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 blow mould includes at least first and second blow mould elements that inscribe a concavity; and at least one insert having an embossed surface to form a pattern onto a blow-moulded surface. The at least one insert is attached onto a surface of at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements to form a part of the wall of the blow-moulded product. Such blow mould is an ISBM blow mould and the blow mould is such that the at least one insert is a plate having a wall thickness of between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm and is attached onto at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements by a reversible fixation mechanism selected from the group of adhesives, preferably a double-sided adhesive tape, a magnet and a geometric mechanism.

A blow mould includes at least first and second blow mould elements that inscribe a concavity; and at least one insert having an embossed surface to form a pattern onto a blow-moulded surface. The at least one insert is attached onto a surface of at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements to form a part of the wall of the blow-moulded product. Such blow mould is an ISBM blow mould and the blow mould is such that the at least one insert is a plate having a wall thickness of between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm and is attached onto at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements by a reversible fixation mechanism selected from the group of adhesives, preferably a double-sided adhesive tape, a magnet and a geometric mechanism.

A blow mould includes at least first and second blow mould elements that inscribe a concavity; and at least one insert having an embossed surface to form a pattern onto a blow-moulded surface. The at least one insert is attached onto a surface of at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements to form a part of the wall of the blow-moulded product. Such blow mould is an ISBM blow mould and the blow mould is such that the at least one insert is a plate having a wall thickness of between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm and is attached onto at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements by a reversible fixation mechanism selected from the group of adhesives, preferably a double-sided adhesive tape, a magnet and a geometric mechanism.

A blow mould includes at least first and second blow mould elements that inscribe a concavity; and at least one insert having an embossed surface to form a pattern onto a blow-moulded surface. The at least one insert is attached onto a surface of at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements to form a part of the wall of the blow-moulded product. Such blow mould is an ISBM blow mould and the blow mould is such that the at least one insert is a plate having a wall thickness of between 0.2 mm and 2.0 mm and is attached onto at least one of the first and/or second blow mould elements by a reversible fixation mechanism selected from the group of adhesives, preferably a double-sided adhesive tape, a magnet and a geometric mechanism.

A method of manufacturing a pressure container including an in-mold label and a three-dimensional (3D) portion includes heating molds with a 3D groove formed therein to correspond to a 3D portion to be formed on a surface of the pressure container, separating the molds, attaching a label to an internal surface of the molds to allow at least a portion of the label to cover the 3D groove, positioning a pre-form of the pressure container in a cavity of the molds, closing the molds and injecting air into the pre-form at pressure in a specific range through a first route in a specific pressure range and expanding the pre-form, and three-dimensionally deforming a label attached to a surface of the pre-form to correspond to the 3D groove by air pressure along with the surface of the expanded pre-form while the expanded pre-form and the label are attached.

A method of manufacturing a pressure container including an in-mold label and a three-dimensional (3D) portion includes heating molds with a 3D groove formed therein to correspond to a 3D portion to be formed on a surface of the pressure container, separating the molds, attaching a label to an internal surface of the molds to allow at least a portion of the label to cover the 3D groove, positioning a pre-form of the pressure container in a cavity of the molds, closing the molds and injecting air into the pre-form at pressure in a specific range through a first route in a specific pressure range and expanding the pre-form, and three-dimensionally deforming a label attached to a surface of the pre-form to correspond to the 3D groove by air pressure along with the surface of the expanded pre-form while the expanded pre-form and the label are attached.

A method of blow molding a glossy article having at least one layer of thermoplastic material. The method comprises the steps of feeding a parison of said thermoplastic material into a mold having an inner surface with at least a portion of SPI finish standard selected from the group consisting of A-1, A-2, A-3, B-1, B-2 and B-3 mold and a first temperature of greater than 55 C.; blowing the parison against the inner surface of the mold to form the article; and subsequently lowering the temperature of the mold to a second temperature of between 10 C. to 55 C. before release of the molded article. The cycle time of the mold (t.sub.ct) is less than 250 seconds.

A plastic container having a mouth as well as a main body on an outer surface of the plastic container and/or through the outer surface of the plastic container itself using a wall material and in the form of a raised wall portion or a wall depression in the form of a wall structure. Container information is attached, wherein the container information on the finished plastic container replaces a label. The finished produced plastic container is free of a label, and at least one stiffening region is formed on an outer surface of the plastic container and/or is formed by a wall material of the container itself, in particular the stiffening region defines at least two regions on the outer surface which are separated from each other by the at least one stiffening region and the wall structures are distributed on at least these two regions.

A method of shaping plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers is provided, in which the plastics material pre-forms are expanded inside a blow mold with the aid of an expansion agent and a stretch rod to form the plastics material containers, and in which at least the blow mold and/or the stretch rod is or are sterilized if necessary at least in part with sterilization agent, wherein, to sterilize the outer side of the stretch rod, the stretch rod is displaced at least in part into the blow mold, and the sterilization agents are brought from a discharge element arranged outside the stretch rod to the exterior face of the stretch rod.