A blow moulding machine for blow moulding a container having an integrally formed handle; said container blow moulded from a previously injection moulded preform; said preform comprising a body portion and said integrally formed handle; said machine including a preform loading station at which said preform is oriented by a preform orienting apparatus.

Disclosed are preforms which incorporate improvements in the region of the neck and upper segment of the body to allow the production of lightweight containers, such as bottles suitable for containing water or other beverages. In accordance with certain embodiments, the improvements include a thinner neck finish area than conventional bottles, where the thinner area is extended into the upper segment of the body portion below the support ring. Reducing the thickness in these areas of the bottle allows for less resin to be used in forming the preform and bottle.

A plastic preform includes a hollow body portion including a closed base portion and a lower portion and a lower portion extending upwardly from the closed bottom portion; and a neck portion extending upwardly from the lower portion. The neck portion includes a dispensing opening positioned at a top of the neck portion, threads positioned below the dispensing opening, a tamper-evident formation having a lower surface and positioned directly below the threads, and a support flange having an upper surface and a lower surface and positioned below the tamper-evident formation. In an embodiment, the plastic preform is formed of a material comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and a vertical distance from the lower surface of the tamper-evident formation to the lower surface of the support flange is from 0.125 to 0.150 inches. Containers and methods for molding preforms and making containers are also disclosed.

A method includes injection molding a preform using a two phase injection system having a first phase in which a material is injected into the preform and a second phase in which the material is injected into the preform. The preform is disposed in a mold. The preform is blow molded into an intermediate article. The intermediate article is trimmed to form a finished container. The first phase includes injecting a material into the preform to form a single layer of the preform and the second phase includes injecting the material to form inner and outer layers and an intermediate layer between the inner and outer layers. The inner and outer layers include the material and the intermediate layer includes at least one additive. Finished containers are disclosed.

A blow moulding machine for blow moulding a container having an integrally formed handle; said container blow moulded from a previously injection moulded preform; said preform comprising a body portion and said integrally formed handle; said machine including a preform loading station at which said preform is oriented by a preform orienting apparatus.

Disclosed are preforms which incorporate improvements in the region of the neck and upper segment of the body to allow the production of lightweight containers, such as bottles suitable for containing water or other beverages. In accordance with certain embodiments, the improvements include a thinner neck finish area than conventional bottles, where the thinner area is extended into the upper segment of the body portion below the support ring. Reducing the thickness in these areas of the bottle allows for less resin to be used in forming the preform and bottle.

A blow mold system including a mold body and a base portion. The mold body includes a central bore extending from a first end of the mold body to a second end of the mold body along a longitudinal axis. The first end is configured to receive a mold preform. The base portion includes a recess, and the base portion is arranged at the second end of the mold body such that the central bore and recess define a blow mold cavity in which a container may be formed from the mold preform. In embodiments, the blow mold system has at least two interchangeable base portions that allow for containers with differently-sized or differently-shaped necks to be formed.

A method includes injection molding a preform using a two phase injection system having a first phase in which a material is injected into the preform and a second phase in which the material is injected into the preform. The preform is disposed in a mold. The preform is blow molded into an intermediate article. The intermediate article is trimmed to form a finished container. The first phase includes injecting a material into the preform to form a single layer of the preform and the second phase includes injecting the material to form inner and outer layers and an intermediate layer between the inner and outer layers. The inner and outer layers include the material and the intermediate layer includes at least one additive. Finished containers are disclosed.

A preform can be made from two different materials that do not bond together by a bi-injection process, using the same mold. First an outer preform can be fashioned first, then an inner preform molded through a center hole in the outer preform, and the preforms connected. Inner/outer preform materials can be different, e.g., PET/polyolefin or polyamide, or the same, e.g., PET/PET. To prevent mutual bonding during molding of the second, a non-stick coating can be sprayed on a surface portion of the first preform prior to molding, the second. Manufacturing order can be either outer/inner, or inner/outer, and the non-stick coating sprayed on the inside/outside of the perform first molded.

The invention relates to a new PET preform design that enables a more precise distribution of material in the bottle bottom and avoids the waste of material around the injection point. The thickness BWT.sub.min of the wall at the center of the gate or tip (3) (injection point) is reduced to a minimum in order to avoid the waste of material around the injection point when the preform is blown. This is particular important for carbonated soft drink application since the reduced amount of amorphous material at the center of the gate (3) helps to reduce the risk of stress cracking on the bottle base. Furthermore a step (4) having thickness WT.sub.max in the body wall thickness, in the region of the periphery of the base with WT.sub.max>WT, allows enough material to be available for the proper blowing of the bottle bottom making the bottle more stable.