A mold opening and closing mechanism for a section of an I.S. machine includes a mold carrier assembly and horizontal axially extending shafts. A housing supports these shafts for axial displacement and includes first and second vertically extending ducts which terminate at their tops with a sleeve. A manifold assembly includes a manifold including a plenum which overlies each of the mold halves. A spacer secured beneath said frame and having vertically extending holes communicates with the downwardly opening exit of the plenum for delivering cooling air from the plenum to the vertical cooling air passages of the mold halves. The manifold includes a pair of horizontally extending cylindrical inlet holes A pair of cylindrical tubes are received by the cylindrical holes and first and second elbows connect a second end of each of the cylindrical tubes to the sleeves so that cooling air from the ducts will be delivered to the pair of tubes. Each of the pair of cylindrical tubes has a length selected so that the tubes will be received by the cylindrical holes as the carrier/insert means is displaced between the retracted and advanced positions.
A drive has a link which connects via a bearing to a shaft which supports an insert carrier. To lubricate the bearing oil is dropped onto an elongated reservoir in the top surface of a slide rail secured to the insert carrier and the oil flows by gravity through the rail and insert carrier to the shaft and then through the shaft to the surface of the shaft where it is supported by a bearing.
A mold support mechanism for an I.S. machine has a carrier that is releasably connected to the shaft on which the drive links of a drive are rotatably supported.
A mold open and close mechanism for an I.S. machine is provided which separates the drive including the motor and the housing. The drive portion is releasably connected to the housing so that the drive can be easily removed for repair or replacement.