Systems and methods control the operation of a blow molder. An indication of a crystallinity of at least one container produced by the blow molder may be received along with a material distribution of the at least one container. A model may be executed, where the model relates a plurality of blow molder input parameters to the indication of crystallinity and the material distribution and where a result of the model comprises changes to at least one of the plurality of blow molder input parameters to move the material distribution towards a baseline material distribution and the crystallinity towards a baseline crystallinity. The changes to the at least one of the plurality of blow molder input parameters may be implemented.

A blow moulding machine for producing blown containers with an integrally formed handle; the machine including a preform injection moulding stage wherein the preform comprising a body portion, a neck portion and an integrally moulded handle; the machine further including a handle orientation stage, a preform conditioning stage and a blow moulding stage, and wherein the preform is nested in cavities provided in opposing portions of a conditioning module; the integrally moulded handle nested in cavities lined with an insulating material. Also disclosed is a method of producing a blown container with an integrally formed handle in a blow moulding machine; the blow moulding machine including a preform injection moulding stage for moulding a preform comprising a body portion and an integrally moulded handle; the blow moulding machine further including a handle orienting stage, a preform conditioning stage and a blow moulding stage; the method including the steps of: —Injection moulding the preform with an integrally moulded handle, —Orienting the handle of the preform into a predetermined orientation, —Transferring the preform to a preform conditioning module, —Transferring the preform from the preform conditioning module to a die of a blow moulding machine when the preform body and integrally moulded handle are at predetermined temperatures, —Blowing the container in the blow moulding machine, and wherein the preform is nested in cavities provided in opposing portions of the conditioning module; the integrally moulded handle nested in cavities lined with an insulating material.

Systems and methods for controlling the operation of a blow molder are disclosed. An indication of a crystallinity of at least one container produced by the blow molder may be received along with a material distribution of the at least one container. A model may be executed, where the model relates a plurality of blow molder input parameters to the indication of crystallinity and the material distribution and where a result of the model comprises changes to at least one of the plurality of blow molder input parameters to move the material distribution towards a baseline material distribution and the crystallinity towards a baseline crystallinity. The changes to the at least one of the plurality of blow molder input parameters may be implemented.

The invention concerns a method for measuring the temperature of a preform in a facility comprising: a device for transporting preforms; a device for contact-less measurement of the temperature of a portion of the preform, comprising a sensor which is capable of measuring the temperature of the preforms in continuous travelling motion over a measurement section of the production path. The measurement device is equipped with an optical device which can project an image of the sensor in a measurement direction in the zone for measuring the temperature of the preforms, the measurement zone having a cross-section of dimensions less than the outer diameter of the portion of the preform to be measured. The invention also concerns a facility for implementing the method.

A container manufacturing device for performing manufacture of a pre-form and a container in a single station via one stop is provided. The container manufacturing device includes a pre-form molding module configured to form a shape of a pre-form of a container using a resin material, an injection module connected to the pre-form molding module and configured to supply the resin material to the pre-form molding module, a container molding module configured to inject air to the pre-form to expand the pre-form and to form the shape of the container and including a container mold, and a rotary table with a rib plate suspended thereon while rotating between the pre-form molding module and the container molding module, the pre-form or the container being mounted on the rib plate.

Provided is an apparatus for heating plastic preforms, with a transport device which transports the plastic preforms along a predefined transport path, wherein this transport device has a plurality of holding elements for holding the plastic preform, and with at least one first heating section which is arranged along the transport path, and at least one second heating section which is arranged along the transport path downstream of the first heating section, wherein the heating sections each include a plurality of independently controllable heating elements which allow heating of the plastic preforms in several heating zones, lying above each other in the longitudinal direction of the plastic preforms, with a temperature profile which changes in the longitudinal direction of the plastic preforms, wherein the apparatus includes a control device for controlling these heating sections.

Disclosed to a method for operating a system for treating a plurality of containers, with the steps: providing at least one container which has an ID, by which the container can be uniquely identified, wherein an identifier can be assigned to the ID, which identifier is stored in a memory device which is connected or can be connected to the system at least temporarily via a public network in order to communicate data; treating the container with a treatment apparatus of the system, collecting at least one data value with respect to the container and/or with respect to at least one treatment step of the container; and providing the at least one data value for transmission and/or storage in the memory device.

Provided is a device for treating containers, comprising a heating device for heating plastic preforms, wherein the heating device has a plurality of heating stations which are suitable for individually heating the plastic preforms, and wherein the heating device has a transport device which transports the plastic preforms individually through the heating device, and comprising a reshaping device which is suitable and intended for reshaping the plastic preforms heated by the heating device into plastic containers. This reshaping device is arranged downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, and the reshaping device has a movable support, on which a plurality of reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping the plastic preforms into the plastic containers. The device also comprises a transport device, for transporting the heated plastic preforms individually from the heating device to the reshaping device, and a decorating device.

Provided is a method for heating plastic preforms, wherein the plastic parison are transported along a predetermined transport path and are heated during this transport, wherein at least one first heating section with at least one first heating element as well as at least one second heating section with at least one second heating element is arranged along the transport path, by a first temperature measuring device an actual temperature of the plastic preforms is measured in or before a start region of the transport path, and as a function of this actual temperature of the plastic preforms the at least one first heating element is controlled in such a way that the plastic preforms reach a predetermined target temperature after heating by this at least one first heating element.

The disclosure relates to the production of containers comprising: a heating device for preforms of the containers, the heating effect of which is adjustable, a forming device such as a stretch blow-molding device for forming the preforms into containers, a measuring device which is designed to perform a transmission measurement for light, such as infrared light, which passes through the container, a closed-loop control which is designed to process the result of the transmission measurement and a target value of the transmission measurement and, based upon the result of the transmission measurement and the target value, to adjust the heating effect of the heating device and/or one or more adjustable parameters of the forming device. The disclosure further relates to a corresponding method.