A preform conveying device (100) of the invention includes a control unit that detects an arriving time at which a conveyor jig arrives at a reference position based on an output of a first encoder, and commands a second motor to move a conveyor arm to a target position at regular intervals from the arriving time. The target position in each command is a position obtained by adding, to a current position of the conveyor jig which is obtained based on a latest output of the first encoder which was obtained when the command has been issued, a moving distance by which the conveyor jig has advanced during a delay time T which spans from a time when the latest output is outputted from the first encoder to a time when the command is received by the second motor.

A device for gripping a hollow body includes a freely-rotating shaft and a mandrel that is integral with the shaft. The mandrel itself includes: an end fitting; a radiator that is mounted directly on the end fitting; a crosspiece inserted between the end fitting and the radiator; an expandable ring mounted between the end fitting and the crosspiece; an elastic element mounted between the end fitting and the expandable ring; an insert made of a material with high thermal conductivity, set in a housing made in the end fitting and emptying onto a free end face of the former, with the insert extending up to the point facing the radiator.

Apparatus for treating plastic preforms, having a reservoir which is configured for receiving a plurality of plastic preforms, having at least one first transport device which transports the plastic preforms out of the reservoir, and having a sorting device which is arranged down-stream of the first transport device in a transport direction of the plastic preforms, and having at least one further transport device which is arranged downstream of the sorting device in the transport direction, wherein the apparatus has an inspection device for inspecting the transported plastic performs, arranged between the reservoir and the sorting device.

The invention relates to a mold for molding a hollow body from a preform, the mold defining a molding cavity having the shape of the a hollow body to be molded. The mold including a first part and a second part movable relative to each other between an opened configuration, wherein the preform can be loaded inside the molding cavity, and a closed configuration, wherein the molding cavity is formed. The mold further including a locking element arranged to maintain the mold in its closed configuration in a locked position of the mold. The locking element having at least a sleeve portion arranged around a portion of the first and second parts in the closed configuration such that the sleeve portion surrounds the portion of the first and second parts and prevents the mold from moving towards its open configuration in the locked position of the mold.

The invention concerns a method for managing captive preforms immobilized in a heating station during an interruption of production, the preforms following a production stream, the heating station including a device for conveying preforms and a heating cavity bordered by at least one row of emitters of monochromatic electromagnetic radiation. The method consists in ejecting from the production stream the cold captive preforms that have been immobilized before they have been exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitters to a recycling stream and rejecting from the production stream the hot captive preforms that have been at least partly exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitters to a reject stream separate from the recycling stream.

Described herein is a preform heating device, in particular a heating device which uses monochromatic infrared radiation preferably generated by lasers. In particular, a heating device for preforms is configured so as to be positioned outside a preform and radiate an electromagnetic radiation in the infrared range, forming a radiation disk in such a device according to a radial symmetry with respect to the center of the preform axis.

A molded article supply apparatus is provided in a transport device 30 having transport members 20 on which molded articles 1 having mouths 2 are held in an inverted state, with the mouths 2 facing downward, and which are provided with rod members 22 to be inserted into the molded articles 1; and a transport path 31 on which the transport members 20 are continuously transported. The molded article supply apparatus comprises a supply unit 110 disposed above the transport path 31, for holding the molded articles 1 at predetermined intervals and lowering the molded articles 1, while transporting the molded articles 1 in synchronization with movement of the transport members 20, to supply the molded articles 1 to the transport members 20.

The invention relates to a method for producing hollow bodies from thermoplastic material and to an apparatus for carrying out the method. The method comprises the molding of at least two sheet-like preforms in web form of thermoplastic material into two complementary shells in a multi-part tool, which in a closed position forms a mold impression, and the joining together of the shells to form an essentially closed hollow body, the preforms being brought between the parts of the tool in an opened receiving position of the parts of the tool and the preforms being placed into the part-cavities by applying differential pressure and being at least partially molded in them into shells. The shells are joined together to form an essentially closed hollow body by closing the tool to form a closed mold impression. The method is distinguished by the fact that the preforms are molded in the part-cavities while the parts of the tool are located in the opened receiving position.

A storage system for storing objects of plastic material processed in a bottling line (45) comprises: a plurality of drawers (4) configured to contain groups of objects (5); a frame (2) which defines a plurality of compartments (3) configured to house the drawers (4); a conveyor (8) movable in the storage system (1) itself and configured to access the compartments (3) in such a way as to withdraw and place drawers (4) from and into the compartments (4); a loading bay (11) having one or more loading compartments for receiving corresponding drawers (4) and having a loading manipulator (28) configured to place in the drawers (4) the loose objects (5) received from an infeed conveyor (29); an unloading bay (12) having at least one unloading compartment for receiving a corresponding drawer (4) and having an unloading manipulator (41) configured to place onto an outfeed conveyor (43, 44) the loose objects (5) stored in the drawer (4).

A blow molding machine for a resin container is provided with at least a blow molding section, a heating section, and a conveyance path for conveying a preform heated by the heating section to the blow molding section. The conveyance path is provided with a first conveyance member that is continuously and intermittently driven. The blow molding section is provided with a plurality of blow movable members. A plurality of conveyance driving sections for driving the first conveyance member are driven in synchronization with each other, and the blow movable members are driven in synchronization with each other.