Glass container coating process

1. A process for coating an interior surface of a glass container that includes:

(a) forming a glass preform from a gob of molten glass at a blank molding station;

(b) transferring the glass preform from the blank molding station to a blow molding station and positioning the glass preform within a cavity defined by a blow mold;

(c) forming a glass container having a final shape from the glass preform at the blow molding station by introducing compressed gas into the cavity and into an interior of the glass preform such that the glass is blown into contact with inner surfaces of the blow mold;

(d) introducing a coating material comprising a suspension of nanoparticles in a liquid medium into an interior of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container while the glass is still hot from being formed such that heat from the glass is transferred to the liquid medium to vaporize the liquid medium and form a coating on an interior surface of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container; and then

(e) annealing the glass container.

2. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein the coating material is introduced into the interior of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container while the glass is at a temperature in the range of 700 degrees Celsius to 1200 degrees Celsius.

3. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein said step (d) includes introducing the coating material into the interior of the gob of molten glass or the glass preform at the blank molding station while the gob of molten glass or the glass preform is at a temperature in the range of 1100 degrees Celsius to 1200 degrees Celsius.

4. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein said step (d) includes introducing the coating material into the interior of the glass preform while the glass preform is being transferred from the blank molding station to the blow molding station while the glass preform is at a temperature in the range of 900 degrees Celsius to 1100 degrees Celsius.

5. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein said step (d) includes introducing the coating material into the interior of the glass preform or the glass container at the blow molding station while the glass preform or the glass container is at a temperature in the range of 700 degrees Celsius to 1000 degrees Celsius.

6. The process set forth in claim 1 including:

after said step (d), removing the glass container from the blow molding station via a takeout mechanism.

7. The process set forth in claim 1 including:

after said step (d), transferring the glass container from the blow molding station to a deadplate; and then

transferring the glass container from the deadplate to an annealing lehr.

8. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein the nanoparticles comprise at least one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of silica (SiO 2 ), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), magnesium oxide (MgO), nickel oxide (NiO), chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ), and zinc oxide (ZnO).

9. The process set forth in claim 8 wherein the coating material has a metal oxide content in the range of 0.5 wt. % to 10.0 wt. %.

10. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein the coating material has a solids content in the range of 1.0 wt. % to 15.0 wt. %.

11. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein the nanoparticles have a mean particle size in the range of 2 nm to 200 nm.

12. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein the liquid medium is selected from the group consisting of polar protic solvents, polar aprotic solvents, and mixtures thereof.

13. The process set forth in claim 1 wherein the coating material comprises a silica precursor selected from the group consisting of polysilicic acids, halosilanes, soluble alkali silicates, hydrolyzable silanes, silanols, siloxanes, silazanes, alkoxysilanes, aryloxysilanes, acyloxysilanes, haloalkylsilanes, and haloarylsilanes, and combinations thereof.

14. The process set forth in claim 1 including:

introducing a first coating material comprising a suspension of nanoparticles in a liquid medium into an interior of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container while the glass is still hot from being formed to form a first coating layer on an interior surface of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container; and

introducing a second coating material comprising a suspension of nanoparticles in a liquid medium into an interior of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container while the glass is still hot from being formed to form a second coating layer on the interior surface of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container over the first coating layer.

15. A process for coating an interior surface of a glass container that includes:

(a) forming a glass preform having an initial shape from a gob of molten glass at a blank molding station during a blank molding stage;

(b) transferring the glass preform from the blank molding station to a blow molding station during an invert stage and positioning the glass preform within a cavity defined by a blow mold;

(c) forming a glass container having a final shape from the glass preform at the blow molding station during a blow molding stage by introducing compressed gas into the cavity and into an interior of the glass preform such that the glass is blown into contact with inner surfaces of the blow mold;

(d) transferring the glass container from the blow molding station to a deadplate during a takeout stage;

(e) introducing a coating material comprising a suspension of nanoparticles in a liquid medium into an interior of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container while the glass is at a temperature in the range of 700 degrees Celsius to 1200 degrees Celsius such that heat from the glass is transferred to the liquid medium to vaporize the liquid medium and form a coating on an interior surface of the glass preform or the glass container, wherein the coating material is introduced into the interior of the gob of molten glass, the glass preform, or the glass container during the blank molding stage, the invert stage, or the blow molding stage; and then

(f) annealing the glass container.

16. The process set forth in claim 15 including:

introducing the gob of molten glass into a cavity defined by a blank mold, and

forming the gob of molten glass into the initial shape of the glass preform by introducing compressed gas into the cavity and into an interior of the gob of molten glass such that the molten glass is pressed against inner wall surfaces of the blank mold.

17. The process set forth in claim 16 wherein the coating material is introduced into the interior of the gob of molten glass along with the compressed gas while the gob of molten glass is at a temperature in the range of 1000-1200° C.

18. The process set forth in claim 16 wherein the coating material is introduced into an interior of the glass preform after the glass perform has been formed into its initial shape while the glass perform is at a temperature in the range of 900-1200° C.

19. The process set forth in claim 15 wherein the coating material is introduced into the interior of the glass preform along with the compressed gas while the glass perform is at a temperature in the range of 900-1100° C.

20. The process set forth in claim 15 wherein the coating material is introduced into an interior of the glass container after the glass container has been formed into the final shape and while the glass container is at a temperature in the range of 700-1000° C.