A storage system for storing objects of plastic material processed in a bottling line (45) comprises: a plurality of drawers (4) configured to contain groups of objects (5); a frame (2) which defines a plurality of compartments (3) configured to house the drawers (4); a conveyor (8) movable in the storage system (1) itself and configured to access the compartments (3) in such a way as to withdraw and place drawers (4) from and into the compartments (4); a loading bay (11) having one or more loading compartments for receiving corresponding drawers (4) and having a loading manipulator (28) configured to place in the drawers (4) the loose objects (5) received from an infeed conveyor (29); an unloading bay (12) having at least one unloading compartment for receiving a corresponding drawer (4) and having an unloading manipulator (41) configured to place onto an outfeed conveyor (43, 44) the loose objects (5) stored in the drawer (4).

A method for producing beverage containers includes the steps of: delivering plastic parisons to a transforming device; transforming the plastic parisons into plastic containers using the transforming device; transporting the plastic containers to a filling device; filling the plastic containers with a liquid using the filling device, and closing the filled containers with closures. Product changeover from one product to another is facilitated.

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.

Apparatus and method for producing plastic bottles. An apparatus for producing plastic bottles includes a blow molding machine to receive and to stretch blow mold preforms into bottles. The apparatus includes a modular machine to receive the bottles from the blow molding machine and to at least one of label or print on the bottles. The modular machine includes a first unit to perform a first task. The first unit is replaceable with a second unit. The second unit is to perform a second task different from the first task. The blow molding machine is bloc-synchronized with the modular machine to space the blow molding machine a distance from the modular machine.

Even when the filling speed increases, the surface temperature of a molded bottle falls within a constant range, and a sterilizer adequately sterilizes the bottle. A preform is heated, the heated preform is sealed in a mold, the preform sealed in the mold is blow-molded into a bottle, the surface temperatures of a neck portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion of the molded bottle are measured, and the mold temperatures of a neck portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion of the mold is so adjusted that the measured surface temperature of the bottle falls within a specified temperature range.

A system and method for filling liquid products into bottles are described. The system comprises a machine block with a blow-molding machine for providing a flow of bottles, with a labeler for labeling the flow of bottles, with a first and second transport stretch, each comprising a filler for filling the bottles, and with a distribution unit dividing the labeled flow of bottles to the transport stretches when the transport is fully populated at all circulating labeling positions of the labeler and all circulating filling positions of the fillers. The filling system comprises outflow conveyors downstream of the fillers, with a combining device for combining the transport stretches to form a common outflow for the flow of bottles, thereby reducing the transport speed during filling and subsequent handling of the bottles, as well as problems due to the product in the bottles spilling over during the closure process.

A continuous cycle bottling line for containers of thermoplastic material comprises: a parison molding unit; a blow-molding unit for making containers; a unit for filling the containers; a thermal conditioning structure for the parisons, for heating and cooling the parisons in a heating module and in a cooling module, respectively; an automatic controlled-atmosphere storage system for containing the parisons and interconnected with the other parts of the line; a pressurization system configured to pressurize at least the following parts of the line: the storage system, the at least one blow-molding unit and the connections between the thermal conditioning structure and the storage system; where the heating and cooling modules, alternatively or in combination, i) are pressurized, ii) have a plurality of shutters configured to occlude the opening at the end of each parison, so that the interior of the parison remains closed when the parison is inside the heating and cooling module.

A bottle is conveyed to a filling device without being sterilized by a container sterilizer, and a culture medium is filled inside the bottle by using the filling device. Then, the bottle is capped with a cap using a cap attachment device. Thereafter, whether or not bacteria survive or propagate in the culture medium in the bottle is verified.

An apparatus for shaping plastic preforms into plastic containers is disclosed. Said apparatus comprises a conveying device on which a plurality of blowing stations are arranged. Each of said blowing stations encompasses a blow mold, within which a plastic preform can be shaped into a plastic container. The apparatus further comprises a clean chamber, within which the plastic preforms can be conveyed. According to the invention, the zone of the conveying device in which the blowing stations are arranged is located in the clean chamber, and at least one additional zone of the conveying device is located outside the clean chamber.

Apparatus and method for producing plastic bottles. An apparatus for producing plastic bottles includes a molding machine to manufacture preforms for plastic bottles. The apparatus also includes a blow molding machine to receive the preforms from the molding machine and to stretch blow mold the preforms into bottles. The apparatus also includes a labeling machine to receive the bottles from the blow molding machine and to label the bottles. The molding machine is bloc-synchronized with the blow molding machine to space the molding machine a first distance from the blow molding machine. The blow molding machine being bloc-synchronized with the labeling machine to space the blow molding machine a second distance from the labeling machine.