Methods to expand polymer tubing with desirable or optimum morphology and mechanical properties for stent manufacture and fabrication of a stent therefrom are disclosed.

The unit (1) for processing hollow-body plastic blanks (2) includes a chamber (6) wherein the blanks (2) move along a predetermined path. The chamber (6) is defined, on both sides of the path, by two side walls (3, 4) having inner surfaces (5) that face each other. The chamber (6) includes a main section (9) wherein at least one of the walls (3, 4) is provided with a plurality of electromagnetic radiation sources (10). The side walls (3, 4) define therebetween, on at least one end of the chamber, an opening (8) for the preforms to pass therethrough. The chamber (6) includes at least one optical confinement section (12) that extends between the main section (9) and the opening (8) and wherein the inner surfaces (5) of the side walls (3, 4) are optically reflective and converge toward the opening (8).

An oven for preforms and in particular a preform rotation system heats portions of the preform in a preferential manner. An oven (1) for blowing or stretch-blowing preforms (P) to provide containers (C) with oval section includes a path (2) for the preforms (P), transfer system (3) of the preforms (P) from a transport system upstream of the oven (1) and a transfer system (4) of the heated preforms (P) from the oven (1) to a downstream transport. Mandrels (9) are slidingly carried along the path (2), the mandrels temporarily engage with the preforms (P) to conduct the preforms along the path (2). The oven (1) includes at least one first heating module (10) and at least one second heating module (10). The oven (1) includes elements (22, 25) for rotating the preforms (P) by 180, the elements being in median position of the second heating module (10).

A method for forming a container with an integral handle includes heating a preform having an integral handle in a first oven, stretching the preform, closing a first mold having a first mold recess and a second mold having a second mold recess around the preform, and blowing air into the preform. A handle pocket wedge block is inserted into a handle pocket of the integral handle of the preform within the first mold and the second mold.

The present invention relates to a process for making a container having an integral handle, comprising the steps of: a) providing a preform (1) in a mould cavity (2); b) stretch-blow moulding the preform (1) to form an intermediate container (3); c) applying one or more inwardly moving plugs (5) to form one or more concave gripping region(s), whilst maintaining the pressure within the intermediate container (3) above 1 bar and whilst the temperature of the material in the gripping region of the intermediate container is at a temperature below the glass transition temperature, T.sub.g; d) releasing excess pressure within the container, preferably prior to withdrawing the plug (5) from within the container; and e) ejecting the finished container(6) from the mould cavity (2,4).

A method for manufacturing an injection-molded article, preferably a preform (11) of a bottle (1), in particular an aerosol bottle, made of a crystallizable polymer material, this article having at least one crystallized part (3), in particular a neck, and preferably a tubular body (14) closed at one end (16), the method comprising the following steps: a) producing an injection-molded article, preferably an injection-molded preform (11), by injecting the crystallizable polymer into a mold, b) crystallizing said part (3) of the injection-molded article, in particular of the injection-molded preform, by heating and then cooling the latter, wherein, in said method, between step a) and step b), the injection-molded article, in particular the injection-molded preform (11), is held for a sufficient duration under storage conditions such that it undergoes moisture uptake of at least 0.4% by weight.