The present invention relates to a plastic preform (200) for a container (300) comprising at least one elongate reinforcing element (210), and obtained by injection-molding. The present invention further relates to a container (300) blow-molded from such a preform (200), and comprising at least one reinforcing element (320), and having a continuous and smooth outer surface (310b).

A technical problem is to fully make up for a restricted upper limit to the preform body wall thickness. An object is to provide a bottle which is narrow-mouthed and yet has a substantially expanded body. In principle, the bottle may include a mouth opening portion with a bore diameter of 10 mm or less and a maximum diameter of the body is 2.5 times or more than the bore diameter of the mouth opening portion, and wherein a maximum diameter portion of the body has a minimum wall thickness of 0.45 mm or more.

A method of processing a polyester composition without changing the intrinsic viscosity of the polyester polymer by more than 0.025 dL/g such as injection molding a PET resin to form a bottle perform and blow molding a container from the bottle preform.

A preform is disclosed for the production of plastic containers, for example plastic bottles, in a stretch-blow-molding method. The preform can include an elongated preform body having a closed longitudinal end and which connects on an opposite longitudinal end to a neck section having a pour opening, the neck section having an outside wall with a fastening means. A rotating flange at a transition from the preform body to the neck section, wherein at least a portion of the rotating flange is annular and radially extends above an outside wall of the preform body. A peripheral annular groove can extend obliquely from a base of the annular groove to the outside wall of the neck section forming a circumferential inner collar, and wherein the inner collar the direction of the preform body, extends axially above the annular groove and extends into an inside wall of the preform body.

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 method of forming a container from bi-axially orientable plastics material and having an integral handle with the steps of forming a preform having a neck portion and an expandable portion below the neck portion with the neck portion including a locating ring above the expandable portion and a handle molded to the non expandable at one end and molded to the expandable portion at the other end. Where the molded-in handle is the approximate length of the handle of the finished container. The unblown preform of orientable plastics is inserted into a blow molder and thereafter stretched by a stretch rod. During the stretch process the handle on the preform unbends rather than stretching to form the approximate shape of the handle in the finished container. The blow mold then closes on the stretched preform thus capturing the handle. Blow gas is then injected into the interior.

An apparatus for forming a container generally comprises a first mold part having an injection mold portion and a blow mold portion and a second mold part having a core pin. The core pin is configured to cooperate with the injection mold portion in a first position to define an injection mold cavity for forming a preform and an integral cap. The core pin is also configured to cooperate with the blow mold portion in a second position to define a blow mold cavity for forming a receptacle from the preform. The cap may be closed at the blow mold portion to seal the receptacle. One or more threads may be formed on a neck of the container.