Patent ID: 7630787

Claim:
A system, comprising: a mold-moving assembly that cooperates with a molding station and an insert-integration station, the mold-moving assembly is configured to support a set of mold halves, the mold-moving assembly is configured to stroke toward and away from the molding station, and the mold-moving assembly is configured to rotate the set of mold halves between the molding station and the insert-integration station, and the mold-moving assembly being operative over a cycle, the cycle including: a first phase, during which: (i) the molding station and the mold-moving assembly are operative to mold a molded article, and (ii) an insert is integrated, in the insert-integration station, with the molded article being previously molded in the molding station, so as to manufacture a composite article, and the insert-integration station and the mold-moving assembly are operative to shape the insert of the composite article into a predetermined shape; a second phase, during which: (a) after the insert has been shaped, the composite article is released and ejected from the insert-integration station, and (b) the mold-moving assembly is translated away from the molding station so that the molded article may be removed from the molding station; a third phase, during which the mold-moving assembly is actuated to move the molded article from the molding station over to the insert-integration station; and a fourth phase, during which: (I) the insert-integration station receives another insert, and (II) the molded article is retained in the insert-integration station so that when in the first phase is repeated, the another insert may become integrated with the molded article and then formed with the molded article.