The present invention relates to a mold bottom extending about a central axis and comprising a molding wall made as a single piece and defining a molding surface; a cavity formed inside the molding wall, and having a central area, a peripheral area, and a middle area; a central pipe supplying the cavity with heat-transfer fluid, that opens in the central area via one or more central openings; and at least one pipe for discharging the heat-transfer fluid from the cavity, into which the peripheral area opens. According to the invention, the mold bottom comprises a bypass that brings the central pipe into direct communication with the middle area of the cavity by bypassing the central area.

The invention relates to a device for producing containers (22) by blow molding, with at least one temperature-controllable blow mold (21) held by a mold holder (20), namely with a bottom insert held by a bottom mold carrier and/or with mold inserts held by mold half carriers, and is characterized by an inductive heating device, which indirectly heats the bottom insert and/or the mold inserts by means of induction.

A method of making a container via a simultaneous filling and forming of the container with a liquid product is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of extruding a parison (12, 2), capturing a portion of the parison (12, 2) within a mold (15), and inflating the captured portion of the parison (12, 2) against the mold (15). The captured portion of the parison (12, 2) is inflated against the mold (15) by introducing the liquid product into an interior of the captured portion of the parison (12, 2), wherein the liquid product forms an end product to be sealed within the resultant container.

A reshaping station for reshaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the reshaping station includes a blow mold for reshaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, the blow mold having a base part, a first lateral part, and a second lateral part is provided. In the assembled state of the blow mold, the base part together with the lateral parts forms a cavity within which the plastic preforms can be expanded in order to form the plastic containers. The reshaping station also includes a support device for supporting the blow mold, and the support device has a first lateral part support and a second lateral part support, the first lateral part being arranged on the first lateral part support and the second lateral part being arranged on the second lateral part support. Also disclosed is a transforming station for transforming plastic parsons into plastic containers.

A method of blow molding an article having at least one layer of thermoplastic material. The method comprises the steps of heating a mold having an inner surface with two or more areas of different surface textures to a first temperature of greater than 55° C. and subsequently feeding a parison into the mold. The parison is then blown against the inner surface of the mold to form an article. The temperature of the mold is subsequently lowered to a second temperature of between 20° C. to about 55° C. and the temperature cycle time (t.sub.ct) of the mold is less than 250 seconds. Using the two phase heating and cooling process in combination with a mold featuring different surface textures provides a finished article with different visual effects.

A system for forming a container includes an injection station configured to inject a liquid material into a mold to form a preform. The system also includes a forming station including an apparatus for forming a container. The apparatus includes a blow mold configured to receive the preform and inject air into the preform to form the container. The blow mold includes an inner mold surface. The apparatus also includes at least one stretching rod configured to contact the preform in the blow mold and stretch the preform. The apparatus further includes electric heating elements coupled to the blow mold and positioned adjacent the inner mold surface to heat the inner mold surface. The system further includes a removal station configured to release the container from the system.

A system comprising a male part, a female part, a driving piece having a spool portion provided with a radial bore, a driving member moving radially inside the radial bore, a cavity and a radial projection. The driving piece moves in translation between a disconnected position of the male and female parts and a connected position of the male and female parts. The driving piece comprises a piston sliding in an activation chamber under the effect of a pressing force. The piston is attached to the spool portion in such a way as to move the drive piece to one of the positions from the connection position and disconnection position under the effect of the pressing force. The system further includes a control unit for triggering the application of the pressing force on the piston.

The present invention relates to a mold bottom extending about a central axis and comprising a molding wall made as a single piece and defining a molding surface; a cavity formed inside the molding wall, and having a central area, a peripheral area, and a middle area; a central pipe supplying the cavity with heat-transfer fluid, that opens in the central area via one or more central openings; and at least one pipe for discharging the heat-transfer fluid from the cavity, into which the peripheral area opens. According to the invention, the mold bottom comprises a bypass that brings the central pipe into direct communication with the middle area of the cavity by bypassing the central area.

A plant container has a base and a sidewall upwardly extending from the base. The sidewall includes stepped sidewall sections that each include a plurality of generally vertical sidewall panels having successively larger cross-sectional dimensions with distance from the base and horizontal ledges extending between an upper edge of an adjacent lower one of the sidewall panels and a lower edge of an adjacent upper one of the sidewall panels. The sidewall further includes a plurality of ribs, where each rib is formed between two of the stepped sidewall sections and extends inwardly across the ledges of the two stepped sidewall sections. Each rib has two legs that extend apart to form an outwardly-directed open channel. Holes are formed in the sidewall for air root pruning, where each hole is formed directly between a ledge and a leg of one of the ribs.

A plastic container comprises an upper portion including a finish defining an opening into the container, a lower portion including a base defining a standing surface, a sidewall extending between the upper portion and the lower portion, the sidewall defining a longitudinal axis, and at least one substantially transversely-oriented pressure panel located in the lower portion. The pressure panel is movable between an outwardly-inclined position and an inwardly-inclined position to compensate for a change of pressure inside the container. The standing surface defines a standing plane, and the entire pressure panel is located between the standing plane and the upper portion of the container when the pressure panel is in the outwardly-inclined position.