Disclosed is a method for molding plastic preforms into plastic containers using a blow mould assembly including a blow mould unit, wherein a part of the blow mould unit is retained on a blow mould holder element using negative pressure.

A blow mold provided with a locking system for mutually locking each half-mold with the related half-mold holder, thus allowing a simpler and quicker replacement of the side half-impressions of the mold. The blow mold of the invention provides for the side half-impression of each half-mold to be fixed in a cavity of the corresponding mold holder by actuating at least one quick coupling device comprising a bar (23) inserted in one of the two longitudinal edges of the half-mold holder (3) and adapted to move only by rotation about an axis thereof; actuation means (22) adapted to actuate a rotation of said bar; and at least one locking fin (21) fixed along said bar (23) and adapted to move, by rotating the bar (23), from an unlocking position to a locking position in which said locking fin interacts with the respective half-mold (2).

A preform has a flange that protrudes outward at a neck, and is supplied in an inverted state. A preform handling device includes a star wheel that is configured so that the preform is supplied to each of a plurality of depressions that are formed in an outer circumferential part of a wheel, and pushes the preform to rotationally transfer the preform from an upstream region to a downstream region, an end face guide member that is provided in the upstream region so as to be situated under the preform and that support and guide an open end face of the preform, and a pair of flange guide members that are provided in the downstream region and that support and guide a lower side of the flange of the preform.

A blowing mold array includes a blowing mold unit forming a cavity, inside of which plastic preforms are expanded to plastic containers. The blow mold unit includes a blowing mold retainer having at least two mold retainer elements for accommodating parts of the blowing mold unit, and a locking mechanism to arrest at least one part of the blowing mold unit against at least one mold retainer element. The locking mechanism includes an engagement element that can be pivoted and/or shifted relative to a default axis, which in an arrested state abuts a segment of a part of the blowing mold unit. The locking mechanism has an actuating element to loosen the arrest between the mold retaining element and the blowing mold unit. Actuation of the actuating element is coupled with actuation of the engagement element.

An injection station of an injection blow molding machine. The injection station comprises a lower die plate and an upper die plate, with lower and upper die plates being shiftable relative to one another between an open position and a closed position. The injection station additionally includes one or more lower mold halves rigidly secured to the lower die plate. The injection station additionally includes one or more upper mold halves floatingly secured to the upper die plate such that positions of the upper mold halves are configured to be adjusted with respect to the upper die plate. Each of the lower mold halves corresponds with an upper mold half to present one or more mold cavities when the lower and upper die plates are in the closed position.

A preform has a flange that protrudes outward at a neck, and is supplied in an inverted state. A preform handling device includes a star wheel that is configured so that the preform is supplied to each of a plurality of depressions that are formed in an outer circumferential part of a wheel, and pushes the preform to rotationally transfer the preform from an upstream region to a downstream region, an end face guide member that is provided in the upstream region so as to be situated under the preform and that support and guide an open end face of the preform, and a pair of flange guide members that are provided in the downstream region and that support and guide a lower side of the flange of the preform.

A blow mold unit in which, when clamping first and second blow cavity split molds which are fixed to first and second fixing plates and bottom molds which are fixed to a bottom mold fixing plate, pressure receiving members fixed to the first and second fixing plates are brought into engagement with the bottom plate fixing plate. Guide plates are fixed to the bottom mold fixing plate, and guided members capable of being brought into abutment with the guide plates are supported by first and second pressure receiving plates. The bottom mold fixing plate includes a first connecting portion to be connected to a bottom mold opening/closing unit and a second connecting portion to be connected to a moving and biasing member.

A molding unit for producing a container, that includes: a mold having the footprint of the container, including a pair of shells each having an inner wall; a pair of shell holders onto each of which a shell is removably attached; a device for controlling the temperature of the mold, that includes: at least one radiator integrated into a shell holder, at least one temperature probe integrated into a shell, for measuring the temperature in the vicinity of the inner wall, a variator connected to the temperature probe and to the radiator, the variator being arranged to modulate the temperature of the radiator depending on the temperature measured by the probe.

Plastic preforms are introduced into a blow mold and are expanded by applying a flowable medium thereto, which is introduced into the internal space of the plastic preforms, wherein the blow mold includes at least two lateral parts which form a cavity during the expansion of the plastic preforms, within which the plastic containers are expanded. The lateral parts are respectively provided on lateral part carriers that are moved relative to each other for opening and closing the blow mold. At least one arrangement of a lateral part carrier and the lateral part provided thereon has an expansion element that can have a gaseous medium applied thereto. The expansion element ensures, when the gaseous medium is applied thereto, that one lateral part is moved towards the other lateral part. During the expansion of the plastic preforms, at least two different pressure levels are applied.

A blow molding mold unit includes a pair of blow cavity split molds for forming a blow cavity, the blow cavity defining a shape of a side surface of a resin container, a bottom mold, and a jig configured to integrally support the pair of blow cavity split molds and the bottom mold. In a case where a direction extending from a shoulder portion or a body portion to a bottom portion of the resin container defined by the blow cavity is defined as a first direction, a direction in which the pair of blow cavity split molds are opened is defined as a second direction, and a direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction is defined as a third direction, the jig is provided at an end of the blow molding mold unit in the third direction.