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 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.

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.

An inspection and ejector unit for preforms for plastic containers in a transportation line, has at least one driver device which picks up preforms travelling from an inward conveyor device to the inspection and ejector unit, transports them further and passes on at least some of the preforms to an outward conveyor device, at least one detection device by which faulty preforms in the driver device are detected, and at least one ejection device by which preforms which are detected as faulty are removed from the driver device, and a corresponding method.

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 inspection and ejector unit for preforms for plastic containers in a transportation line, has at least one driver device which picks up preforms travelling from an inward conveyor device to the inspection and ejector unit, transports them further and passes on at least some of the preforms to an outward conveyor device, at least one detection device by which faulty preforms in the driver device are detected, and at least one ejection device by which preforms which are detected as faulty are removed from the driver device, and a corresponding method.

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 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.

An apparatus for feeding plastic preforms to a forming device for forming plastic preforms, includes a transport device for transporting plastic preforms having two rotatable and mutually parallel arranged rollers, between which the plastic preforms can be guided. The transport device has first portion and second portions, a first portion having sorting device for bringing the plastic preforms into a predetermined orientation, and a second portion having a hold-down device, which determines a vertical position of the plastic preforms with respect to the transport device. The two rotatable and mutually parallel arranged rollers each extend over the entire first and second portions of the transport device and/or the hold-down device is arranged above the two rotatable and mutually parallel arranged rollers.