Cooling tube with a low friction coating
An intimate fit preform cooling tube with an inner mating surface that includes a polymeric coating to increase its lubricity and thereby reduce friction with a preform to be engaged therewith. The cooling tube of the present invention substantially reduces or eliminates preform ovality and gate stretching problems.
1. An apparatus for receiving and conditioning a just-molded molded article comprising:
a cooling tube with an inner mating surface that substantially conforms in shape to an outer shape of the molded article, said inner mating surface being inwardly offset to cause the just-molded molded article to not immediately fit completely in the cooling tube, and
a low friction non-uniform coating applied along at least a portion of the inner mating surface, the low friction non-uniform coating configured to promote a rapid intimate fitting of the just-molded molded article into the cooling tube and maintain the intimate fit as the molded article shrinks with cooling.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the molded article comprises a preform and the inner mating surface is configured for receiving a portion thereof.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating has a thickness of between 0.01 and 0.1 mm.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a thickness of the low friction non-uniform coating is profiled along a length of the inner mating surface.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a thickness of the low friction non-uniform coating is profiled around a circumference of the inner mating surface.
6. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a cooling means wherein, in use, the cooling means removes heat from the preform.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cooling means is provided, in use, by conductive heat transfer with a heat sink provided on a carrier plate.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cooling tube further includes a suction passageway provided through the inner mating surface that, in use, connects to a suction source.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the cooling tube comprises a tube body and a cooling insert retained in an end of the tube body, the inner mating surface comprising (i) a first inner mating surface provided along an inside of the tube body that corresponds to a preform body portion and (ii) an end mating surface provided on the cooling insert that corresponds to a preform end portion.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating covers less than the entire inner mating surface of the tube body.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied onto the inner mating surface of the cooling insert.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied onto an anodized shell of the tube body.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the cooling means is provided by a series of interconnected cooling channels provided on the tube body.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising an inlet and an outlet port formed in the cooling insert that, in use, connect the tube body to a coolant source.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a passageway is provided in the cooling insert, and extends through the inner mating surface.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling tube comprises a highly thermally conductive material.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the cooling tube comprises Aluminum.
18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein cooling tube comprises a sintered powdered body.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating comprises a self-lubricating material.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating comprises a polymeric material.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is chosen from a group consisting of:
polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, perhaloolefine, polyethylethylketone, homopolymers and copolymers of tetrachlorethylene, flouranated ethylene propylene, perofluoro alkoxyethylene, acrylics, vinylidene fluorides and amides.
22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating comprises a polished finish.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied onto a metallic layer that has been deposited onto a cooling tube substrate material.
24. An end-of-arm tool for handling and conditioning a plurality of just-molded preforms comprising:
a carrier plate with a plurality of cooling tubes arranged and connected thereto, each of the cooling tubes including:
an inner mating surface that substantially conforms in shape to an outer surface of one of the plurality of just-molded preforms, said mating surface being inwardly offset to cause the just-molded molded article to not immediately fit completely in the cooling tube,
a low friction non-uniform coating applied along at least a portion of the inner mating surface, the low friction non-uniform coating configured to promote a rapid intimate fitting of the one of the plurality of just-molded preforms into the cooling tube and maintain the intimate fit as the one of the plurality of just-molded preforms shrinks with cooling.
25. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein each of the plurality of cooling tubes comprises a tube body and a cooling insert retained in an end of the tube body, the inner mating surface comprising (i) a first inner mating surface provided along an inside of the tube body that corresponds to a preform body portion and (ii) an end mating surface provided on the cooling insert that corresponds to a preform end portion.
26. The end-of-arm tool of claim 25 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied over an entire inner surface of the tube body.
27. The end-of-arm tool of claim 25 , wherein the cooling tube further includes a cooling means provided by a series of interconnected cooling channels on the tube body.
28. The end-of-arm tool of claim 27 , wherein the cooling insert further comprises an inlet and an outlet port formed in the cooling insert that, in use, connect the tube body to a coolant source through a network of channels provided in the carrier plate.
29. The end-of-arm tool of claim 28 , wherein the cooling insert further includes a passageway that extends through the inner mating surface, in use, the passageway connects the cooling tube to a suction source through a network of channels provided in the carrier plate.
30. The end-of-arm tool of claim 25 , wherein the tube body and the cooling insert are made from a highly thermally conductive material.
31. The end-of-arm tool of claim 30 , wherein the tube body and the cooling insert are made from Aluminum.
32. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein the coating comprises a self-lubricating material.
33. The end-of-arm tool of claim 32 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating comprises polymeric material.
34. The end-of-arm tool of claim 33 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is chosen from a group consisting of:
polytetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, perhaloolefine, polyethylethylketone, homopolymers and copolymers of tetrachlorethylene, flouranated ethylene propylene, perofluoro alkoxyethylene, acrylics, vinylidene fluorides and amides.
35. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is provided by a polished finish.
36. The end-of-arm tool of claim 35 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied onto a metallic layer that has been deposited onto a cooling tube substrate material.
37. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating extends inward from the inner mating surface inward offset.
38. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mating surface inward offset varies throughout a length of the inner mating surface.
39. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating extends inward from the inner mating surface inward offset.
40. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein the mating surface inward offset varies throughout a length of the inner mating surface.
41. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied at an entry area of the cooling tube.
42. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied along a length of the cooling tube starting at an entry area and stopping before an end portion of the cooling tube.
43. The end-of-arm tool of claim 1 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating has a thickness between 0.01 and 0.1 mm.
44. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied at an entry area of the cooling tube.
45. The end-of-arm tool of claim 24 , wherein the low friction non-uniform coating is applied at along a length of the cooling tube starting at an entry area and stopping before an end portion of the cooling tube.