An apparatus is provided for heating plastics material pre-forms, with a movable carrier on which a plurality of heating devices is arranged; wherein the heating devices are controllable independently of one another and have in each case a heating element as well as at least one regulating element for regulating the heating output; and wherein the heating devices have in each case one heating area inside which the plastics material pre-forms are capable of being heated, as well as a movement device which introduces the plastics material pre-forms into this heating area. Each heating device has associated with it in each case one control device for controlling a heating procedure.

A method of manufacturing a polypropylene vessel using a single-step injection stretch blow molding machine using a heat-conditioning step. The method may include providing a chemical composition comprising polypropylene, forming a preform vessel of the chemical composition in a second shape, heating the preform vessel at a plurality of positions on the preform vessel with heat pots, wherein each of the heat pots is configured to heat a corresponding one of the plurality of positions on the preform vessel by raising a temperature of the heat pot to a respective temperature, wherein each respective temperature of each of the heat pots is different from another respective temperature of another of the heat pots, wherein the temperatures of the heat pots are based on the desired first shape of the product. The method may include forming, from the heated and expanded preform, a second vessel in a desired first shape.

The invention relates to a heating device (H) for the thermal conditioning of preforms (1) made of a thermoplastic material at a temperature profile that is suitable for a blow molding and a blow molding machine (B) having a heating device (H) of this type. The heating device (H) has multiple heating units (30, 30) arranged behind one another along a heating section (24) and transport means (33) for transporting the preforms (1) on a transport path (55) along the heating section (24) and along the heating units (30, 30). The transport means (33) are connected in a chain-like manner to form a closed continuous transport chain (50) and have a rotary drive body (52) that cooperates with a first engaging device (51) that is driven and arranged such that it circulates at a distance to the transport chain (50) in order to introduce a rotational movement thereof about a longitudinal axis of the transport means (33) via engagement in the rotary drive body (52). The heating device (H) has a first heating section with first heating units (30) for the uniform heating of the preforms (1) in their peripheral direction and a second heating section with second heating units (30) for the non-uniform heating of the preforms (1) in their peripheral direction (preferential heating). The first engaging device (51) is arranged in such a way that it is engaged with the rotary drive body (52) in the region of the first heating section and is not engaged with the rotary drive body (52) in the region of the second section. The heating device (H) has a second engaging device (45, 45, 45) that can be driven and is arranged such that it circulates at a distance to the transport chain (50), said second engaging device being arranged in such a way that it is engaged with the rotary drive body (52) in the region of the second heating section and also has the translation speed of the transport chain (50). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for the thermal conditioning of preforms.

A method of forming a blow molded container in the form of a tub, the method comprising the steps of: providing an injection molded preform composed of a biaxially-orientable thermoplastic material, the preform being substantially planar; heating the preform; and stretch blow molding the heated preform within a mold cavity to form a tub having a bottom wall and an annular sidewall having an upper edge, the tub comprising biaxially oriented thermoplastic material in the annular sidewall and at least an outer portion of the bottom wall, the stretch blow molding step using at least one stretch rod to engage an inner side of the preform and axially to stretch at least a part of the preform prior to blowing a pressurized gas against the inner side which urges the opposite side of the preform radially outwardly against the mold.

In one embodiment, a system for conditioning a preform for molding includes a heating cavity for receiving the preform, a heater configured to heat a gas, and a blower configured to force the gas heated by the heater into the heating cavity. In another embodiment, a method of conditioning a preform for molding includes positioning the preform in a heating cavity and forcing a heated gas into the heating cavity onto an exterior surface of the preform.

The present invention relates to a method for providing a product viewing window in a container. The container has at least a body ply and a liner ply, wherein the body ply has at least one aperture therethrough. The liner ply is adhered to the inner surface of the body ply and has a portion extending across the aperture, forming a window into the container. The method involves providing a window-finishing machine that comprises at least two platens and, optionally, a machine pocket positioned between them, a heating element extending through at least one of the platens, and a pressurized air device that is adapted to release pressurized air into the container through at least one of the platens. The container is engaged between the platens in an airtight manner and, optionally, the container window is positioned adjacent the inside wall of the machine pocket. The heating element heats the window of the container to the desired temperature, pressurized air is injected into the container such that the window is forced at least partially through the aperture of the container (and optionally into contact with the machine pocket wall), and the container window is then cooled to the desired temperature.

Disclosed is a method for the preferential heating of a thermoplastic hollow body having at least one portion to be heated and another to be superheated, the portion that is to be superheated initially having a radiation absorption coefficient substantially identical to that of the portion to be heated. The method includes, in succession: a first step of marking the portions of the hollow body that are to be superheated, during which step isolated marks are made in the thickness of the wall of the portion that is to be superheated so as to increase its absorption coefficient; a second step of preferential heating of the hollow body by uniform exposure of the portions that are to be heated and of the portions that are to be superheated to the heating electromagnetic radiation. Also disclosed is a preform marked in accordance with the first step of the method.

The present invention relates to a method for providing a product viewing window in a container. The container has at least a body ply and a liner ply, wherein the body ply has at least one aperture therethrough. The liner ply is adhered to the inner surface of the body ply and has a portion extending across the aperture, forming a window into the container. The method involves providing a window-finishing machine that comprises at least two platens and, optionally, a machine pocket positioned between them, a heating element extending through at least one of the platens, and a pressurized air device that is adapted to release pressurized air into the container through at least one of the platens. The container is engaged between the platens in an airtight manner and, optionally, the container window is positioned adjacent the inside wall of the machine pocket. The heating element heats the window of the container to the desired temperature, pressurized air is injected into the container such that the window is forced at least partially through the aperture of the container (and optionally into contact with the machine pocket wall), and the container window is then cooled to the desired temperature.

A blow molding apparatus comprises: a continuous transport section 150 provided with a loop-shaped transport path 151 for continuously transporting a preform 200; an intermittent transport section 160 for intermittently transporting the preform 200 to a blow molding section 140; and a delivery section 170 for holding the preform 200 being transported on the transport path 151, and delivering it to the intermittent transport section 160. The delivery section 170 is equipped with a cooling means 300 for jetting a cooling fluid from a first nozzle member 301 onto an outer surface of the preform 200 to cool the preform 200 locally.

An apparatus for producing plastic containers is provided, comprising a heating device that heats plastic preforms, and including a shaping device provided downstream of this heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, which shaping device shapes the plastic preforms into the plastic containers, wherein a tempering device for tempering the plastic preforms heated by the heating device is provided in the transport direction of the plastic preforms between the heating device and the shaping device, which tempering device has at least one tempering unit provided on a carrier rotatable about a predetermined rotary axis, and which tempering unit has at least two contacting devices, between which at least one section of the plastic preform can be received, which contacting devices can be moved in relation to one another along a predetermined direction.