A system for feeding preforms to a container blow-molding machine includes a sorting and alignment device fed with randomly arranged preforms and parallel alignment rollers that rotate about their respective axes and arrange the preforms in conveyance tracks inclined with respect to the horizontal. The system includes elements for removing the incorrectly positioned preforms, which are individually laid flat and arrive from the alignment rollers on the conveyance tracks and are oriented parallel to the longitudinal advancement direction. The removal components include an upper guide having a flow control portion arranged at least in one active blocking position thereof, above the end of the alignment rollers proximate to the conveyance tracks distanced from the alignment rollers to allow passage below the flow control portion of the correctly oriented preforms and block the longitudinal end.

A rotating disk-type preform alignment apparatus 1 including a disk 10, which is rotationally driven about a rotation axis tilted from a vertical direction, and a partition wall 28 erected outwardly of the disk, the apparatus being adapted to align preforms 100, which have been supplied onto the disk, at the peripheral edge of the disk and discharge the aligned preforms from a discharge section, the apparatus comprising: pockets 30 arranged side by side in a circumferential direction at the peripheral edge of the disk, each pocket having an opening portion into which the preform is dropped, and each pocket having a holding portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the opening portion for holding the preform in an upright state; and a gas jetting unit 40, provided outwardly of the disk between a region where the preforms are supplied onto the disk and the discharge section, for jetting a gas from outside the pocket and from below the pocket, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the opening portion of the pocket has a tapered shape imitating the trunk shape of the preform.

A singulation apparatus for preforms, including a device for eliminating mispositioned preforms. The singulation apparatus is designed as a roll-type sorting apparatus that has two conveyor rolls which rotate about parallel axes of rotation, define a common conveying plane, and convey the preforms between the conveying rolls in a direction of travel. The device for eliminating mispositioned preforms is a kick wheel that rotates about an axis of rotation, has a lateral direction of ejection, and meshes with an elimination region above correctly positioned preforms. The kick wheel is concentric with the conveyor rolls and is arranged at a vertical distance above the conveying plane, the axis of rotation of the kick wheel extending substantially in the vertical direction and being inclined by an angle >0 relative to the position extending perpendicular to the conveying plane

A system for feeding preforms to a container blow-molding machine includes at least one sorting and alignment device fed with randomly arranged preforms and at least two substantially parallel alignment rollers that can rotate about the respective axes, and arrange the preforms in conveyance tracks inclined with respect to the horizontal. The system further includes elements for removing the incorrectly positioned preforms, which are individually laid flat and arrive from the alignment rollers on the conveyance tracks and are oriented parallel to the longitudinal advancement direction. The removal component includes an upper guide having at least one flow control portion arranged at least in one active blocking position thereof, above the end of the alignment rollers which is proximate to the conveyance tracks distanced from the alignment rollers to allow the passage below the flow control portion of the correctly oriented preforms and block the longitudinal end, which is arranged upstream with respect to the longitudinal advancement direction of the incorrectly oriented preforms when the incorrectly oriented preforms straddle the alignment rollers and the conveyance tracks.

A rotating disk-type preform alignment apparatus 1 including a disk 10, which is rotationally driven about a rotation axis tilted from a vertical direction, and a partition wall 28 erected outwardly of the disk, the apparatus being adapted to align preforms 100, which have been supplied onto the disk, at the peripheral edge of the disk and discharge the aligned preforms from a discharge section, the apparatus comprising: pockets 30 arranged side by side in a circumferential direction at the peripheral edge of the disk, each pocket having an opening portion into which the preform is dropped, and each pocket having a holding portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the opening portion for holding the preform in an upright state; and a gas jetting unit 40, provided outwardly of the disk between a region where the preforms are supplied onto the disk and the discharge section, for jetting a gas from outside the pocket and from below the pocket, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the opening portion of the pocket has a tapered shape imitating the trunk shape of the preform.

A method of conveying plastics material pre-forms includes the plastics material pre-forms supplied to a conveying device by a supply device. The conveying device has a first roller body and a second roller body. The plastics material pre-form is conveyed between these roller bodies. A portion of the plastics material pre-forms is supported by the two roller bodies. A further portion of the plastics material pre-forms passes through between the roller bodies. At least one first value characteristic of a state of occupation of the plastics material pre-forms is detected by a first measuring instrument. A second value characteristic is detected by a second measuring instrument downstream of the first measuring instrument in the conveying direction of the plastics material pre-forms. A setting variable of the supply device or the conveying device is controlled on the basis of the two values.

An apparatus and a method for conveying preforms, to a blow molding machine. The apparatus includes a conveying device which conveys preforms away from a supply of preforms, a feeding device that receives preforms from the conveying device, and a sorting device that sorts the preforms and conveys them in a direction of travel. The conveying device ends above the sorting device. The inlet end of the feeding device has a holding zone which the preforms reach as they arrive from the conveying device, and the discharge end of the feeding device has a transfer zone via which the preforms reach the sorting device. The feeding device has an orienting zone with an orienting device designed so that the flow of preforms is oriented in the direction of the flow of the preforms in the sorting device (direction of travel), and the oriented preforms run through the transfer zone.

A transport apparatus (300) for transporting a preform (200) for blow molding comprises: a transport device that transports the preform while allowing the preform to rotate on its axis in a horizontal direction; and an engaging device (310) that engages the preform being transported while being allowed to rotate on its axis, and setting the orientation of the preform to a predetermined orientation. The engaging device engages a convexity or a concavity provided in the outer periphery of the preform.

A device for steadying parisons for plastics containers, in particular PET bottle parisons, in the entry region of an entraining device of an inspection unit having an overlaid part that has at least a first functional portion and a second functional portion. The second functional portion is arranged downstream of the first functional portion. The first functional portion damps, in particular, vertical disruptive movements of a parison that has been taken up by the entraining device such that the second functional portion comes into a substantially form-fitting guiding engagement with the parison, this guiding engagement bringing about complete steadying of the parison.

A method for transporting articles (2) to a station, in particular preforms to a blow-molding apparatus, wherein each article has a protrusion (10) and is moved along a guide (16) by a drive means (18), the article (2), along at least part of the guide (16), should be retained on an abutment (19, 21, 23), and advanced along this abutment, by an air stream.