A grip device for the support and movement of preforms which extends along a longitudinal axis and is of the type provided with an access port which forms, at a rim, an annular radial flaring which lies on a surface of arrangement that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The grip device includes a supporting element which is functionally associated with an air supply conduit and is connected to at least one air exit nozzle which is adapted to generate at least one respective air flow which is designed to arrange itself parallel to at least one portion of the radial flaring of a preform to be held in order to enable the preform to be supported without contact.

The invention relates to a machine for production of containers that are filled with a liquid product from preforms made from a thermoplastic material. The problem addressed by the invention is the proposing of such a machine which is easy to clean and disinfect. This problem is solved in that a machine comprises a heating section (1) for thermal conditioning of the preforms in a drying region (2) of the machine, a molding and filling section (3) for simultaneous molding and filling of the containers within a mold by a filled product inserted into the preforms under pressure in a wet region (4) of the machine and transport wheels (5, 6, 7, 8, 10) for transporting the preforms or the molded containers through the machine, wherein the distance of adjacent preforms is smaller in the heating section (1) than in the molding and filling section (3). The enlarging of the distances of the preforms between the heating section (1) and the molding and filling section (3) is performed by means of a transfer wheel (11) and the drying region (2) of the machine is separated from the wet region (4) of the machine by a lock (13) having a lock chamber (14). The machine is characterized in that the transfer wheel (11) for enlarging the distances of the preforms is arranged in whole or at least in part before the lock (13) in the drying region (2).

The invention concerns a method for managing captive preforms immobilized in a heating station during an interruption of production, the preforms following a production stream, the heating station including a device for conveying preforms and a heating cavity bordered by at least one row of emitters of monochromatic electromagnetic radiation. The method consists in ejecting from the production stream the cold captive preforms that have been immobilized before they have been exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitters to a recycling stream and rejecting from the production stream the hot captive preforms that have been at least partly exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitters to a reject stream separate from the recycling stream.

The invention relates to a gripper for holding workpieces, in particular preforms or containers, in their neck region, having a gripper base on which two gripper arms are pivotably arranged, which each have gripping ends for partially enclosing the neck region, wherein the gripper arms are held in a base position under spring tension, in which the gripping ends can jointly enclose and hold a neck region and, if they come into contact with an obstacle, can be pivoted out of the base position jointly in one direction, wherein one of the gripper arms as the main arm (13, 13′) is clamped via a spring (20) with the gripper base (11), which pulls the main arm (13, 13′) into contact with the other gripper arm, functioning as a secondary arm (14, 14′), in the base position, and the main and secondary arm (13, 13′; 14, 14′) are each mounted in a joint (18, 19), wherein the joint (19) of the secondary arm (14) is closer to its gripping end (16) than the joint (18) of the main arm (13), and the main and secondary arm press against one another in the closed position at least in two regions (21, 22), one of which is located above the joint (19) of the secondary arm (14) and the other below it on a lever (25) of the secondary arm (14) extending downward from the joint (19).

A production device for a fuel tank, having two or more built-in components attached to an inside of a fuel tank body when the fuel tank body is formed, includes: jigs configured to have the built-in components placed thereon; and a feed robot, as a feed device, configured to feed the built-in components, along with the jigs having the built-in components placed thereon, to a position below molding dies. The feed device may feed the jig, having the built-in components placed thereon, to the position via a subsurface feed path leading to the position.

The invention concerns a method for managing captive preforms immobilized in a heating station during an interruption of production, the preforms following a production stream, the heating station including a device for conveying preforms and a heating cavity bordered by at least one row of emitters of monochromatic electromagnetic radiation. The method consists in ejecting from the production stream the cold captive preforms that have been immobilized before they have been exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitters to a recycling stream and rejecting from the production stream the hot captive preforms that have been at least partly exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitters to a reject stream separate from the recycling stream.

An apparatus for blow molding plastic containers includes a blow molding carousel and is connected, at a first transfer station, to a feeding line of preforms, the first transfer station having a transfer carousel supporting a grip elements which are associated with at least one respective grip body., e Each grip element has a first arm, which is supported so that it can rotate by the transfer carousel in order to rotate on command about a substantially vertical pivoting axis, and a second arm, which extends longitudinally and can slide on command with respect to the first arm along an advancement/retraction direction which is substantially parallel to its own direction of extension. The grip body includes a coupling element which is configured to stably hold the preform.

A production device for a fuel tank, having two or more built-in components attached to an inside of a fuel tank body when the fuel tank body is formed, includes: jigs configured to have the built-in components placed thereon; and a feed robot, as a feed device, configured to feed the built-in components, along with the jigs having the built-in components placed thereon, to a position below molding dies. The feed device may feed the jig, having the built-in components placed thereon, to the position via a subsurface feed path leading to the position.

An apparatus for blow molding plastic containers, particularly bottles, including a blow molding carousel, which can rotate about a main rotation axis and is functionally connected, at a first transfer station and at a second transfer station, to a line for feeding the preforms and to a line for unloading the bottles, the blow molding carousel supporting, at its peripheral region, a plurality of forming units arranged around the main rotation axis. Each forming unit has a mold that defines a first and a second forming cavity and is formed by two half-mold parts, which can move with respect to each other to pass between an open position for feeding the preforms and for unloading the bottles and a closed position, in which it defines at least one forming cavity.

An apparatus for blow molding plastic containers, particularly bottles, including a blow molding carousel, which can rotate about a main rotation axis and is functionally connected, at a first transfer station and at a second transfer station, to a line for feeding the preforms and to a line for unloading the bottles, the blow molding carousel supporting, at its peripheral region, a plurality of forming units arranged around the main rotation axis. Each forming unit comprising has a mold that defines a first and a second forming cavity and is formed by two half-mold parts, which can move with respect to each other to pass between an open position for feeding the preforms and for unloading the bottles and a closed position, in which it defines at least one forming cavity.