Ways of simultaneously forming and filling a container include and/or use a mold (14), a pressure source (20), a blow nozzle (22), and one or more dampening means. The mold (14) has a cavity defining an internal surface and is configured to accept a preform (12). The pressure source (20) is configured to provide a pressurized liquid (18). The blow nozzle (22) is configured to receive the pressurized liquid (18) from the pressure source (20) and transfer the pressurized liquid (18) into the preform (12) to urge the preform (12) to expand toward the internal surface of the mold cavity (16) and form a resultant container, where the liquid (86, 96) remains within the container as an end product. The one or more dampening means is/are configured to reduce water hammer, for example, by coupling such dampening means to one of the blow nozzle (22) and the mold (14).

Systems and methods for making a reduced material container (105) are provided that hold a preform (130) adjacent to an open end (165) of the preform (130), stretch the preform (130), close a mold (110, 120) about the stretched preform (175) to form a truncated preform (185), and introduce a pressurized fluid (160) into the truncated preform (185) to expand the truncated preform (185) and form the reduced material container (105). A stretch rod (125) can be inserted into the preform (130) to mechanically stretching the preform (130). The mold (110, 120) accepts the preform (130) at a first end (135) thereof, has an open state and a closed state, and the closed state forms a cavity (140) defining an internal surface (145) having a second end (150) located remotely from the first end (135). A first length (155) is defined by a distance between the first end (135) and the second end (150), the stretch rod (125) mechanically stretching the preform (130) to a second length (170), the second length (170) being greater than the first length (155).

An apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, includes at least one forming station which forms the plastic preforms into the plastic containers by applying a flowable medium to the plastic preforms, wherein the forming station includes a blow mold, and a rod-like body which is insertable into the plastic preforms via a mouth of the plastic preforms, and a moving device which is configured for moving the rod-like body in the longitudinal direction of the plastic performs. The rod-like body has a channel for guiding the flowable medium, and the forming station has a valve device controlling the supply of the flowable medium into the channel. The valve device is arranged on the moving device and/or a ratio between an inner diameter of the rod-like body and an outer diameter of said rod-like body is, at least in sections, smaller than or equal to 0.5.

The present invention relates to a valve assembly for blowing or draw-blowing preforms made of polymer material, applicable to a machine suitable to transform said preforms into bottles or containers.

In particular, the invention relates to a valve assembly (1) comprising a control block (2) and a blowing block (3), in which the blowing block (3) comprises an outer body (50) having a longitudinal axis, inside which a blowing cylinder ending at the bottom with a nozzle (58) suitable to be coupled with the neck of a container (C), is slidingly accommodated, and wherein the control block (2) receives pressurized air from at least one pressurized air source and sends it to said blowing block (3) according to a predetermined pressure profile dependent on the selected blowing cycle, in which the control block (2) comprises a plurality of valves for dispensing pressurized air at different pressures, and an air exhaust valve, characterized in that said valves are driven by pressurized air at a pressure between 15 and 40 bar.

A method for forming plastic preforms into plastic bottles has a first and a second operating mode, wherein the respective operating modes being selectively chosen by an operator as required. In in the first operating mode, i.e. a quality mode, a connection is established between a valve block and a pressure reservoir of the second pressure level in only one direction, from a valve block towards the pressure reservoir, i.e. a compressed air recycling mode, and in a second operating mode, i.e. an efficiency approach, a connection is established between the valve block and the pressure reservoir of the second pressure level in both directions, i.e. from the valve block towards the pressure reservoir and from the pressure reservoir towards the valve block.

A method for forming and filling a container. The method includes: determining an effective fill area of an opening of the container through which fluid can pass while a stretch rod is seated within the opening; actuating a seal pin to open a nozzle passage of the nozzle to allow the fluid to flow through the nozzle passage and through the opening to simultaneously form and fill the container; detecting a degree to which the nozzle passage is open; increasing fill velocity of the fluid to the nozzle as the nozzle passage is opened; setting fill velocity of the fluid to a maximum fill velocity when the nozzle passage is opened such that an area of the nozzle passage is at least equal to the effective fill area at the opening of the finish; and closing the seal pin after the container is formed and filled.

A container production method including a preform setup step of disposing a preform in a blow molding mold and engaging a filling nozzle with a mouth of the preform; a blow molding step of liquid blow molding the preform by supplying a pressurized liquid into the preform; a liquid discharge step of releasing the blow molding mold and pressing a trunk of the container after molding with a pressing portion that is inserted from a clearance between separated mold pieces adjacent to each other to discharge a liquid in the container to the outside of the container by a predetermined amount; and a headspace forming step of forming a headspace in the container by separating the filling nozzle from a mouth of the container.

Hollow part manufacturing machine includes at least one mold in which hollow parts can be manufactured by application of a pressurized medium, a valve unit, having at least two valves, wherein an inlet of a second valve is connected to a second pressure accumulator, which is pressurized under a second pressure, and an outlet of the second valve is connected to a blow nozzle via a channel. The inlet of a first valve is connected to a first pressure accumulator that is under a first pressure and the outlet of the first valve is also connected to the blow nozzle via a channel. During at least a part of the molding process, the blow nozzle seals the material to be molded, and/or the mold, relative to the environment.

Disclosed herein, amongst other things, is a method for converting a design of an original preform that is blow moldable to form a container into a converted preform having less molding material that is blow moldable to form the same container. The method includes retaining a neck finish and body of the original preform on the converted preform. The method further includes replacing the original base of the original preform with a converted base having an outer base surface that joins with an outer body surface of the body at an base split-line of the original base and that fits offset within an outer body surface of the original base, whereby the converted preform has a reduced total length, disregarding any gate vestige that may be formed thereon, relative to a total length of the original preform.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a synthetic resin container, including: after the shaping of a container, drawing back a liquid inside the container to a pressurized liquid feeding unit side by a suckback mechanism disposed at a predetermined position in a feeding channel of the liquid from the pressurized liquid feeding unit to a mouth tube portion of a preform; closing the feeding channel by means of a valve mechanism disposed on the downstream side of the suckback mechanism; introducing a gas into the container so that the volume reduction deformation of the container resulting from the drawing back of the liquid is restored to its original shape; and adjusting a headspace inside the container with the amount of volume change associated with the volume reduction deformation.