Patent ID: 6718606
Filing Date: 2004-04-13
Classification: B29C,B29L,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for molding and inserting, in caps, liners made of plastic material dispensed by an extruder, comprising:a footing; a dosage carousel; a molding carousel; an insertion carousel; a feeder for feeding the caps to said insertion carousel, said dosage, molding and insertion carousels being supported at said footing rotatable about vertical axes thereof and being provided with seats; a plurality of shuttles supported at said seats angularly equidistant about and arranged equally spaced from the said rotation axes of the respective dosage, molding and insertion carousels, with said dosage carousel being provided with assemblies for taking in succession doses of the plastic material from said extruder and depositing the doses onto said shuttles, said molding carousel being provided with assemblies for molding in succession the liners on said shuttles, and said insertion carousel being provided with assemblies for removing in succession said liners from said shuttles and inserting the liners in respective caps fed by said feeder; a first transfer star rotatable about an axis thereof for transferring said shuttles with the respective doses of plastic material deposited thereon from said dosage carousel onto said molding carousel; a second transfer star rotatable about an axis thereof for transferring said shuttles with the respective liners formed thereon from said molding carousel onto said insertion carousel; and a third transfer star mechanism rotatable about an axis thereof for transferring said shuttles from said insertion carousel onto said dosage carousel and for transferring said caps with liners inserted therein to a removal means for removing said caps with liners inserted therein from the apparatus; first retention means provided at said dosage carousel, said molding carousel and said insertion carousel, respectively, for retaining said shuttles in axial alignment respectively with said assemblies for taking the doses of plastic material of said dosage carousel, with said assemblies for molding the liners of said molding carousel, and with said assemblies for removing in succession said liners from said shuttles and inserting the liners in respective caps fed by said feeder of said insertion carousel, second retention means at said first and second transfer stars and at said third transfer star mechanism for retaining the shuttles, said second retention means being actuated so as to retain said shuttles received from said first retention means of one of said carousels and release the retained shuttles to said first retention means of the next one of said carousels.