Preform Heating Apparatus with Segmented Cooling Air Feeds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for heating plastic preforms, such as those used in producing plastic bottles, face inefficiencies due to inadequate control over cooling, particularly in the mouth area and surface cooling, leading to potential preform unusability or excessive air consumption.
Innovation Solution
A device with a modular structure featuring three separate air feeds for precise control over cooling, allowing individual regulation of cooling air flows for the preform's mouth, body, and infrared radiator ends, ensuring optimal temperature settings and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a single cooling air feed is used to cool the preform during heating, then the surface cooling can be maintained, but the mouth area cooling cannot be precisely controlled leading to preform unusability or excessive air consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The single cooling air feed is divided into multiple separate air feeds, each targeting specific areas of the preform (mouth area, body area, shoulder area). This segmentation allows independent control of cooling air flow to each region, enabling precise temperature control without excessive air consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Different air feeds are directed to different locations on the preform with different cooling requirements. The mouth area receives cooling from a dedicated air feed, the body area from another, and the shoulder area from a third, allowing each region to receive optimal cooling independently.
2Reliability
If cooling air volume is increased to ensure adequate mouth area cooling, then preform usability is maintained, but air consumption becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cooling air system into multiple targeted feeds, the total air consumption is optimized. Each air feed delivers the minimum necessary cooling to its specific area, preventing over-cooling and waste while ensuring the mouth area receives adequate cooling to maintain preform usability.
3Productivity
If infrared radiators are used to heat the preform quickly, then heating efficiency is improved, but the mouth area may overheat and become unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The heating and cooling systems are configured with local quality - infrared radiators provide intense localized heating to the preform body while dedicated cooling air feeds provide localized cooling to the mouth area. This allows the preform body to heat quickly for efficient production while the mouth area is protected from overheating.
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
Enables precise and efficient cooling of preforms, preventing unusability and reducing air consumption, thereby optimizing the heating process for producing plastic bottles through stretch blow molding.
Implementation Method 1
The preforms are guided past infrared radiators and thereby heated
Implementation Method 2
heating up faster on the outer surface than on the inner surface
Implementation Method 3
it is necessary to apply cooling air to the preform during the heating process so that the outer surface of the preform does not become too hot
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for heating preforms made from plastic with infrared radiation, wherein the preform is subjected to cooling air at its orifice and at its body. In addition, the infrared emitters are subjected to cooling air at their ends. The invention relates to a heating apparatus in which three cooling air flows can be subjected to open-loop or closed-loop control independently of one another.