FORMING METHOD AND FORMING MACHINE FOR MOLDED PULP BOTTLE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwanese Invention Patent Application No. 113103673, filed on Jan. 31, 2024, and incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a molded pulp bottle, and more particularly to a forming method and a forming machine for a molded pulp bottle.

BACKGROUND

A conventional method for manufacturing a molded pulp bottle, as disclosed in Chinese Patent Publication No. CN114351511, includes steps S1 to S3. In step S1, a pulp forming mold is laid sideways into pulp liquid, after which pulp is adhered to an inner wall of the pulp forming mold through vacuum suction to form a wet pulp bottle model, and then the pulp forming mold is rotated and kept in an upright state. In step S2, an inflatable rubber bottle is used as a transfer member to remove the wet pulp bottle model from the mold. In step S3, the wet pulp bottle model is heated and dried. Through this, the processing of the pulp bottle is completed.

In step S1, although the pulp forming mold can suck the pulp sideways to prevent fibers in the pulp from precipitating and accumulating at the bottom due to gravity, since the mouth of the pulp bottle model is small, the diameter of the portion of the pulp forming mold corresponding to the mouth of the pulp bottle model is also small, so the flow amount and flow rate of the pulp entering the pulp forming mold are limited. Hence, the pulp bottle model often may have technical problems, such as uneven thickness or thickness that does not meet standard.

Furthermore, when the inflated rubber bottle transfers the wet pulp bottle model, the wet pulp bottle model is easily affected by gravity and inertia during movement in the horizontal direction, resulting in sagging, deforming or even breaking of the bottom of the wet pulp bottle model. Thus, the finished product yield is low.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a forming method for a molded pulp bottle and a forming machine for implementing the forming method that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to one aspect of this disclosure, the forming method for the molded pulp bottle includes the steps of: (a) immersing a forming mold in a pulp tank that contains pulp to adsorb the pulp and form at least one bottle preform, the at least one bottle preform defining a chamber with an opening extending in a horizontal direction; (b) separating the forming mold from the pulp tank, followed by sucking the pulp into the chamber of the at least one bottle preform and adsorbing the pulp to an inner surface of the at least one bottle preform through the forming mold; (c) transferring the at least one bottle preform from the forming mold to a transfer platform in an up-down direction with the at least one bottle preform being supported by at least one air bag; and (d) moving the at least one bottle preform that is supported by the transfer platform and the at least one air bag away from the forming mold in the horizontal direction.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, the forming machine for implementing the forming method includes a pulp tank configured to contain pulp, a forming mold, and at least one pulp replenishing unit. The forming mold includes a forming upper mold, and a forming lower mold engageable with the forming upper mold and cooperating with the same to define at least one mold cavity for receiving the pulp and at least one mold opening communicating the at least one mold cavity with the outside and extending in a horizontal direction. The forming mold is movable relative to the pulp tank in an up-down direction between a pulp suction position, in which the forming mold is immersed in the pulp tank for adsorbing the pulp to form at least one bottle preform, and a pulp replenishing position, in which the forming mold is remote from the pulp tank.

The at least one pulp replenishing unit includes a pulp tube for guiding the flow of the pulp, and at least one plug that is hollow and that is configured to close the at least one mold opening. The at least one pulp replenishing unit is movable relative to the forming mold between a separated position, in which the at least one plug is spaced apart from the forming mold, and a closed position, in which the at least one plug is connected to the at least one mold opening for allowing the pulp to flow from the pulp tube to a chamber of the at least one bottle preform through the at least one plug.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is noted that various features may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a forming machine for a molded pulp bottle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a forming mold of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view, illustrating two pulp replenishing units of the embodiment in a separated position.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view, illustrating the pulp replenishing units of the embodiment in a closed position.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view, illustrating a plurality of air bags of the embodiment in a deflated state.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but with the air bags in an inflated state.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a forming method for the molded pulp bottle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the steps involved in a pulp suction process of the forming method of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of the steps involved in a pulp replenishing process of the forming method of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram, illustrating the pulp suction process and the pulp replenishing process of the forming method of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the steps involved in a support process of the forming method of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the support process of the forming method of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of the steps involved in a transfer process of the forming method of the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram, illustrating the transfer process and a hot pressing process of the forming method of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a forming machine for a molded pulp bottle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a machine frame unit 1, a pulp tank 2, a forming mold 3, a hot pressing mold 4, two pulp replenishing units 5 (see FIG. 5), a transfer unit 6 and a driving unit 7.

The machine frame unit 1 includes a machine frame 11, two guide post assemblies 12, 12′, and two rails 13. The machine frame 11 defines a forming zone 111, a hot pressing zone 112 spaced apart from the forming zone 111 in a front-rear direction (Y), and a waiting zone 113 located between the forming zone 111 and the hot pressing zone 112. In this embodiment, the forming zone 111, the waiting zone 113, and the hot pressing zone 112 are arranged along an axis (L) extending in the front-rear direction (Y) and substantially perpendicular to an up-down direction (Z). In addition, in this embodiment, a horizontal direction (X) is defined as substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction (Y) and the up-down direction (Z). However, in other variations, the horizontal direction (X) may be parallel to the front-rear direction (Y).

Each guide post assembly 12, 12′ has four spaced-apart guide posts 121 extending in the up-down direction (Z) and connected to the machine frame 11. The guide posts 121 of the guide post assembly 12 are arranged in the forming zone 111, and extend through the pulp tank 2 in the up-down direction (Z). The guide posts 121 of the guide post assembly 12′ are arranged in the hot pressing zone 112.

The rails 13 are mounted on the machine frame 11, extend along the direction of the axis (L), and are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction (X). Each rail 13 has a middle rail portion 131 mounted on the machine frame 11 and located in the waiting zone 113, a front rail portion 132 located in the forming zone 111, and a rear rail portion 133 located in the hot pressing zone 112. Each of the front and rear rail portions 132, 133 is capable of connecting or disconnecting with the middle rail portion 131. In this embodiment, the rails 13 are linear slide rails using a linear motor (not shown) as a drive source.

The pulp tank 2 is disposed in the forming zone 111, and is suitable for containing pulp.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in combination with FIGS. 1 and 2, the forming mold 3 is movably mounted on the machine frame 11 relative to the pulp tank 2 in the up-down direction (Z), and is slidably disposed among the guide posts 121 of the guide post assembly 12. The forming mold 3 includes a forming upper mold 31 movable in the up-down direction (Z), and a forming lower mold 32 connected to the front rail portions 132 of the rails 13 and movable in the up-down direction (Z). The forming upper mold 31 is movable downward through the guide posts 121 of the guide post assembly 12 to engage the forming lower mold 32 and cooperate with the same to define a plurality of mold cavities 301 for receiving the pulp and a plurality of mold openings 302 communicating the mold cavities 301 with the outside and extending in the horizontal direction (X). The mold cavities 301 are divided into two groups in the horizontal direction (X), and are arranged back-to-back. The forming upper mold 31 defines an upper air chamber 311 located above the mold cavities 301, and is formed with a plurality of upper passage holes 312 communicating with the mold cavities 301 and the upper air chamber 311, and an upper connecting port 313 opening through a peripheral wall of the upper air chamber 311 in the horizontal direction (X) and communicating the upper air chamber 311 with the outside. The upper connecting port 313 is located at one end of the upper air chamber 311 that is adjacent to the mold cavities 301 in the up-down direction (Z). The forming lower mold 32 can drive the front rail portions 132 to move therealong so as to connect with or separate from the middle rail portions 131 of the rails 13. The forming lower mold 32 defines a lower air chamber 321 located below the mold cavities 301, and is formed with a plurality of lower passage holes 322 communicating with the mold cavities 301 and the lower air chamber 321, and a lower connecting port 323 located below the lower air chamber 321 and communicating the lower air chamber 321 with the outside.

In this embodiment, the upper and lower connecting ports 313, 323 are configured to be connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). Through this, when the vacuum pump is activated, a suction airflow is generated to suck the pulp inside the pulp tank 12 to enter the mold cavities 301 through the respective mold openings 302, and, at the same time, air in the mold cavities 301 and liquid in the pulp not only are sucked into the upper air chamber 311 through the upper passage holes 312 and then discharge out of the upper air chamber 311 through the upper connecting port 313, but also are sucked into the lower air chamber 321 through the lower passage holes 322 and then discharge out of the lower air chamber 321 through the lower connecting port 323.

It should be noted that the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 generating suction airflow through the vacuum pump (not shown) to adsorb paper fibers in the pulp to inner surfaces of the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 is a common technology and is not a technical feature of this disclosure, and those with ordinary skilled in the art can deduce the expanded details based on the above description, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

A characterizing feature of this disclosure resides in that the volume of each of the upper and lower air chambers 311, 321 can increase the flow rate and the suction force of the suction airflow. Furthermore, by forming the upper connecting port 313 adjacent to the mold cavities 301, the liquid in the pulp can be discharged immediately out of the upper air chamber 311 through the upper connecting port 313 after entering the upper air chamber 311 without having to wait for the liquid to fill up the upper air chamber 311.

The forming mold 3 is movable relative to the pulp tank 2 in the up-down direction (Z) between a pulp suction position, as shown in FIG. 12(a), and a pulp replenishing position, as shown in FIG. 12(b). In the pulp suction position, the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 are engaged with each other, and the forming mold 3 is immersed in the pulp tank 2 for adsorbing the pulp to form a plurality of bottle preforms 8. In the pulp replenishing position, the forming mold 3 is remote from the pulp tank 2. Each bottle preform 8 defines a chamber 80 having an opening that extends in the front-rear direction (Y) and that faces the respective mold opening 302. It should be noted that, during movement of the forming mold 3 from the pulp suction position toward the pulp replenishing position, the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 remain engage with each other and move upwardly together. Simultaneously, the forming lower mold 32 drives the front rail portions 132 to move therealong so as to separate the front rail portions 132 from the middle rail portions 131.

The hot pressing mold 4 is slidably disposed among the guide posts 121 of the guide post assembly 12′, and includes a hot pressing upper mold 41, and a hot pressing lower mold 42 that is connected to the rear rail portions 133 of the rails 13, that is movable in the up-down direction (Z), and that is engageable with the hot pressing upper mold 41. The hot pressing lower mold 42 can drive the rear rail portions 133 to move therealong relative to the hot pressing upper mold 41 in the up-down direction (Z). When the hot pressing lower mold 42 is engaged with the hot pressing upper mold 41, the rear rail portions 133 are separated from the respective middle rail portions 131; and when the hot pressing lower mold 42 is moved away from the hot pressing upper mold 41, the rear rail portions 133 are connected to the respective middle rail portions 131.

The hot pressing mold 4 is used for heating the bottle preforms 8, and the hot pressing upper mold 41 can similarly suck air through a plurality of passage holes connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). Since this feature is known in the art and is not a technical feature of this disclosure, and those with ordinary skilled in the art can deduce the expanded details based on the above description, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in combination with FIG. 2, the pulp replenishing units 5 (only one pulp replenishing unit 5 is visible in FIG. 2) are disposed in the forming zone 111. Based on the arrangement of the mold cavities 301, the pulp replenishing units 5 are spacedly disposed on two sides of the forming mold 3 that are opposite in the horizontal direction (X). Each pulp replenishing unit 5 is movably mounted on the machine frame 11, and includes a pulp tube 51 for guiding the flow of the pulp, and a plurality of hollow plugs 52 connected to and fluidly communicating with the pulp tube 51 for respectively closing the mold openings 302.

The pulp tube 51 includes a pulp inlet tube section 511 extending in the front-rear direction (Y), a vertical tube section 510 extending downwardly from one end of the pulp inlet tube section 511 into the pulp tank 2, a pulp outlet tube section 512 parallel to the pulp inlet tube section 511, and two tube connection sections 513 connecting two opposite ends of the pulp outlet tube section 512 to the pulp inlet tube section 511 and communicating with the pulp inlet tube section 511 and the pulp outlet tube section 512. The pulp inlet tube section 511 is farther away from the forming mold 3 than the pulp outlet tube section 512. That is, the pulp outlet tube section 512 is closer to the forming mold 3 than the pulp inlet tube section 511. The vertical tube section 510 has a pulp inlet port 514 distal to the one end of the pulp inlet tube section 511 for introducing the pulp. It should be noted herein that each pulp replenishing unit 5 is connected to a pump (not shown) for pumping the pulp in the pulp tank 2 upwardly into the pulp tube 51 through the pulp inlet port 514 of the vertical tube section 510.

The plugs 52 are connected to and spacedly arranged along a length of the pulp outlet tube section 512. Each plug 52 has a pulp outlet passage hole 521 extending therethrough and communicating with the pulp tube 51 for outputting the pulp.

Each pulp replenishing unit 5 is movable relative to the forming mold 3 between a separated position, as shown in FIG. 5), and a closed position, as shown in FIG. 6, in the horizontal direction (X). In the separated position, the plugs 52 are separated from the respective mold openings 302, and are spaced apart from the forming mold 3. In the closed position, the plugs 52 are connected to the respective mold openings 302 to close the same. Through this, the pulp in the pulp tank 2 can flow from the pulp tube 51 to the chambers 80 of the bottle preforms 8 through the pulp outlet passage holes 521 of the plugs 52.

It is worth mentioning that, because the vertical tube section 510 has the pulp inlet port 514, when the pulp enters the pulp tube 51 through the pulp inlet port 514, the pulp will first fill the pulp inlet tube section 511, then flows through the tube connection sections 513 to the pulp outlet tube section 512, and quickly fills the pulp outlet tube section 512. Through this, the pulp can flow uniformly from the pulp outlet tube section 512 toward the pulp outlet passage holes 521 of the plugs 52.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in combination with FIG. 2, the transfer unit 6 includes a transfer platform 61 slidably connected to the rails 13, and two air bag assemblies 62 movable together with the transfer platform 61.

The transfer platform 61 is movable relative to the forming mold 3 in the front-rear direction (Y) along the rails 13. In this embodiment, the transfer platform 61 is driven by the linear motor to move along the rails 13 among the forming zone 111, the waiting zone 113, and the hot pressing zone 112. When the transfer platform 61 is in the waiting zone 113, the transfer platform 61 is remote from the forming mold 3. When the forming lower mold 32 is moved away from the forming upper mold 31, the transfer platform 61 can be moved from the middle rail portions 131 to the front rail portions 132 so as to be located in the forming zone 111 between the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32. When the forming lower mold 32 and the front rail portions 132 are moved in the up-down direction (Z) until the front rail portions 132 are respectively connected to the middle rail portions 131, the forming upper mold 31 can be driven to move down and engage the transfer platform 61. When the hot pressing lower mold 42 is separated from the hot pressing upper mold 41, the transfer platform 61 can move from the middle rail portions 131 to the rear rail portions 133 so as to be located in the hot pressing zone 112 between the hot pressing upper and lower molds 41, 42. The transfer platform 61 can be further driven by the hot pressing lower mold 42 and the rear rail portions 133 to move upwardly so as to engage the hot pressing upper mold 41.

It should be noted herein that the transfer platform 61 is not limited to being driven by the linear motor, and may be driven by a ball screw or a pressure cylinder in other variations of this embodiment, but not limited thereto.

Each air bag assembly 62 includes a plurality of air tubes 621, and a plurality of air bags 622 in fluid communication with the air tubes 621, respectively. The air tubes 621 are used for inputting air into the respective air bags 622. Each air bag 622 is sleeved on the respective air tube 621, and is changeable between a deflated state and an inflated state. In the deflated state, each air bag 622 is insertable into and removable from a respective one of the bottle preforms 8 through the respective mold opening 302. After each air bag 622 is inserted into the respective bottle preform 8, each air bag 622 is inflated by the respective air tube 621 to the inflated state. In the inflated state, each air bag 622 together with the transfer platform 61 can cooperatively support the respective bottle preform 8, and the transfer platform 61 can carry and transfer the bottle preforms 8 to move in a direction away from the forming zone 111.

Referring again to FIGS. 2, 5 and 7, the driving unit 7 includes two forming cylinders 71, a hot pressing cylinder 72, four pulp replenishing cylinders 73, and two support cylinders 74. The number of the pulp replenishing cylinder 73 is four in this embodiment, but may be two according to the use requirement.

The forming cylinders 71 are used for driving movement of the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32, respectively. Each forming cylinder 71 is mounted on the machine frame 11, and has a telescopic rod 711. The telescopic rods 711 of the forming cylinders 71 are respectively connected to the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32.

The hot pressing cylinder 72 is mounted on the machine frame 11 for driving movement of the hot pressing lower mold 42, and has a telescopic rod 721 connected to the hot pressing lower mold 42.

Each pulp replenishing cylinder 73 is mounted on the machine frame 11, and has a telescopic rod 731. The telescopic rods 731 of each two pulp replenishing cylinders 73 are connected to the pulp tube 51 of a corresponding one of the pulp replenishing units 5 for driving movement of the corresponding pulp replenishing unit 5 between the separated position (see FIG. 5) and the closed position (see FIG. 6).

The support cylinders 74 are respectively connected to the air bag assemblies 62 for driving the air bags 622 into or out of the respective bottle preforms 8. Each support cylinder 74 moves together with the transfer platform 61, and has a telescopic rod 741 connected to the air tubes 621 of the respective air bag assembly 62.

Referring to FIG. 9, a forming method for the molded pulp bottle will be described below in combination with the forming machine of this embodiment, and includes a pulp suction process (S1), a pulp replenishing process (S2), a support process (S3), a transfer process (S4), and a hot pressing process (S5).

In the pulp suction process (S1), referring to FIG. 12, in combination with FIG. 4, the forming mold 3 is immersed in the pulp tank 2 to adsorb the pulp in the pulp tank 2 and form the plurality of bottle preforms 8. Each bottle preform 8 defines a chamber 80 having an opening that extends in the horizontal direction (X) and that faces the respective mold opening 302.

Referring to FIG. 10, in combination with FIGS. 2 to 4, the pulp suction process (S1) includes the following steps:

S11: Driving the forming mold 3 toward the pulp tank 2 in the up-down direction (Z) so as to be immersed in the pulp contained in the pulp tank 2, so that the pulp enters the mold cavities 301 of the forming mold 3 through the respective mold openings 302; and

S12: Adsorbing the pulp to inner surfaces of the mold cavities 301 defined by the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 through the suction airflow in the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 so as to form the pulp in the mold cavities 301 into the bottle preforms 8 which match the shape of the mold cavities 301.

In the pulp replenishing process (S2), the forming mold 3 is first separated from the pulp tank 2, after which the pulp in the pulp tank 2 is sucked into the chamber 80 of each bottle preform 8 through the pulp replenishing units 5, and the pulp is adsorbed to an inner surface of each bottle preform 8 through the forming mold 3. Afterwards, the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 are separated from each other. It should be noted that the pulp is sucked into the chamber 80 of each bottle preform 8 and is adsorbed to an inner surface thereof so that each bottle preform 8 can reach a predetermined thickness and the thickness must be uniform to meet quality requirements.

Referring to FIG. 11, in combination with FIGS. 5, 6 and 12, the pulp replenishing process (S2) includes the following steps:

S21: Driving the forming mold 3 to move away from the pulp tank 2, and stopping the suction airflow in the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32;

S22: Driving the pulp replenishing units 5 to move from the separated position to the closed position, and sucking the pulp in the pulp tank 2 into the chamber 80 of each bottle preform 8 through the respective mold opening 302. With the pulp replenishing units 5 in the closed position, the plugs 52 are connected to the respective mold openings 302 of the forming mold 3, and the pulp in the pulp tank 2 is sucked to flow into the pulp inlet tube section 511 from the pulp inlet port 514 of the vertical tube section 510 of each pulp replenishing unit 5, and after filling the pulp inlet and outlet tube sections 511, 512 of the pulp tube 51 of each pulp replenishing unit 5, the pulp flows through the pulp outlet passage hole 521 of each plug 52 and enters the chamber 80 of each bottle preform 8 through the respective mold opening 302. It should be noted that the pulp may be sucked from other container or other pipeline, and not necessarily from the pulp tank 2.

S23: Adsorbing the pulp to the inner surface of each bottle preform 8 through the suction airflow in the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 and each bottle preform 8 so as to increase the thickness of each bottle preform 8;

S24: Stopping the suction airflow in the forming lower mold 32, and continuously sucking each bottle preform 8 through the suction airflow in the forming upper mold 31; and

S25: Driving the forming upper mold 31 to move upwardly away from the forming lower mold 32.

Since the forming upper mold 31 only moves a very small distance in the up-down direction (Z), in the absence of horizontal movement, the suction force and the gravity of the forming upper mold 31 can be used to prevent the bottle preforms 8 from collapsing.

In the support process (S3), referring to FIG. 14, in combination with FIG. 2, after the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32 are separated from each other, the transfer unit 6 is moved to a bottom side of the forming upper mold 31 until it contacts the same, and the air bags 622 are inflated. After the air bags 622 are inflated and expanded inside the bottle preforms 8 to support the same, the forming upper mold 31 is moved upward and away from the transfer unit 6 so as to leave the bottle preforms 8 on the transfer platform 61 of the transfer unit 6, thereby transferring the bottle preforms 8 to the transfer platform 61. During transfer of the bottle preforms 8 from the forming mold 3 to the transfer platform 61 in the up-down direction (Z), the bottle preforms 8 are supported by the air bags 622.

Referring to FIG. 13, in combination with FIGS. 2, 7, 8, and 14, the support process (S3) includes the following steps:

S31: Driving the transfer platform 61 to move from the middle rail portions 131 to the front rail portions 132 of the rails 13 and from the waiting zone 113 to the forming zone 111 in the horizontal direction (X) to a position between the forming upper and lower molds 31, 32;

S32: Driving the forming upper mold 31 to move down and engage the transfer platform 61;

S33: Inserting the air bags 622 in the deflated state into the chambers 80 of the respective bottle preforms 8 through the mold openings 302;

S34: Inflating the air bags 622 through the air tubes 621 to change from the deflated state to the inflated state for supporting the bottle preforms 8 together with the transfer platform 61; and

S35: Driving the forming upper mold 31 to move upwardly so as to separate from the transfer platform 61, thereby leaving the bottle preforms 8 on the transfer unit 6 and transferring the same to the transfer platform 61. At this time, the bottle preforms 8 are supported by the air bags 622 in the inflated state and the transfer platform 61.

In the transfer process (S4), referring to FIG. 16, in combination with FIGS. 2, the transfer unit 6 carries the bottle preforms 8 away from the forming zone 111 and moves in the front-rear direction (Y) to the hot pressing zone 112. At this time, the transfer platform 61 and the air bags 622 cooperatively support the bottle preforms 8 for transferring the same to the hot pressing mold 4 in the horizontal direction (X).

Referring to FIG. 15, in combination with FIGS. 2, 7, 8 and 16, the transfer process (S4) includes the following steps:

S41: Driving the transfer platform 61 together with the bottle preforms 8 to move from the forming zone 111 through the waiting zone 113 to the rear rail portions 133 in the hot pressing zone 112 so as to be located between the hot pressing upper and lower molds 41, 42 in the hot pressing zone 112;

S42: Driving the hot pressing lower mold 42 together with the rear rail portions 133 to move upward and push the transfer platform 61 to engage the hot pressing upper mold 41;

S43: Adsorbing the bottle preforms 8 to the hot pressing upper mold 41 through the suction airflow in the hot pressing upper mold 41, and then deflating the air bags 622;

S44: Removing the air bags 622 in the deflated state from the respective bottle preforms 8;

S45: Driving the hot pressing lower mold 42 to move downward together with the rear rail portions 133 so as to connect the rear rail portions 133 with the respective middle rail portions 131 and so as to separate the transfer platform 61 from the hot pressing upper mold 41; and

S46: Driving the air bag assemblies 62 and the transfer platform 61 to move from the rear rail portions 133 to the middle rail portions 131 and from the hot pressing zone 112 to the waiting zone 113 in the front-rear direction (Y).

It is worth mentioning that, in step S41, the transfer platform 61 will support bottom half portions of the bottle preforms 8 from below, and the air bags 622 will support the inner surfaces of the bottle preforms 8, so that the bottle preforms 8 will not collapse.

In the hot pressing process (S5), the hot pressing lower mold 42 is driven to move upward so as to engage the hot pressing upper mold 41, after which the hot pressing upper and lower molds 41, 42 are heated to dry the bottle preforms 8 so as to shape the bottle preforms 8.

It should be noted that the number of the hot pressing zones 112 is not limited to one, and in other variations of this embodiment, it may be more than two for performing more than two hot pressing processes (S5). Furthermore, the bottle preforms 8 may be transferred in cooperation with other equipment, such as robotic arms, to sequentially perform edge trimming, spraying functional material, defect detection, containerization, and other processes to thereby obtain the molded pulp bottles.

It should be further noted that the number of the mold cavity 301 of the forming mold 3 is not limited to plural, and may be one or only arranged in one row in other variations of this embodiment for forming one bottle preform 8 or a plurality of the bottle preforms 8 arranged in one row. Through this, the number of the air tubes 621, the air bags 622, the pulp replenishing cylinders 73, and the support cylinders 74 may also be varied according to the number of the bottle preforms 8.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, in addition, the number of the forming mold 3 is not limited to one, and may be more than two in other variations of this embodiment. Through this, the number of the pulp replenishing units 5 may also be varied according to the number of the forming molds 3 or the number of the mold cavities 301. As long as the pulp replenishing units 5 can move relative to the forming mold 3 in the horizontal direction (X) without interfering with the machine frame 11 or the guide post assemblies 12, any number thereof is acceptable. Since those with ordinary skilled in the art can deduce the expanded details based on the above description, a further description thereof is omitted herein.

Through the above description, the advantages of this embodiment can be summarized as follows:

• • 1. When the bottle preforms 8 are moved in the front-rear direction (Y), apart from the air bags 622 supporting the bottle preforms 8, the bottle preforms 8 are also carried by the transfer platform 61. Through this configuration, the transfer platform 61 can stably support the bottom half portions of the bottle preforms 8, and the air bags 622 can support the inner surfaces of the bottle preforms 8, so that not only the integrity and shape of the bottle preforms 8 can be maintained, but also the yield of the finished product can be significantly improved.
  • 2. Importantly, after the forming mold 3 is separated from the pulp tank 2, the pulp replenishing process (S2) is performed through the pulp replenishing units 5 so that the thickness of each bottle preform 8 can reach the required thickness, pulp suction density, and uniformity, thereby enhancing the finished product quality of the molded pulp bottles.
  • 3. Through the volumes of the upper and lower air chambers 311, 321, the flow rate and suction force of the suction airflow can be enhanced.
  • 4. The liquid entering the upper air chamber 311 can be quickly discharged through the upper connecting port 313 which is adjacent to the mold cavity 301, thereby enhancing the suction efficiency and stability during suction.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects; such does not mean that every one of these features needs to be practiced with the presence of all the other features. In other words, in any described embodiment, when implementation of one or more features or specific details does not affect implementation of another one or more features or specific details, said one or more features may be singled out and practiced alone without said another one or more features or specific details. It should be further noted that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.