wind leakage into the vacuum passage through the face seal interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Strength

If the spud is rigidly secured to the outer ring, then the connection is strong and stable, but the seal becomes more vulnerable to fracture during installation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespud-ring connection strengthVSAvoidseal integrity during installation
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The outer ring is designed to float with limited lateral movement capability while the spud is rigidly secured to it. This creates a dynamic system where the ring can adjust its position during installation to accommodate alignment tolerances, reducing seal stress, while maintaining the strong rigid connection between spud and ring for operational stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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

This arrangement prevents leakage of cooling wind into vacuum passages, reduces the risk of seal fracture during installation, and ensures effective sealing without the need for a large annular gap, enhancing the reliability and stability of the glassware mold bottom plate mounting system.

Implementation Method 1

The spud and the ring preferably have external seals in respective sliding sealing engagement with the central air passage and the annular recess in the bottom plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSealing:

Implementation Method 2

There preferably are face seals between the base and the floating ring, and between the ring and an undersurface of the cap plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSealing:

Implementation Method 3

A cooling wind passage in the base opens through the hollow spud, and a vacuum passage in the base opens through the ring at a position spaced from the spud

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid flow through passages:

Data Source

PatentEP2155616B1Floating mount bottom plate holder in a glassware forming machine
Publication Date: 2012.10.17 OWENS BROCKWAY GLASS CONTAINER INC
  • EP2155616B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2155616B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2155616B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A glassware mold bottom plate mounting arrangement in a glassware forming machine includes a floating ring (42) captured by a cap plate (26) on a base (24)for limited lateral movement with respect to the base and the cap plate. A hollow spud (50) is rigidly secured to and extends from the ring. A cooling wind passage (34) in the base opens through the hollow spud, and a vacuum passage (40) in the base opens through the ring at a position spaced from the spud. A glassware mold bottom plate ( 16) is removably telescopically received over the ring and the spud. The bottom plate has a central air passage (68) received over the spud, an annular recess (70) received over the ring, and a peripheral air passage (74) that opens into the annular recess such that the central and peripheral air passages open to the cooling wind and vacuum passages in the base through the spud and the ring respectively. The spud and the ring preferably have external seals (58, 64) in respective sliding sealing engagement with the central air passage and the annular recess in the bottom plate. There preferably are face seals (38, 46) between the base and the floating ring, and between the ring and an undersurface of the cap plate.