Patent ID: 7550105

Claim:
An apparatus for strengthening a blow molded article, wherein the blow molded article is molded from a preform, the apparatus comprising: a heater for heating the preform to a desired temperature; a blow mold including a mold cavity for receiving said preform, said mold cavity defining a shape corresponding to a desired shape of the blow molded article, said blow mold capable of molding the preform into the shape of said cavity after the preform has been heated by said heater; a transport system for moving the preform through said heater and said blow mold along a path; and a nozzle positioned to direct a cooled jet of air towards a desired location on the preform, said nozzle fixed in position along said path between said heater and said blow mold, said cooled jet of air cooling said desired location on the preform to strengthen the preform in said desired location, wherein a wall of said preform maintains a greater thickness in said desired location than in the remainder of said wall after said preform is blow molded; wherein said nozzle is adapted to be selectively adjusted to vary the size of said cooled jet of air and to vary said desired location on said preform.