A method for the production of blow-molded containers that are sterile at least in certain regions, and a blow-molding machine configured to carry out the method. In accordance with the method, blowing stations are arranged on a rotating blowing wheel. A preform of a thermoplastic material is first heated and then stretched in a blowing station by a stretching rod and subjected to a pressurized blowing fluid via a blowing nozzle. A sterilizing fluid is supplied to the preform in the blowing station to perform a sterilization. The sterilizing fluid is fed into the preform from an outlet and is carried away again via an inlet and in between follows a flow path. The sterilizing fluid is made to pass through or pass by the stretching rod on its flow path, and the sterilizing fluid is supplied while the blow-molding machine continues to operate.

Method of manufacturing a container (2) by stretch-blow molding in a mold (8) from a blank (3) of plastic material, which comprises the operations consisting of: measuring the pressure prevailing inside the blank (3) during a pre-blowing phase; detecting an instant corresponding to a local minimum pressure in the blank (3); placing in memory the instant at which said minimum pressure occurs as well as the corresponding pressure prevailing in the blank (3); comparing the instant and the pressure of the detected minimum with, respectively, a predetermined instant and pressure of a theoretical minimum pressure; if the measured minimum and the theoretical minimum do not coincide, ordering a modification of at least one of the following parameters: pre-blowing pressure, pre-blowing flow rate, stretching speed, heating temperature.

A system for simultaneously forming and filling a container having a mold cavity defining an internal surface and adapted to accept a preform. The system includes a servo pressure system having an inlet and an outlet operable to output fluid, such as a liquid commodity, and a blow nozzle receiving the fluid from the servo pressure source and transferring the fluid at a pressure into the preform thereby urging the preform to expand toward the internal surface of the mold cavity and creating a resultant container, wherein the fluid remains within the container as an end product and wherein the servo pressure system and the blow nozzle output the fluid at a rate sufficient to fully form and fill the container in less than about 0.5 seconds.

A method of forming a container includes blow molding a primary form of the container inside a primary mold. The primary form has an exterior surface. The method also includes applying a fluid to the exterior surface of the primary form to shrink the primary form and to form a shrunken form of the container. Furthermore, the method includes blow molding a secondary form of the container from the shrunken form inside a secondary mold.

Stents and methods of manufacturing a stents with enhanced fracture toughness are disclosed.

A machine for manufacturing containers from blanks of plastic material, which includes an oven furnished with a plurality of radiation sources for heating blanks as they travel through at a predetermined speed of travel and heating profile, and a programmed control center for modifying the speed of travel and heating profile based on a temperature measurement made on a blank leaving the oven, and a pressure measurement made in the blank during a subsequent blowing.

The present invention relates to a process for making a container having an integral handle, comprising the steps of: a) providing a preform (1) in a mould cavity (2); b) stretch-blow moulding the preform (1) to form an intermediate container (3); c) applying one or more inwardly moving plugs (5) to form one or more concave gripping region(s), whilst maintaining the pressure within the intermediate container (3) above 1 bar and whilst the temperature of the material in the gripping region of the intermediate container is at a temperature below the glass transition temperature, T.sub.g; d) releasing excess pressure within the container, preferably prior to withdrawing the plug (5) from within the container; and e) ejecting the finished container(6) from the mould cavity (2,4).

A method for forming and filling a container with liquid. The container being formed from a preform located within a mold and the method utilizing a hydraulic blow molding device that is coupled to a source of the liquid, which is used as the blow molding medium. The hydraulic blow molding device has a blow nozzle and a member that is extended from a retracted position to a position within the preform. A blow nozzle engages in fluid tight communication with an open end of the preform so as to provide a sealing engagement of the blow nozzle with the preform. The liquid blow medium is injected into the preform so as to form the container after sealing engagement of the blow nozzle with the preform. The member initiates its advancement into the preform prior to the time of sealing engagement of the blow nozzle with the preform.

The method and the device are used for blow-molding containers. A preform made of a thermoplastic material is first subject to a thermal conditioning operation along a transport path in the region of a heating section. Thereafter, the preform is formed into the container inside a blowing mold by applying blowing pressure. While the preform is shaped into the container, at least one parameter (49, 50) characterizing the shaping is measured and evaluated by a control unit. Depending on said evaluation, at least one controlled variable (48, 46) influencing the shaping operation inside a closed loop is varied in order to match the measured parameter to an associated target value. In this way, it becomes possible to subject the container parison developing during the blow-molding operation to a predetermined defined development.

A blow molding apparatus that supplies a pressurized liquid into a bottomed tubular preform fitted to a mold used for blow molding and molds the preform into a shape conforming to a cavity of the mold, the blow molding apparatus including: a blow nozzle fitted to a mouth tubular portion of the preform; a plunger pump configured to supply the pressurized liquid into the preform through the blow nozzle; and a control device configured to change an actuation rate and an actuation force of the plunger pump during the supply of the pressurized liquid into the preform to regulate a peak pressure of the liquid supplied into the preform to be from 3.5 MPa to 5.0 MPa.