A blow moulding machine for blow moulding a container having an integrally formed handle; said container blow moulded from a previously injection moulded preform; said preform comprising a body portion and said integrally formed handle; said machine including a preform loading station at which said preform is oriented by a preform orienting apparatus.

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 preform can be made from two different materials that do not bond together by a bi-injection process, using the same mold. First an outer preform can be fashioned first, then an inner preform molded through a center hole in the outer preform, and the preforms connected. Inner/outer preform materials can be different, e.g., PET/polyolefin or polyamide, or the same, e.g., PET/PET. To prevent mutual bonding during molding of the second, a non-stick coating can be sprayed on a surface portion of the first preform prior to molding, the second. Manufacturing order can be either outer/inner, or inner/outer, and the non-stick coating sprayed on the inside/outside of the perform first molded.

Container of a bag-in-container type, wherein a neck region of the container is provided with at least one opening extending substantially radially there through, into a space between the outer container and an inner container adjacent thereto, wherein the neck region is provided with coupling elements, preferably at opposite sides of the at least one opening, seen in circumferential direction, for coupling of a connecting device to the container for introducing a pressure fluid through the at least one opening into a space between the inner and outer container.

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.

Container of a bag-in-container type, wherein a neck region of the container is provided with at least one opening extending substantially radially there through, into a space between the outer container and an inner container adjacent thereto, wherein the neck region is provided with coupling elements, preferably at opposite sides of the at least one opening, seen in circumferential direction, for coupling of a connecting device to the container for introducing a pressure fluid through the at least one opening into a space between the inner and outer container.

The present invention relates to an integrally blow-moulded bag-in-container and preform for blow-moulding the bag-in-container. An inner layer and an outer layer are used, wherein the preform forms a two-layer container upon blow-moulding, and wherein the obtained inner layer of the container releases from the thus obtained outer layer upon introduction of a gas at a point of interface between the two layers. At least one of the inner and outer layers includes at least one additive allowing both inner and outer layers to reach their respective blow-moulding temperatures substantially simultaneously.

A preform can be made from two different materials that do not bond together by a bi-injection process, using the same mold. First an outer preform can be fashioned first, then an inner preform molded through a center hole in the outer preform, and the preforms connected. Inner/outer preform materials can be different, e.g., PET/polyolefin or polyamide, or the same, e.g., PET/PET. To prevent mutual bonding during molding of the second, a non-stick coating can be sprayed on a surface portion of the first preform prior to molding, the second. Manufacturing order can be either outer/inner, or inner/outer, and the non-stick coating sprayed on the inside/outside of the perform first molded.

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 bottle includes an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the inner layer has blackness higher than that of the outer layer, and wherein the outer layer has an L* value of 20 or more and 90 or less in an International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L*a*b* color system.