A blow molding machine assembly configured to be mounted to a blow molding machine to move a mold base configured to form a container base. The blow molding machine assembly includes an over-stroke cylinder and a counter-stretch rod. The over-stroke cylinder is configured to move the mold base between an extended base position and a retracted base position. The counter-stretch rod is movable between a retracted rod position in which the counter-stretch rod does not extend out from within the mold base, and an extended rod position in which the counter-stretch rod extends out from within the mold base.

Even when the filling speed increases, the surface temperature of a molded bottle falls within a constant range, and a sterilizer adequately sterilizes the bottle. A preform is heated, the heated preform is sealed in a mold, the preform sealed in the mold is blow-molded into a bottle, the surface temperatures of a neck portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion of the molded bottle are measured, and the mold temperatures of a neck portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion of the mold is so adjusted that the measured surface temperature of the bottle falls within a specified temperature range.

A method that comprises receiving a plastic container that has been formed by stretch blow molding and immediately after having received the container, while the container is still hot from having been formed, filling the container with carbonated liquid. Filling the container with the carbonated liquid comprises setting an internal pressure of the container to be a first pressure and causing the internal pressure to change from the first pressure as a function of a variable. The variable is either an extent to which the container is filled or a container temperature.

There is described a conveying and cooling apparatus (6, 6) for conveying and cooling receptacles (2) comprising a conveying device (25) for advancing receptacles (2) along a conveying path (P1), a cooling device (28, 28) for cooling the receptacles (2). The cooling device (28, 28) comprises a supply unit adapted to supply a cooling medium, a plurality of advancing injection nozzles (45) adapted to be in fluid connection with the supply unit and for directing a cooling medium onto the receptacles (2) and a plurality of valve members (46), each one associated to one respective injection nozzle (45) and adapted to selectively open or close the fluid connection between the respective injection nozzle (45) and the supply unit (40, 81).

When a preform having been molded while released from a mold at an earlier timing in an injection stretch blow molding machine is stretched and blow molded, the bottom of the preform is prevented from rupturing and the bottom of a hollow molded article is prevented from being uneven in wall thickness to produce such a hollow molded article without defect bottom by the injection stretch blow molding machine. An injection molding process of injection molding a preform; and a blow molding process of blow molding the preform to obtain a hollow molded article. The blow molding process allows a tip of a stretching rod cooled to a temperature between 50? C. and 90? C. to be brought into contact with the bottom of the preform in a softened state, and to press down the bottom of the preform while the bottom is cooled.

There is described a conveying and cooling apparatus (6, 6) for conveying and cooling receptacles (2) comprising a conveying device (25) for advancing receptacles (2) along a conveying path (P1), a cooling device (28, 28) for cooling the receptacles (2). The cooling device (28, 28) comprises a supply unit adapted to supply a cooling medium, a plurality of advancing injection nozzles (45) adapted to be in fluid connection with the supply unit and for directing a cooling medium onto the receptacles (2) and a plurality of valve members (46), each one associated to one respective injection nozzle (45) and adapted to selectively open or close the fluid connection between the respective injection nozzle (45) and the supply unit (40, 81).

A method of blow molding an article having at least one layer of thermoplastic material. The method comprises the steps of heating a mold having an inner surface with two or more areas of different surface textures to a first temperature of greater than 55 C. and subsequently feeding a parison into the mold. The parison is then blown against the inner surface of the mold to form an article. The temperature of the mold is subsequently lowered to a second temperature of between 20 C. to about 55 C. and the temperature cycle time (t.sub.ct) of the mold is less than 250 seconds. Using the two phase heating and cooling process in combination with a mold featuring different surface textures provides a finished article with different visual effects.

A method for producing containers (10) filled with liquid, more particularly drinks containers, wherein plastic preforms are shaped into plastic containers (10) by means of a shaping device (2), these plastic containers are transported to a filling device (4) and are filled with a liquid by means of this filling device, wherein, on their transport path between the shaping device (2) and the filling device (4) the containers (10) are cooled, at least partly, by being charged with a liquid medium. According to the invention the containers are transported, at least during filling, within a clean room (20) which is delimited from an environment by means of a sealing device (62).

A method and device for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers has a plurality of forming stations each having application devices which apply a flowable medium at least a first pressure level, a second pressure level, a third pressure level and a fourth pressure level respectively, wherein the second pressure level is higher than the first pressure level, the third pressure level is higher than and the second pressure level and the fourth pressure level is higher than the third pressure level and wherein at least at times a bottom area of the plastic preform and/or plastic container is applied with the flowable medium.

A method of forming a plastic container from a preform that includes cooling and optionally providing counter pressure to a finish of a preform during forming of a container. During the method, an injection nozzle directs a cooling medium is directed into a receiving space into which the finish is received.