A system for direct injection of selected thermal-infrared (IR) wavelength radiation or energy into articles for a wide range of processing purposes is provided. These purposes may include heating, raising or maintaining the temperature of articles, or stimulating a target item in a range of different industrial, medical, consumer, or commercial circumstances. The system is especially applicable to operations that require or benefit from the ability to irradiate at specifically selected wavelengths or to pulse or inject the radiation. The system is particularly advantageous when functioning at higher speeds and in a non-contact environment with the target.

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 nozzle for a blow-molding process includes a first sealing portion and a second seating portion. A transition portion is positioned between the first sealing portion and the second sealing portion. The nozzle is configured such that upon engagement with a container preform having a longitudinal axis, the second sealing portion is positioned along the longitudinal axis at a different location than the first sealing portion.

The invention relates to a preform for producing a plastic container in a 2-stage stretch blow molding method, said preform having a preform body that extends along a central axis and that comprises: a first end a second end that lies opposite the first end, wherein the first end is closed and a neck part with a pouring opening adjoins the second end; and an inner wall that delimits an interior of the preform. Along a length of at least 30 mm of the interior, every point of the inner wall is at a distance of less than 3.5 mm from the central axis. Also disclosed are a suitable method and a device for producing such a preform.

The invention relates to a container comprising a container wall that partly surrounds a container interior, wherein the container wall a) has a container opening; b) comprises a container layer comprising i) a multitude of particles, and ii) no fold and no crease;  and c) comprises a first polymer layer that at least partly superimposes the container layer;
wherein the container interior a. has a maximum diameter in a plane perpendicular to a height of the container interior, and b. has a diameter less than the maximum diameter of the container interior at least in sections in the direction from the plane to the container opening.

The invention further relates to a method of superimposing a container precursor with a polymer composition; a container obtainable by that method; an apparatus for superimposing a container precursor with a polymer composition; a method of filling and closing one of the aforementioned containers and the closed container obtainable thereby; and uses of a filling machine, of one of the aforementioned containers, of a polymer composition, and of a powder coating system.

A lightweight neck finish includes a retaining structure that interacts with a tamper band to cause frangible connectors between the tamper band and closure to break upon initial removal of the closure from the neck finish. An upper retention portion of the retaining structure has a profile with a reduced footprint as compared to a conventional retaining structure. A lower support portion of the retaining structure has an outermost diameter similar in size to an outermost diameter of a conventional retaining structure. However, the lower support of the lightweight neck finish is formed with one or more circumferentially extending slots and/or one or more vertical slots. The reduced footprint of the retention portion and the slots of the support portion minimize the amount of material, weight, and time and cost required to make the lightweight neck finish, while providing for increased tamper evidence visibility as compared to conventional neck finishes.

An apparatus for a nozzle is provided for engaging with lightweight preforms for blow-molding the preforms into plastic containers without damaging the finish portion of the preforms. The nozzle comprises a first cylindrical portion including a first seal, a second cylindrical portion including a second seal, and a tapered portion between the first and second cylindrical portions. The first and second cylindrical portions include diameters that are less than respective diameters of interior surfaces within the finish portion. The first and second seals are disposed around respective circumferences of the first and second cylindrical portions and configured to tightly engage with the interior surfaces of the preform while maintaining clearance between the nozzle and the interior of the finish portion. In some embodiments, the seals are configured to stabilize an orientation of the preform after being pressed onto the nozzle and facilitate conveying the preform along a manufacturing line.

A method for manufacturing a container includes injecting a first material into a first mold to form a top portion of a preform. The first material and a second material are injected into the first mold to form a bottom portion of the preform. The preform is disposed in a second mold. The preform is blow molded into a finished container.

A method for producing a marked container (12), includes the following steps: a first step (E1) of heating, beyond a glass transition temperature, at least one shape-changing portion of the thermoplastic material wall (17) of a preform (14); and a second step (E2) of forming the container by injecting a pressurized fluid into the body (16) of the preform (14) such as to change the shape of the heated portion of the wall (17) by stretching it; and a step (E0) for marking the preform (14), during which a mark (39) is provided on the shape-changing portion of the wall (17) such that the mark (39) is stretched at the same time as the wall (17), during step (E2) after forming.

According to the present invention, in order to improve the productivity of an injection stretch blow molding machine, when a core mold is lifted during mold opening at an injection molding part of the injection stretch blow molding machine, stress is dispersed so as not to concentrate at an area where the thickness changes between a preform opening and a preform body so that the preform body is inhibited from being lifted at a skin layer formed in the area where the thickness changes between the preform opening and the preform body. In a preform (30) where a skin layer (34) at the surface has a lower temperature than a middle layer (35) so as to allow a preform body (32) and a preform bottom (33) to expand and deform from the inside of the preform toward the outside of the preform, the skin layer (34) bridging between the inner surface of the preform body (32) and the inner surface of the preform opening (31) is formed in a tapered shape that opens upward at an outward slant with respect to an extension line (38) of the inner surface of the preform body (32) extending above the skin layer (34) so that, during the lifting of the core mold, the stress exerted from the preform body (32) is dispersed at a stress dispersing plane section (39) formed with the skin layer (34).