Mold knife preservation system and method

Abstract

A system for preserving a cutting knife can include an actuator for moving a first knife from an engaged to a removed position, at which the first knife does not contact a second knife when a first mold half, to which the actuator is connected, and a second mold half, to which the second knife is connected, move from an open to a closed position.

1 . A system for preserving a cutting knife, comprising: 
 a first mold half and a second mold half;    an actuator connected to the first mold half;    a first knife connected to the actuator;    a second knife connected to the second mold half;    wherein the first mold half and the second mold half have an open position and a closed position;    wherein the actuator moves the first knife from an engaged position to a removed position at which the first knife does not contact the second knife when the mold halves move from the open position to the closed position.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first knife is a bed knife, and the second knife is a cutting knife.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first knife is a cutting knife, and the second knife is a bed knife.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , 
 wherein the actuator comprises a cylinder capable of admitting a fluid for fluid coupling to a fluid supply and a piston within the cylinder and    wherein the piston is connected to the cutting knife.    
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the fluid is a gas.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising an actuator valve fluidly coupled to the cylinder and for fluidly coupling to the fluid supply.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising a valve toggle for manually opening the actuator valve.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising an automatic control device for automatically opening the actuator valve.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising an automatic control device connected to the actuator, wherein the automatic control device comprises a parison sensor.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising a spring connected to the cutting knife and connected to the first mold half.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising a knife holder, wherein the knife holder is connected to the actuator and the cutting knife is held by the knife holder.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 a fulcrum connected to the first mold half; and    a knife holder,    wherein the cutting knife is held by the knife holder and the fulcrum contacts the knife holder during at least part of the motion of the cutting knife from the engaged position to the removed position.    
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 a fulcrum connected to the first mold half;    a lever connected to the cutting knife;    wherein the actuator moves the lever to move the cutting knife from the engaged position to the removed position and    wherein the fulcrum contacts the lever during at least part of the motion of the cutting knife from the engaged position to the removed position.    
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the cutting knife comprises a cutting edge and the bed knife comprises a sharpening surface.  
   
   
       15 . A system for self-sharpening a cutting knife, comprising: 
 a first mold half and a second mold half;    a first knife connected to the first mold half; and    a second knife connected to the second mold half,    wherein the first mold half and the second mold half have an open position and a closed position, the first knife comes into sliding contact with the second knife when the mold halves move from the open position to the closed position, the first knife is a cutting knife and the second knife is a bed knife, and the cutting knife comprises a cutting edge and the bed knife comprises a sharpening surface.    
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the sharpening surface comprises a sharpening stone.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the sharpening surface comprises a monocrystalline diamond coating.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 15 , the bed knife further comprising a substrate, wherein the substrate is a metal.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the cutting knife has a length and the length of the cutting knife is positioned at a non-zero angle with respect to the sharpening surface, so that the cutting edge slides along the sharpening surface when the mold halves move to the closed position.  
   
   
       20 . A method for preserving a cutting knife, comprising moving a first knife from an engaged position to a removed position at which the first knife does not contact a second knife when a first mold half to which the first knife is connected and a second mold half to which the second knife is connected move from an open position to a closed position.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , the moving a first knife comprising triggering an actuator to move the first knife from the engaged position to the removed position, 
 wherein the first knife is a cutting knife, and the second knife is a bed knife.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , the triggering an actuator comprising deactivating the actuator to relieve force on the cutting knife.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21 , the triggering an actuator comprising activating the actuator to impose force on the cutting knife.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , the triggering an actuator comprising forcing a fluid into a cylinder of a fluid actuator, so that the fluid moves a piston within the cylinder, 
 wherein the piston is connected to the cutting knife, and the piston moves the cutting knife from the engaged position to the removed position.    
   
   
       25 . A method for self-sharpening of a cutting knife, comprising 
 moving a first mold half connected to a first knife and a second mold half connected to a second knife from an open position to a closed position,    wherein the first knife is a bed knife and the second knife is a cutting knife or the first knife is a cutting knife and the second knife is a bed knife, and a cutting edge of the cutting knife slides along a sharpening surface of the bed knife.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising moving the first mold half and the second mold half from the closed position to the open position, so that the cutting edge slides along the sharpening surface to create a sharp burr on the cutting edge.