A mold stack comprises: a split mold insert split into parts, each having a mating face with an inner face region, an offset, and an outer face region, the insert further having a male projecting portion with a shutoff face and an outer surface, at least a part of the inner face region terminating at the shutoff face, the offset terminating at the outer surface; and an adjacent mold stack component having an associated a female receptacle, the insert having a cleaning configuration wherein: the shutoff face acts as a molding surface; the male projecting portion cooperates with the female receptacle to define a melt barrier; the complementary inner face regions are spaced apart to form an extension of the mold cavity terminating, at least in part, at the shutoff face; and the complementary offsets cooperate to prevent melt from passing therebetween and to guide melt towards the melt barrier.

A preform is provided for blow-molding to form a container. The preform includes a finish portion for rotatably engaging a closure to seal contents within an interior of the container. The finish portion comprises a cylindrical body that begins at an opening to the interior and extends to and includes a tamper evidence ledge. A bevel at a beginning of the opening receives a plug seal of the closure. A sealing surface adjacent to the bevel is disposed along an interior of the finish portion and includes a polished buffer zone to cooperate with the plug seal to seal the container. A transition surface extends from the sealing surface to a handling surface that receives equipment to form the preform into the container. In some embodiments, the transition surface includes a polished buffer zone to cooperate with an end of the plug seal to seal the contents in the container.

An aerosol container suitable for use as an aerosol dispenser. The aerosol container includes at least a valve and product delivery device joined to an outer container. The valve and product delivery device have respective annular welds or other seals joining the valve and product delivery to the outer container. The welds, or other seals may be concentric, with one circumscribing the other, in the same plane or different planes. Suitable product delivery devices include bags and dip tubes.

A method of manufacturing a pressure vessel that includes heating a preform formed of a thermoplastic polymer, inserting a blow pin assembly that includes a bung portion and a plunger portion into an opening of the heated preform, clamping the heated preform between the bung portion and sections of a blow mold, extending the plunger portion into an interior of the heated preform to stretch the heated preform in the blow mold, and blowing air into the stretched preform under pressure to form the pressure vessel such that: (a) the pressure vessel includes a tank having a neck portion, a cylindrical body portion having a diameter of at least about 200 mm, and a bottom portion, (b) at least the thermoplastic polymer in the cylindrical body portion is biaxially oriented, and (c) threads are formed in the neck portion. Also a pressure vessel formed in accordance with the method.

An aerosol container suitable for use as an aerosol dispenser. The aerosol container includes at least a valve and product delivery device joined to an outer container. The valve and product delivery device have respective annular welds or other seals joining the valve and product delivery to the outer container. The welds, or other seals may be concentric, with one circumscribing the other, in the same plane or different planes. Suitable product delivery devices include bags and dip tubes.

A plural preform assembly including an outer preform and an inner preform. The outer preform includes an outer preform open end, an outer preform closed end longitudinally opposed thereto, and an outer preform sidewall joining the outer preform open end and the outer preform closed end. The inner preform may be disposed in the outer preform. The inner preform includes an inner preform open end, an inner preform closed end longitudinally opposed thereto, and an inner preform sidewall joining the inner preform open end and the inner preform closed end. The inner preform has an inner preform intrinsic viscosity and the outer preform has an outer preform intrinsic viscosity. The inner preform intrinsic viscosity and the outer preform intrinsic viscosity are different. The plural preform assembly may be blow molded into an article.

A preform is provided for blow-molding to form a container. The preform includes a finish portion for rotatably engaging a closure to seal contents within an interior of the container. The finish portion comprises a cylindrical body that begins at an opening to the interior and extends to and includes a tamper evidence ledge. A bevel at a beginning of the opening receives a plug seal of the closure. A sealing surface adjacent to the bevel is disposed along an interior of the finish portion and includes a polished buffer zone to cooperate with the plug seal to seal the container. A transition surface extends from the sealing surface to a handling surface that receives equipment to form the preform into the container. In some embodiments, the transition surface includes a polished buffer zone to cooperate with an end of the plug seal to seal the contents in the container.

A unit for bonding the container with the lid, made of plastic, designated especially for pressurised beverages, having a profiled rim of the container opening and a profiled rim of the lid, characterised in that the profiled rim of the opening (2) of the container (1) comprises a flange (3) formed around the said opening (2), extending outwards away from the side wall of the container, where the flange (3) has a top surface (4), side surface (5) and bottom surface (6) bonded to the external side surface of the container (1), and where formed on the top surface (4) around the opening (2) of the container (1) there is a rib (7) protruding above the surface (4), while the profiled rim of the lid (8) comprises a groove (9) formed on the bottom surface (10) of the lid (8) around its bottom edge, the groove (9) accommodating the said rib (7) which supports the lid (8) without touching on the top surface (4) of the flange (3), where there is an energy director (12, 13) formed on the bottom of the groove (9) or the top surface of the rib (7), which focuses ultrasonic energy in the process of ultrasonic welding of the rib (7) and the lid (8).

The present invention provides a fluid medium dispensing system (1) for dispensing a fluid medium stored under pressure. The system (1) comprises a container (3) for storing the fluid medium under pressure, the container (3) comprising a neck (5) defining an opening (6). A valve cup (2) supporting a valve (4) closes the opening (6) of the container (3). Contiguous portions (14, 5) of the valve cup (2) and the neck (5) are comprised of plastics materials. The plastics materials of these contiguous portions (14, 5) are fused to form a molten weld seam (15a; 15b) by laser welding thereby sealing the container (3). Preferably, the plastics material of the neck (5) of the container (3) is laser-transparent and the plastics material of the valve cup (2) is laser-absorbing. Advantageously, the plastics material of the valve cup (2) is a semi-crystalline polymer. The invention also provides a method of assembling a dispensing system (1) for a fluid medium. In the method a valve cup (2) is provided that has at least a peripheral portion thereof that is comprised of a plastics material and that includes a valve (4). A container (3) is provided that is suitable for storing the fluid medium under pressure and that comprises a neck (5) comprised of a plastics material. The neck (5) defines an opening (6) and the valve cup (2) is positioned at the opening (5). The internal volume of the container (3) is then charged before the valve cup (2) is pressed into the neck (5) of the container (3). The plastics materials of the valve cup (2) and the neck (5) are then fused together to form the molten weld seam (15a; 15b) by laser welding thereby sealing the container (3).

A preform is provided for blow-molding to form a container. The preform includes a finish portion for rotatably engaging a closure to seal pressurized contents within an interior of the container. The finish portion comprises a cylindrical body that begins at an opening to the interior and extends to and includes a tamper evidence ledge. A bevel at a beginning of the opening receives a plug seal of the closure. Multiple mirror polished surfaces beyond the bevel are configured to cooperate with the plug seal to seal the container. Mirror polished transition surfaces are disposed between diameter changes within the finish portion. In some embodiments, wherein the plug seal includes a sidewall profile that mates with the transition surfaces, an interior surface of the preform has a diameter that tightly compresses an end of the plug seal to contain pressurized contents within the container.