A heating apparatus that includes a plurality of heating devices for temperature conditioning of preforms made of a thermoplastic material to a temperature and temperature distribution suitable for blow molding, and a transport chain guided on a revolving chain path. The preforms are transported through the heating apparatus by the transport chain along a transport path. Along a heating section that is part of the transport path, the plurality of heating devices are stationarily arranged one after another in a transport direction. On at least one side facing the heating devices, counter reflectors are provided, which together with the heating devices form a tunnel-like heating area through which the preforms are transported for heating. At least one counter reflector travels along with the preform through the heating section.

A method for tempering preforms in a blowing machine, wherein at least one heating box is arranged along a transport path for the preforms. The heating box has reflective walls and forms a heating channel through which the preforms are guided. The heating box also has a heater for heating the preforms in the heating channel, and a cooling device, having a blower, for cooling the reflective walls. The walls are cooled by a quantity of air flowing along the walls outside the heating channel. The heating output of the heater is adjustable. A control device provides open-loop and closed-loop control of the cooling output produced by the cooling device, in particular the supplied quantity of air, depending on the respective heating output of the heater, depending on a measurement of the heating output.

Provided is a thermal conditioning method of preforms. The method includes heating each preform by transport along a heating path exposed to heating radiation with a determined production rate; transporting the preforms (in line along a diffusion path; transforming the preforms in forming units at the determined production rate. The diffusion path includes a final buffer section along which the preforms travel for an adjustable duration.

An oven (10) for the heat treatment of preforms and a method for operating an air-cooling device (42) fitted to such an oven includes controlling elements (58) to vary the cooling air flow rate onto the body (18) and bottom (20) of the preforms (12) along the heating path.

In a blow-molding apparatus, a cooling device and a heating device are each driven by being supplied with electricity of a predetermined voltage from a supply power source. The blow-molding apparatus comprises: a monitoring device configured to constantly monitor fluctuation of the predetermined voltage; and an output automatic control mechanism configured to, in a case where the predetermined voltage monitored by the monitoring device fluctuates beyond a normal range, automatically fluctuate an output of at least one of the heating device and the cooling device to keep the output in a certain range, thereby adjusting at least one of the preform temperature and the ambient temperature to fall within a normal temperature range.

Method of manufacturing containers by blow-molding preforms, comprising a phase of heating the preforms (3) followed by a phase of forming the containers (this phase comprising a pre-blowing step followed by a blowing step), this method comprising the operations consisting in: detecting a pressure spike during the pre-blowing and comparing it against a reference spike, if the pressure in the pressure spike is below the reference pressure, checking an event history to determine whether a heating instruction and/or a forming instruction has been modified; if the result of this check is positive, commanding at least one of the following actions: o generating an alert alarm, o stopping the supply of preforms to the oven, o ejecting the containers derived from the affected preforms.

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.

An installation (26) for thermally conditioning thermoplastic preforms (14) that are intended to be formed, the installation (26) including:a thermal-conditioning zone (40) divided vertically into a heating first part (42) which is intended to house a body (16) of the preform (14) and a cooling second part (44) which is intended to house a neck (20) of the preform (14);a device (62) for cooling a portion of the preform (14) by producing a stream of gas passing through the thermal-conditioning zone (40); characterized in that the cooling device (62) produces a blade (63) of gas blown with laminar flow through an axial outlet slit (72).

An apparatus (1) for the heating of plastics material pre-forms (10) with a conveying device (2) which conveys the plastics material pre-forms (10) along a pre-set conveying path (T), with at least one heating element (4) which is arranged along the conveying path (P) of the plastics material pre-forms (10) and which heats the plastics material pre-forms (10), wherein in addition a cooling device is provided which cools the plastics material pre-forms (10) and/or at least one element of the apparatus (1) during the heating of the plastics material pre-forms (10) by acting upon them with a gaseous medium.

A synchronous running safeguard for transfer stations or devices for handling containers, in particular for handling bottle-like containers made of glass or plastic, having a first and a second rotary element, which each have holding elements for the containers and each have a motor drive. The rotary elements are disposed in relation to one another such that the containers can be transferred in a transfer area from one of the first holding elements to one of the second holding elements. The rotary elements, each rotationally connected, have a control element having engagement elements, and the control elements are in meshing engagement with one another. The control elements are disposed in such a way that, during operation the control elements are interengaged without contact during the rotary movement of the rotary elements and that, in the event of a fault, the control elements are interengaged with contact.