An I.S. machine is disclosed which has at least one section having a mold station wherein a glass forming operation is performed within a mold which includes an opposed pair of mold halves each of which has a blank diameter which can vary within a selected range and a planar surface to be clampingly engaged with the planar surface of the other mold half at a mold centerline. The section has a mold open and closed mechanism which includes a pair of opposed displaceable mold holders for holding one or a plurality of opposed pairs of mold halves, and a drive assembly for displacing the mold holders from a selected open position, the location of which is a direct function of the dimension of the blank diameter of the mold halves supported on the mold holders, to a closed position.
A mold open and closed mechanism for an I.S. machine is disclosed which has a mold carrier supported for displacement between mold open and closed positions. The mold carrier has a front mold mounting face vertical and horizontal mold alignment structure and a vertical face for transmitting clamping forces to a supported mold.