A valve unit comprises an operating piston for closing and opening a connection between a process pressure input line and a process pressure output line, at least one control line and at least one control chamber for controlling the operating piston. The operating piston has a closing ring which in the closed state of the connection sealingly abuts a valve seat of the valve housing (or the valve housing has a closing ring which in the closed state of the connection sealingly abuts against a valve seat of the operating piston). The valve seat consists of a softer and more elastic material than a circumferential sealing edge abutting said valve seat. An annular sealing element is present which comprises the valve seat. The sealing element has the shape of a truncated cone with an outwardly widening base.

A multilayer container having a polyester layer comprising a thermoplastic polyester resin (X) and a polyamide layer comprising a polyamide resin (Y), wherein the polyester layer is an innermost layer and the polyamide layer is an interlayer, and the polyamide resin (Y) comprises a polyamide resin (Y-1) comprising a structural unit derived from a diamine and a structural unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid, 70 mol % or more of the structural unit derived from a diamine being a structural unit derived from xylylenediamine; and 70 mol % or more of the structural unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid being a structural unit derived from an α,ω-linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having 4 to 20 carbon atoms, and wherein a stretching ratio in a transverse direction (TD) is 2.2 times or more, and a stretching ratio in a machine direction (MD) to the stretching ratio in the transverse direction (TD) (MD/TD) is 0.6 or more and less than 1.0.

Disclosed is an apparatus and a method for treating containers with a transport device for transporting a container along a predetermined transport path, wherein the apparatus includes at least one container treatment device and preferably a plurality of container treatment devices, wherein the at least one container treatment device has at least one wear element, wherein the at least one container treatment device has a wear detection device for detecting wear data relating to wear of the at least one wear element. The wear detection device includes at least one sensor device for detecting the wear data relating to the wear of the at least one wear element.

Method for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein a plastic preform is introduced into a blow mould and is expanded into a plastic container by being applied by a flowable medium, wherein the plastic preform is applied by at least two different pressure levels and wherein furthermore preferably a rod-like body is introduced into the plastic preform, in order to expand the plastic preform in its longitudinal direction, wherein a pressure curve and/or a movement curve of the rod-like body being determined by a measuring device during the expansion process, wherein least one of the curves is evaluated by means of a processor device and at least one point or region of this curve which is characteristic of the course is determined.

A multilayer container having a polyester layer comprising a thermoplastic polyester resin (X) and a polyamide layer comprising a polyamide resin (Y), wherein the polyester layer is an innermost layer and the polyamide layer is an interlayer, and the polyamide resin (Y) comprises a polyamide resin (Y-1) comprising a structural unit derived from a diamine and a structural unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid, 70 mol % or more of the structural unit derived from a diamine being a structural unit derived from xylylenediamine; and 70 mol % or more of the structural unit derived from a dicarboxylic acid being a structural unit derived from an α,ω-linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having 4 to 20 carbon atoms, and wherein a stretching ratio in a transverse direction (TD) is 2.2 times or more, and a stretching ratio in a machine direction (MD) to the stretching ratio in the transverse direction (TD) (MD/TD) is 0.6 or more and less than 1.0.

A stretch rod for blowing a preform into a container is disclosed. The stretch rod includes a hollow, cylindrical body that is made of metal, a first plurality of apertures, and a second plurality of apertures. The body of the stretch rod includes a handle pocket zone with the first plurality of apertures and an optional zone disposed on the stretch rod below the handle pocket zone, the optional zone including the second plurality of apertures. Compressed air is blown through the first plurality of apertures and the second plurality of apertures of the stretch rod to form the blown container.

A stretch rod for blowing a preform into a container is disclosed. The stretch rod includes a hollow, cylindrical body that is made of metal, a first plurality of apertures, and a second plurality of apertures. The body of the stretch rod includes a handle pocket zone with the first plurality of apertures and an optional zone disposed on the stretch rod below the handle pocket zone, the optional zone including the second plurality of apertures. Compressed air is blown through the first plurality of apertures and the second plurality of apertures of the stretch rod to form the blown container.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a container from a blank in a mold provided with a movable insert, wherein the method includes the following phases: pre-blowing; blow molding; boxing; and the following operations: measuring the prevailing pressure in the blank in real-time and storing the measurement in a memory; measuring the position of the insert in real-time and storing the measurement in a memory; detecting a time t.sub.S2 indicating the actual start of the blowing phase and moment t.sub.B2 indicating the actual start of movement of the insert and storing same in a memory; calculating T1=t.sub.S2−t.sub.B2; comparing T1 with a predetermined non-zero reference T1.sub.ref, as long as T1 is different from T1.sub.ref, and delaying the start of the boxing phase.

Method of manufacturing containers by blow-molding in a mold starting from a plastic blank, involving, when manufacturing a container: —a step of introducing a blank into a mold; —at least a step of placing the inside of the blank in communication with at least one fluid circuit by an solenoid valve associated with the circuit; —at a predetermined moment, referred to as the solenoid valve opening pulse (TEV1; . . . ; TEV4), sending a command to open to the solenoid valve which has a theoretical opening delay (Dt1; . . . ; Dt4), the method including steps involving: —calculating the actual opening delay (De1; . . . ; De4) of the solenoid valve; —calculating a difference (Δt1; . . . ; Δt4) between the actual opening delay (De1; . . . ; De4) and the theoretical opening delay (Dt1; . . . ; Dt4); and—if the calculated difference is greater than a maximum permissible difference, emitting notification that a maximum permissible difference has been exceed.

A method of producing a container (2) from a blank (3) made of plastics material within a mould (4) which is provided with a wall (5) defining a cavity (6) bearing the impression of the container (2), and with a mould base (8) which can move relative to the wall (5) between a retracted position in which it extends in set-back manner relative to the cavity (6) and a deployed position in which it closes the cavity (6). The method includes a boxing stage in which the mould base (8) moves from its retracted position to its deployed position, the travel (C) of the mould base (8) between its retracted position and its deployed position being greater than 20 mm.