A system for molding an object includes an articulated mold having an axis and a plurality of mold portions configured to collectively define a molding cavity for shaping the object when arranged in respective molding positions. The system includes a plurality of actuators, each operatively coupled to a respective mold portion and configured to move the respective mold portion along the axis from the respective molding position toward a respective ejecting position for releasing the object. The system includes a controller in communication with each of the plurality of actuators and configured to independently activate each of the plurality of actuators such that one of the plurality of mold portions moves along the axis from the respective molding position toward the respective ejecting position while at least one other of the plurality of mold portions remains stationary relative to the object in order to at least partially support the object.

A system for molding an object includes an articulated mold having an axis and a plurality of mold portions configured to collectively define a molding cavity for shaping the object when arranged in respective molding positions. The system includes a plurality of actuators, each operatively coupled to a respective mold portion and configured to move the respective mold portion along the axis from the respective molding position toward a respective ejecting position for releasing the object. The system includes a controller in communication with each of the plurality of actuators and configured to independently activate each of the plurality of actuators such that one of the plurality of mold portions moves along the axis from the respective molding position toward the respective ejecting position while at least one other of the plurality of mold portions remains stationary relative to the object in order to at least partially support the object.

Provided is a resin container manufacturing method including: an injection molding process of injection molding a plurality of preforms along a predetermined arrangement direction; a temperature adjustment process of adjusting a temperature of the preform; and a blow molding process of molding a resin container from the preform. After the injection molding process, the preform and the container are conveyed along a conveying direction intersecting the arrangement direction over the temperature adjustment process and the blow molding process. The temperature adjustment process includes a first temperature adjustment process of adjusting the temperature of the preform, a second temperature adjustment process of adjusting the temperature of the preform under a condition different from that of the first temperature adjustment process, and a fine adjustment process of finely adjusting the temperature of the preform.

A molding device suitable for performing at least one of injection molding of preforms and blow molding of the preforms includes a pitch changing device including: N holding units capable of holding the preforms and arranged at a predetermined pitch in a predetermined direction, N being inter equal to or larger than 2; a coupling unit coupling the holding units adjacent to each other such that the pitch is changeable; a drive unit configured to generate a predetermined drive force; and a drive force transmission unit configured to transmit the drive force to each of one end-side and the other end-side, in the predetermined direction, of the coupled N holding units. The one end-side and the other end-side are configured to be moved in the predetermined direction by the drive force to change the pitch.

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).

A preform conveying device (100) of the invention includes a control unit that detects an arriving time at which a conveyor jig arrives at a reference position based on an output of a first encoder, and commands a second motor to move a conveyor arm to a target position at regular intervals from the arriving time. The target position in each command is a position obtained by adding, to a current position of the conveyor jig which is obtained based on a latest output of the first encoder which was obtained when the command has been issued, a moving distance by which the conveyor jig has advanced during a delay time T which spans from a time when the latest output is outputted from the first encoder to a time when the command is received by the second motor.

Apparatus for treating plastic preforms, with a first transport facility transporting the plastic preforms along a predefined transport path at a first predefined pitch, with at least one heating unit heating the plastic preforms at least at times during their transportation and with a second transport facility arranged downstream with respect to the first transport facility in transport direction of the plastic preforms, which comprises a plurality of holding unit means for holding the plastic preforms and which is suitable and destined to alter a pitch between consecutive plastic preforms. The apparatus comprises a further transport section arranged, at least in sections, in transport direction of the plastic preforms between the first transport facility and the second transport facility, in which a pitch between the plastic preforms is altered.

Apparatus for transporting plastic preforms, has a sorting device configured for sorting plastic preforms and a transport device arranged after the sorting device in a transport direction. The transport device includes a first support rail and a second support rail for carrying the plastic preforms between the first and second support rails along the direction of transport. The sorting device has two rollers spaced apart from one another, between which the plastic performs are guided. The apparatus has an adjustment mechanism for adjusting at least one lateral spacing of the support rails, wherein this adjustment mechanism has several adjustment units which are arranged one behind the other along the transport direction, wherein these adjustment units each enable an adjustment of the lateral spacing and wherein these adjustment units are mechanically coupled such that the adjustment units can be adjusted together.

In one embodiment, a system for conditioning a preform for molding includes a heating cavity for receiving the preform, a heater configured to heat a gas, and a blower configured to force the gas heated by the heater into the heating cavity. In another embodiment, a method of conditioning a preform for molding includes positioning the preform in a heating cavity and forcing a heated gas into the heating cavity onto an exterior surface of the preform.

A system for molding an object includes an articulated mold having an axis and a plurality of mold portions configured to collectively define a molding cavity for shaping the object when arranged in respective molding positions. The system includes a plurality of actuators, each operatively coupled to a respective mold portion and configured to move the respective mold portion along the axis from the respective molding position toward a respective ejecting position for releasing the object. The system includes a controller in communication with each of the plurality of actuators and configured to independently activate each of the plurality of actuators such that one of the plurality of mold portions moves along the axis from the respective molding position toward the respective ejecting position while at least one other of the plurality of mold portions remains stationary relative to the object in order to at least partially support the object.