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Abstract

A control for a glass forming machine which includes a blank station for forming a parison from a gob of molten glass having a number of mechanisms, a blow station for forming a parison into a bottle, having a number of mechanisms, a feeder system including a shear mechanism for delivering a gob to the blank station, a mechanism for transferring a parison from the blank station to the blow station and a takeout mechanism for removing a bottle from the blank station. The machine has a set cycle time. Each of the mechanisms in the glass forming machine is cycled within the time of one machine cycle. Interferences exist between the motion paths of the gob, the parison, the bottle and individual mechanisms. The thermal forming of the parison and bottle involve a number of thermal forming processes occurring during the time of one machine cycle and having finite durations. Process air is supplied for at least one process for a finite duration by turning a supply valve 'on' and then 'off' during the time of one machine cycle. The start of displacement of the mechanisms and the turning of the valves 'on' and then 'off' are events which are started according to a selected schedule at defined event times within a 360 degree machine cycle. An unwrapped bottle forming process wherein a gob of molten glass is sheared from a runner of molten glass, the gob is then formed into a parison in the blank station, the parison is then formed into a bottle in the blow station, and the bottle is then removed from the blow station, takes more than the time of one machine cycle to complete, comprising a computer analysis means for analyzing the computerized model having at least one constraint as a constrained optimization problem for determining, for at least one section, with target limits on at least one event a target optimized schedule of events to occur within a corresponding target cycle time and for creating and sequentially applying a plurality of sequential intermediate schedule of events and a target schedule of events.

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First Claim