A plastic container is provided that includes a lower supporting base portion; a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall portion; and a closure. The neck portion includes a support flange having an upper and lower surface, threads, a tamper-evident formation, and a dispensing opening at the top of the neck portion. In an embodiment, the weight of the neck portion is 3.0 grams or less; and the vertical distance from the top of the dispensing opening to the lower surface of the support flange, including the threads and the tamper-evident formation, is 0.580 inches or less. A preform and method for making a container are also disclosed.

A plastic container is provided that includes a lower supporting base portion; a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall portion; and a closure. The neck portion includes a support flange having an upper and lower surface, threads, a tamper-evident formation, and a dispensing opening at the top of the neck portion. In an embodiment, the weight of the neck portion is 3.0 grams or less; and the vertical distance from the top of the dispensing opening to the lower surface of the support flange, including the threads and the tamper-evident formation, is 0.580 inches or less. A preform and method for making a container are also disclosed.

A foamed and stretched plastic bottle having, in the body portion thereof, a foamed region in which foamed cells are distributed, wherein, in at least a portion of the foamed region, the lengths of the foamed cells in the axial direction of the bottle are so distributed as to gradually decrease as the positions of the foamed cells shift from the outer surface side of the body portion toward the central portion thereof and then gradually increase as their positions shift from the central portion thereof toward the inner surface side thereof. The foamed and stretched plastic bottle of the invention exhibits excellent light-shielding property.

A foamed and stretched plastic bottle having, in the body portion thereof, a foamed region in which foamed cells are distributed, wherein, in at least a portion of the foamed region, the lengths of the foamed cells in the axial direction of the bottle are so distributed as to gradually decrease as the positions of the foamed cells shift from the outer surface side of the body portion toward the central portion thereof and then gradually increase as their positions shift from the central portion thereof toward the inner surface side thereof. The foamed and stretched plastic bottle of the invention exhibits excellent light-shielding property.

Method of manufacturing a container (2) by stretch-blow molding in a mold (8) from a blank (3) of plastic material, which comprises the operations consisting of: measuring the pressure prevailing inside the blank (3) during a pre-blowing phase; detecting an instant corresponding to a local minimum pressure in the blank (3); placing in memory the instant at which said minimum pressure occurs as well as the corresponding pressure prevailing in the blank (3); comparing the instant and the pressure of the detected minimum with, respectively, a predetermined instant and pressure of a theoretical minimum pressure; if the measured minimum and the theoretical minimum do not coincide, ordering a modification of at least one of the following parameters: pre-blowing pressure, pre-blowing flow rate, stretching speed, heating temperature.

Disclosed is a method for parametrizing a facility for producing containers including: a mold having a movable mold bottom, a movable drawing rod and an electric machine coupled with the rod; from a configuration in which the rod is in a raised position and in the bottom in an extended position, operating the electric machine as a motor; assessing the resultant of the axial forces on the rod; when a variation is detected in the resultant of the forces, assigning an initial position to the rod; controlling the movement of the mold bottom towards the retracted position thereof; assigning to the rod the corresponding so-called final position of the rod; and calculating the difference between the final position and the initial position.

A plastic container is provided that includes a lower supporting base portion; a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a neck portion extending upwardly from the sidewall portion; and a closure. The neck portion includes a support flange having an upper and lower surface, threads, a tamper-evident formation, and a dispensing opening at the top of the neck portion. In an embodiment, the weight of the neck portion is 3.0 grams or less; and the vertical distance from the top of the dispensing opening to the lower surface of the support flange, including the threads and the tamper-evident formation, is 0.580 inches or less. A preform and method for making a container are also disclosed.

An apparatus for forming a thermoplastic container from a cylindrical preform and for delivering a predetermined volume of a beverage component into the container. The apparatus includes: a mold defining a shape of the container; a member configured to inject at least one beverage component into a recess in the preform so as to promote expansion of the preform inside the mold into the shape of the container, the member being further configured to inject the at least one beverage component in a first volume intentionally greater than the predetermined volume; and the member also being configured to remove a fraction of the first volume of the beverage component until a second volume of beverage component remaining in the container is equal to the predetermined volume.

A plastic preform is provided that includes a closed bottom portion; a lower portion extending upwardly from the bottom portion; and a neck portion extending upwardly from the lower portion. The neck portion includes a support flange having an upper and lower surface, threads, a tamper-evident formation, and a dispensing opening at the top of the neck portion. In an embodiment, the weight of the neck portion is 3.0 grams or less; and the vertical distance from the top of the dispensing opening to the lower surface of the support flange, including the threads and the tamper-evident formation, is 0.580 inches or less. A container and method for making a container are also disclosed.

A blow molding machine assembly configured to be mounted to a blow molding machine to move a mold base configured to form a container base. The blow molding machine assembly includes an over-stroke cylinder and a counter-stretch rod. The over-stroke cylinder is configured to move the mold base between an extended base position and a retracted base position. The counter-stretch rod is movable between a retracted rod position in which the counter-stretch rod does not extend out from within the mold base, and an extended rod position in which the counter-stretch rod extends out from within the mold base.