Provided is an apparatus for processing containers and in particular for reshaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, including a transport device which transports the containers along a predetermined transport path, wherein this transport device has a movable support, on which a plurality of processing stations are arranged, which in each case are suitable and intended for processing the plastic preforms, with a clean room, which surrounds at least portions of the transport path of the plastic preforms and which is delimited by at least one wall relative to the environment. Further, the apparatus has at least one inspection device for inspecting the containers, wherein this inspection device has an image capturing device, wherein this image capturing device is arranged at least partially outside the clean room and monitors at least one region of the containers through at least one wall of the clean room.

Blow molder system and associated method optimizes the performance, energy efficiency and/or operating costs of the blow molder. A blow molder controller executes a system model that relates blow molder input parameter changes to the characteristics of containers generated by the blow molder. Equipped with energy and/or operating cost data for operating the blow molder, the blow molder controller can select a set of blow molder input parameter changes for the blow molder that: drives the containers produced by the blow molder toward desired container characteristics, in an efficient amount of time, and in cost effective manner, considering the energy costs involved in implementing the changes.

When a preform having been molded while released from a mold at an earlier timing in an injection stretch blow molding machine is stretched and blow molded, the bottom of the preform is prevented from rupturing and the bottom of a hollow molded article is prevented from being uneven in wall thickness to produce such a hollow molded article without defect bottom by the injection stretch blow molding machine. An injection molding process of injection molding a preform; and a blow molding process of blow molding the preform to obtain a hollow molded article. The blow molding process allows a tip of a stretching rod cooled to a temperature between 50° C. and 90° C. to be brought into contact with the bottom of the preform in a softened state, and to press down the bottom of the preform while the bottom is cooled.

Methods for producing blow molding instructions for a bottle preform, including creating a first set of first blow molding experiments for blow molding a selected preform design into a target bottle design, each experiment having a different set of blow molding parameters, simulating each experiment of the first set of blow molding experiments using a simulation software program, selecting a group of experiments from the first blow molding experiments based on downselection criteria including wall thickness, section weight, and elastic modulus×wall thickness, creating a second set of blow molding experiments based on characteristics of the downselected group of first experiments, simulating each experiment of the second set of blow molding experiments using the simulation software program, selecting an experiment from the second blow molding experiments based on characteristics of the selected experiment's simulated preform and simulated blown bottle, and producing blow molding instructions based on the selected experiment.

The present invention provides a method of measuring the placement of material forming a blow-molded plastic container after the container is released from a mold of a blow molder having a plurality of molds, wherein each plastic container comprises a continuous sidewall and a base, the method comprising the steps of: detecting with an infrared camera infrared light emitted from the container after the container is released from a mold; converting the detected infrared light into corresponding electrical signals; transmitting the electrical signals to a microprocessor; comparing in the microprocessor the electrical signals with stored data regarding desired material distribution forming the plastic container; and producing output information regarding the placement of material forming the container.

A method for operating a device to produce a product includes capturing at least one quality data record that includes measured values of one or more quality parameters that each correspond to one property of the product. The method captures at least one associated machine data record including actual values of several adjustable machine parameters of the device, chronologically assigns the quality data record to the machine data record, and generates a first data record comprising chronologically-correlated measured values and actual values. The preceding steps are repeated at least once to generate at least one second data record. A correlation is determined between the quality parameter(s) and the machine parameter(s). The method provides a corresponding target value for at least one of the adjustable machine parameters on the basis of the control model, proceeding from a target value of the quality parameter(s).

The invention relates to a method for producing containers (14) from preforms (12) made of thermoplastic material by means of a blow molding machine (10) comprising at least one temperature control device (26) and one forming device having at least two forming stations (16), wherein the preforms (12) are temperature controlled by means of the temperature control device (26) on the basis of specifiable first control parameters, and wherein one temperature-controlled preform (12) is formed by means of one of the forming stations (16), respectively, on the basis of specifiable second control parameters into a container (14), wherein at least one of the second control parameters is individually specified for each of the forming stations (16). The invention furthermore relates to a blow molding machine (10), designed for executing the method according to the invention, for producing containers (14) from preforms (12) made of thermoplastic material.

The present disclosure relates to a measuring arrangement and a method for measuring a molten tube of an extrusion blow-molding process, including at least the following process steps: positioning or providing a THz measuring device including a THz sensor comprising an optical axis, extruding a molten tube by a blow-molding extruder along an extrusion axis, emitting a THz transmission beam from the THz sensor along its optical axis in such a manner that the front wall of the molten tube lies in a divergent beam area of the THz transmission beam behind the focus or in a convergent beam area before the focus, receiving a reflected beam reflected from the molten tube and evaluating a measuring signal in the reflected beam.

Blow molder system and associated method optimizes the performance, energy efficiency and/or operating costs of the blow molder. A blow molder controller executes a system model that relates blow molder input parameter changes to the characteristics of containers generated by the blow molder. Equipped with energy and/or operating cost data for operating the blow molder, the blow molder controller can select a set of blow molder input parameter changes for the blow molder that: drives the containers produced by the blow molder toward desired container characteristics, in an efficient amount of time, and in cost effective manner, considering the energy costs involved in implementing the changes.

Systems and methods for rapid measurement of the chemical and structural properties of plastic articles are provided. The systems and methods involve measuring both mechanical deformation of the plastic article and x-ray fluorescence of the plastic article in order to determine changes in composition as a result of contamination and/or issues associated with plastic article manufacturing lines. The systems and methods can be performed in minutes, compared to hours or days for typical testing methods.