A method for producing containers filled with liquid content from preforms made of thermoplastic material. The liquid content is fed as a pressure medium into thermally conditioned preforms during a forming and filling phase in a mold of one of a plurality of forming stations arranged circumferentially spaced apart on a common, continuously rotationally driven working wheel. A compensating device compensates for thermal consequences of centrifugal force acting on the liquid content fed into the preform during the forming and filling phase. The compensating device imparts a temperature profile to the preform in a circumferential direction, which is not point-symmetrical in relation to a longitudinal axis of the preform to produce a thermally differentiated partial circumferential region. The preform is inserted into the mold such that the thermally differentiated partial circumferential region faces in a radial direction of the working wheel.

A method for operating a heating device for thermal conditioning preforms made of a thermoplastic material in which each respective one of the preforms is prepared for a subsequent forming process during which the preforms are formed into containers with a forming fluid fed under pressure into the preforms. The heating device is operated in at least a first operating state and a second operating state. The second operating state is a startup phase of the heating device during which a temperature of the heating device approaches an equilibrium temperature of a thermodynamically stable equilibrium state of the heating device. The first operating state is a continuous operation state following the startup phase. The second operating state is operated with a heating output value that varies over time. Furthermore, the invention relates to a heating device and a machine having a heating device, which are configured to implement the method.

Ways to produce a plurality of preform (5) temperature profiles are provided that employ systems having a first heating means, a second heating means, and a first transfer means. The a first heating means has a first preform (5) path, imparts a first temperature profile to a preform (5) passing through the first preform (5) path, and has a first dispensing means configured to selectively dispense the preform (5) passing through at least a portion of the first preform (5) path. The second heating means has a second preform (5) path, imparts a second temperature profile to a preform (5) passing through the second preform (5) path, and has a second dispensing means configured to selectively dispense the preform (5) passing through at least a portion of the second preform (5) path. The first transfer means selectively transfers a preform (5) between the first preform (5) path and the second preform (5) path.

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 method for producing containers filled with liquid content from preforms made of thermoplastic material. The liquid content is fed as a pressure medium into thermally conditioned preforms during a forming and filling phase in a mold of one of a plurality of forming stations arranged circumferentially spaced apart on a common, continuously rotationally driven working wheel. A compensating device compensates for thermal consequences of centrifugal force acting on the liquid content fed into the preform during the forming and filling phase. The compensating device imparts a temperature profile to the preform in a circumferential direction, which is not point-symmetrical in relation to a longitudinal axis of the preform to produce a thermally differentiated partial circumferential region. The preform is inserted into the mold such that the thermally differentiated partial circumferential region faces in a radial direction of the working wheel.

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 an apparatus for heating plastic preforms, with a transport device which transports the plastic preforms along a predefined transport path, wherein this transport device has a plurality of holding elements for holding the plastic preform, and with at least one first heating section which is arranged along the transport path, and at least one second heating section which is arranged along the transport path downstream of the first heating section, wherein the heating sections each include a plurality of independently controllable heating elements which allow heating of the plastic preforms in several heating zones, lying above each other in the longitudinal direction of the plastic preforms, with a temperature profile which changes in the longitudinal direction of the plastic preforms, wherein the apparatus includes a control device for controlling these heating sections.

A method for heating a preform (1) comprising a body portion (4) having a thickness which varies progressively along any transverse cross-section between a thick zone and a thin zone of the body portion. The method comprises the following steps: —introducing the preform (1) into a heating apparatus (5) comprising an array of infrared emitters (50) arranged in multiple columns (Cj) and multiple rows (Ri); —setting power levels of the infrared emitters (50) so as to divide the array of infrared emitters into subsets C of columns (SCn); and—heating the preform while translating it in a direction parallel to the rows (Ri), and simultaneously rotating said preform (1) around its longitudinal axis, the rotation and translation speeds, and the power levels of the infrared emitters (50) being set so that the greater the thickness of the zones of the body portion (4), the higher is the power level of the subsets of columns (SCn) facing said zones.

In a blow-molding apparatus, a cooling device and a heating device are each driven by being supplied with electricity of a predetermined voltage from a supply power source. The blow-molding apparatus comprises: a monitoring device configured to constantly monitor fluctuation of the predetermined voltage; and an output automatic control mechanism configured to, in a case where the predetermined voltage monitored by the monitoring device fluctuates beyond a normal range, automatically fluctuate an output of at least one of the heating device and the cooling device to keep the output in a certain range, thereby adjusting at least one of the preform temperature and the ambient temperature to fall within a normal temperature range.

A heat treatment device for a PET bottle preform with an integral handle includes an air-cooling knife, a heating furnace, and a transport mechanism. The air-cooling knife is disposed on an outlet side of the heating furnace, the bottle preform is transported into the heating furnace through the transport mechanism, heated in the heating furnace, and transported to the air-cooling knife, and the air-cooling knife jets airflow to and cools a lower end of a handle of the bottle preform, appropriately reducing the temperature at junction of the lower end of the handle and a bottle body so that a gentle transition between the temperature of the bottle body and the temperature of the handle is achieved, and the handle is not easily deformed after the bottle preform is blown, thereby effectively improving the quality of the bottle preform after blown.