Patent ID: 6837697

Claim:
A direct injection molding station for use on a form, fill and seal packaging machine for forming, filling and sealing a carton, the molding station being configured to mold a closure on a predetermined portion of the carton, the molding station comprising: a frame; a fixed mold tool carried by the frame, the fixed tool having cooling channels formed therein in flow communication with channels formed in the frame for supplying a coolant to the cooling channels; a movable mold tool carried by the frame, the movable mold tool being formed in first and second portions movable toward and away from one another and toward and away from the fixed mold tool between a first position wherein the movable tool first and second portions are disengaged from one another and are disengaged from the fixed tool and a second position in which the movable tool first and second portions are engaged with one another and are engaged with the fixed tool with the carton disposed therebetween, the movable mold tool first and second portions having cooling channels formed therein for supplying a coolant to the movable tool cooling channels; and a polymer injection system including a polymer flow conduit for providing polymer from a location external of the carton to the fixed tool, wherein a closure is directly molded at the predetermined portion of the carton.