Ways to produce a container (315, 415, 515, 720, 815, 915) having a shaped tail (610, 910) are provided that include blow molding a precursor having a tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910) and shaping the tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910) to form the shaped tail (610, 910). Various types of blow molding can employ various types of precursors having tails (510). Injection blow molding can be used where a preform (105, 200, 305, 405, 505) having a tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910) is optionally longitudinally stretched and is expanded with a gas or a liquid. Extrusion blow molding can be used where a parison (705) having a tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910) is expanded. A tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910) shaping means can be part of the blow molding process or can be employed after the container (315, 415, 515, 720, 815, 915) is produced from the precursor having the tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910). The shaped tail (610, 910) can impart functionality to the container (315, 415, 515, 720, 815, 915), including where the tail (105, 110, 205, 310, 410, 510, 715, 810, 910) is shaped into a coupling point that can serve as an attachment point, hanging point, or hook, for example.

A method of manufacturing includes forming a medical balloon with a scoring element along at least a barrel section by expanding a tubular parison in a mold cavity including a closed end groove corresponding to the scoring element. The scoring element may extend longitudinally, circumferentially, or helically, and a plurality of scoring elements may be provided. Medical balloons formed using the method and a mold for forming such balloons are also disclosed.

When a hollow molded body using a preform to be molded with a thin bottom portion is produced while taking advantage of the roughening of the outer surface of an injection core mold, transferred roughening marks are prevented from appearing on the bottom portion of hollow molded bodies, so that the hollow molded body with an aesthetic bottom portion is obtained. An injection core mold (12) has an outer surface of its tip portion corresponding to a preform bottom portion (10) and a lower end portion (14a) of a preform body portion (14). The outer surface corresponding to the preform bottom portion (10) and the lower end portion (14a) of the preform body portion (14) is a mirror-finished surface (20), and the outer surface of the injection core mold for forming the preform other than the mirror-finished surface is a roughened surface (15).

A blow molding mold unit comprising: a plurality of blow molds each including: a pair of split molds forming a plurality of cavities arranged in a row in a first direction, a plurality of bottom molds respectively corresponding to the cavities, and a bottom mold fixing plate to which the plurality of bottom molds are fixed, the plurality of blow molds being arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, first fixing members holding split molds that are arranged at both end positions in the second direction, the first fixing members being fixed to a mold clamping plate, second fixing members arranged between the first fixing members, and to which split molds other than the split molds fixed to the first fixing members are fixed, a push-up rod disposed below the bottom mold fixing plate, and a push-up member configured to be coupled to a lifting device and extending along the second direction below the second fixing members, the push-up member being configured to push up, via the push-up rod, the bottom mold fixing plate to lift the plurality of bottom molds arranged in the second direction.

A tool assembly and a method for manufacturing and sealing a tool assembly for manufacturing an article includes building a tool assembly using additive manufacturing or 3D printing processes.

A component with a customized exterior surface and a method and tool for manufacturing the same are provided. The component may be formed via a plastic forming process with a forming tool, such that it has a surface texture formed on its exterior surface. The forming tool has at least one tool surface, which defines a mold cavity. The tool surface has a textured layer coupled thereto, such that the textured layer directly contacts a moldable material supplied to the mold cavity. The textured layer has a surface texture formed thereon resulting in the surface texture present on the textured layer being transferred to and formed on the exterior surface of the component during forming. The textured layer may be changeable or replaceable with respect to the at least one tool surface, such that a single tool may form components with different surface textures formed on the exterior surface thereof.

A method for producing a balloon from a suitable blank is provided. The blank is introduced into an outer mold heated an first expanded to expand it against the inner wall of the outer mold. Pressure is reduced to relax the blank away from the inner wall. The three-dimensional volume of the mold is changed. Second expanding of the blank expands again against the inner wall of the changed volume of the outer mold. Balloons of the invention consist of a middle cylindrical region and two end regions delimiting the middle cylindrical region. With a pressure application of 6 bar, a ratio of the cross section in the middle region to the cross section in the end region is at least 2, and preferably greater than 3.

A conveying system (1), comprising a modular conveyor belt (2) supported on a conveyor track (3) so that top surfaces (4) of the modules (5) of the conveyor belt present a conveying face (6) that in use moves along the track in a conveying direction, and at least one plastic bottle supported at its bottom on the conveying face via one or more textured surfaces at a bottom of the bottle. The disclosure also includes a method of conveying bottles, wherein plastic bottles are supported with their bottoms on a moving conveying face of a conveyor, and wherein the conveying face and the bottom of the bottle are conveyed via one or more textured surfaces (12) at a bottom of the bottle. The disclosure further includes use of at least one textured bottom surface of a plastic bottle for conveying, and a blow mold for blow molding a plastic bottle.

A method for transferring a negative structure of a surface of an inner wall (51) of a blow molding tool (1) onto a surface of a plastic container. The method comprises the steps of heating at least one region (511) of a mold cavity (6) of a molding body (4) of the blow molding tool (1), on which the negative structure is formed, inserting a preform into the mold cavity (6), closing the blow molding tool (1), molding the plastic container by inflating the preform and bringing the preform to lie against the inner wall (51) of the mold cavity (6), cooling the region (511) by supplying a coolant through temperature control channels (54), and removing the plastic container from the mold.

A method for producing a container from a blank, inside a forming unit having a mold and a movable insert controlled by a variable-flow solenoid valve, a control unit linked to the solenoid valve. The method comprises developing a boxing curve characterizing the successive positions of the insert; determining, based on a reference blowing curve, points of inflection; measuring, on the boxing curve, distances actually travelled by the insert between points in time, some of which correspond to these points of inflection; and comparing the values of the measured distances with nominal values. If there is a difference between a measured value and a nominal value, controlling, by the control unit, a modification in the flow rate setpoint of the solenoid valve for the next production cycle.