Preforms with a neck region and a preform body and having an enlarged geometry in comparison with the cavity of the injection mold are produced by injecting a polymer melt into the mold with a geometry of the cavity in the mold such that the radial extent of an inner space in the preform body thereby produced is not greater than the radial extent of the inner space in the neck region, the preforms are removed from the open mold by a removal gripper, and the preforms in the removal gripper are inflated using positive pressure such that the geometry of the inflated preform body is larger than the cavity in the injection mold.

A temperature adjustment mold for a blow molding apparatus provided with at least an injection molding unit that injection-molds a preform made of a resin and having a bottomed shape, a temperature adjusting unit that adjusts a temperature of the preform manufactured by the injection molding unit, and a blow molding unit that blow-molds the preform to manufacture a resin container, the temperature adjustment mold including a cavity mold that accommodates the preform, and an air introduction member that includes a fitting core and a rod member with a multiple-tube structure to form at least three concentric air flow paths.

A blow molded synthetic resin bottle has a body and an elongated neck with the body providing a shoulder extending about the base of the neck. The neck has a first collar extending thereabout spaced adjacent the shoulder and at least one additional collar extending thereabout adjacent the upper end of the neck. The resin in the neck is substantially unoriented. To produce the bottle, a synthetic resin preform is injection molded with a generally tubular body and the elongated neck. This preform is placed in a blow mold cavity having a body receiving portion and a neck receiving portion that has a recess extending thereabout seating the first collar therein. The additional collar is disposed outwardly of the mold cavity and is disposed on the upper surface of the mold.

A method for ejecting a vessel (12), carried by a transporting device (10), the vessel (12) being provided with a neck (16) including a mouth (18), the transporting device (10) including: a mobile support (28); a gripping mandrel (30) that grips by vertical engagement with the neck (16); an ejection face (64) mounted on the mobile support (28), the gripping mandrel (30) being mounted vertically slidable relative to the ejection face (64) to allow the gripping mandrel (30) to be extracted from the neck (16) when it slides via contact between the ejection face (64) and a bearing face (24) of the neck (16); characterized in that the bearing face (24) of the neck (16) is formed by a shoulder face that protrudes radially towards the outside relative to the mouth (18) and is arranged under the mouth (18) in the vertical direction.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing containers from thermoplastic materials by blow moulding or extrusion blow moulding a preform that has been pre-heated in a furnace then placed in a mould consisting of two half-moulds that define a moulding cavity, said preform being blown into the mould, optionally with a pre-blowing step. Said steps of heating the preforms, pre-blowing and blowing are controlled by a control unit on the basis of various control parameters such as the temperature in the furnace, the blowing pressure in the mould and/or the pre-blowing pressure and/or the pre-blowing flow rate and/or the speed of the stretching rod, for example. Said method is characterised in that it comprises at least the following steps: i) measuring the wall thickness of said containers at at least two different heights upon exiting the mould; ii) comparing the thickness measurements with setpoint values determined for each height of the containers; iii) if the difference between the thickness measurements and the determined setpoint values is greater than a determined threshold, modifying at least one of the control parameters, said modified control parameter(s) being selected at least by calculating the theoretical effects of the variation for each parameter on the thicknesses, then selecting the parameter or parameters that cause the smallest difference between the measured thickness values and the theoretical thickness values; iv) steps i) to iii) are repeated until the differences between the thickness measurements and the determined setpoint values are below said determined threshold.

The device used to hold workpieces is designed in a manner of tongs and is provided with two tong arms (45, 46). The tong arms are held by a tong base (47) and can be arranged at least in an open position and in a closed position. The tong base is held by a base element (48). The tong base is arranged on a transfer wheel, an opening movement of the tong arms being carried out by means of a movement component transverse to a radial direction of the transfer wheel. The first tong arm (45) extends on both sides of a central line of the tong base at least in some regions, said central line being oriented in a radial direction of the transfer wheel. A workpiece holding recess, which is spanned by the tong arms at least in some regions, is delimited by the second tong arm (46) only in a holding recess (68) region arranged on the outside in a radial direction of the transfer wheel relative to a holding recess transverse central line that runs transverse to the central line of the tong base.

A rotary machine includes a main axis, a plurality of first stations and a plurality of second stations. Each first station rotates around the main axis and applies a first process to a container. Each second station rotates around the main axis and applies a second process to a processed container. The machine also includes an internal exit position, at which each first station is located once the first station has completed the first process and that is arranged to release the processed container. At an internal entry position, each second station is arranged to receive the released processed container. At least one transfer arm is adapted to seize a processed container and move the processed container between a first station located at the internal exit position and a second station located at the internal entry position.

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.

A preform for being blow-molded to form a container is provided herein. The preform comprises a finish portion that includes an opening to an interior of the preform and includes a tamper evidence ledge. The tamper evidence ledge cooperates with a tamper-evident ring portion of a cap to indicate that the cap has not been previously loosened after being installed by the manufacturer. A neck portion is disposed adjacent to the tamper evidence ledge. A tapered portion transitions from a diameter of the neck portion to a smaller diameter of a cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion comprises an elongate member that culminates in an end cap. Threads disposed on the finish portion are configured to threadably receive the cap. A handling valley is disposed between the tamper evidence ledge and the threads. The handling valley enables gripping fingers to engage with and air-convey the container along a manufacturing assembly.

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.