Apparatus for cooling and handling preforms in plastic material
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing preforms cooling and handling apparatuses are inefficient, using hot air for cooling which does not meet market needs for reduced cooling times and high-quality molding, and lack effective thermal exchange for optimized injection molding cycle times.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable handling station with an aeraulic circuit that switches between blowing and aspirating air to enhance thermal exchange, using cooling means to lower air temperature to 10-15°C, allowing for efficient cooling and handling of preforms by integrating blowing and aspirating capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If hot air from injection molding machine casing is used for cooling preforms, then the cooling apparatus structure is simple, but the cooling efficiency is poor and cooling time is excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediate cooling device (cooling fan and cooling channel) between the hot air source and the preforms. The cooling fan acts as an intermediary that draws ambient air through cooling channels and directs it onto the preforms, mediating the cooling process to achieve efficient cooling without directly using hot casing air
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful hot air from the injection molding machine casing and separates it from the cooling function. Instead of using the hot air directly for cooling, the system extracts only the needed airflow capability while sourcing cool ambient air separately through the cooling fan and channels
2Device complexity
If conventional air cooling is used for preforms, then the apparatus structure is simple, but the thermal exchange efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic principles by using a cooling fan to generate controlled air flow through designed cooling channels. The pressurized air flow from the fan increases the convective heat transfer coefficient, enhancing thermal exchange efficiency between the cooling air and preforms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the cooling air by controlling the fan speed and air flow rate. By adjusting the air flow velocity and direction through the cooling channels, the thermal exchange efficiency is optimized while maintaining a relatively simple apparatus structure
3Ease of operation
If hot air cooling is used, then the apparatus is simple to operate, but the preform cooling quality does not meet high-quality molding requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling fan and cooling channels serve as intermediary components that transform the simple operation of turning on the fan into a controlled, efficient cooling process. The intermediary structure ensures that ambient air is properly directed and distributed over the preforms, achieving high-quality cooling results while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by designing specific cooling channels that direct cool air to different regions of the preforms according to their cooling needs. This localized cooling approach ensures uniform and high-quality cooling across all preforms while keeping the overall system simple to operate
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
The solution achieves more efficient cooling and handling of preforms, reducing the injection molding cycle time while ensuring high-quality preforms for blow-molded containers, with improved thermal exchange and risk-free extraction.
Implementation Method 1
cooling means arranged along said delivery duct for cooling the air sent to said rotatable handling station
Implementation Method 2
aeraulic circuit that switches between blowing and aspirating air to enhance thermal exchange
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
An apparatus (1) for handling and cooling plastic preforms comprising a rotatable handling station (2), provided with a plurality of retaining and cooling pins (3) for preforms and adapted to cooperate with an extraction plate (4) adapted to extract the preforms from an injection mold; an aeraulic circuit (5) connected to said station and comprising an aspiration duct (6) for aspirating air from the inside of the station; a delivery duct (7) for sending air to said station; cooling means (8) arranged along the delivery duct for cooling the air sent to said station; aspiration means (9, 19, 29) connected at least to the aspiration duct and to the delivery duct, and wherein switching means are further provided, to pass from a first circuit configuration, in which there is an air passage from the delivery duct to the inside of the station, to a second circuit configuration in which there is an air passage from the inside of the station to the aspiration duct, whereby, in the first configuration, air is blown by means of the plurality of pins, while, in the second configuration, air is aspirated by means of said plurality of pins.