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 of controlling a preform for stretch blow-moulding a container with an integrally formed handle; the preform comprising a body portion and the integrally formed handle; the preform transferred from a perform supply source to a blow moulding die for blowing the container; the method including the steps of passing the preform through a preform handle orientating apparatus, transferring the preform to a preform transportation system, maintaining orientation of the preform handle imposed by the perform handle orientating apparatus during transfer to the perform transportation system and transfer to the blow moulding die, rotating the preforms during transport along the transportation system past an array of preform heating elements while shielding the integrally formed handle from excessive exposure to the heating elements, transferring the preform from the transportation system to the blow moulding die, and wherein the handle comprises a loop of orientable material extending between an upper connection region and a lower connection region on the body portion of the preform; characterised in that the handle has a generally uniform cross section from proximate the lower connection region to a gradually widening cross section approaching the upper connection region; the cross section reaching and maintaining a maximum width proximate the upper connection region.

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 continuously rotating, non-symmetric preform feed, stretch-blow-moulding machine dedicated to the stretch-blow-moulding of containers from non-symmetric injection moulded preforms; the non-symmetric preforms including an integral handle extending from a first junction point to a second junction point on a body of the preform; the body of the preform and the integral handle constituted from the same material.

Apparatus for producing plastic containers has a heating device having a transport device for transporting the plastic preforms singly along a predefined transport path. The transport device has a plurality of holding devices for holding the plastic preforms, and at least one heating unit for heating the plastic preforms, wherein furthermore a rotating device is provided which rotates the plastic preforms held by the holding devices and is connected to a forming device, which transforms the plastic preforms transported by the heating device into plastic containers. The apparatus has an alignment device which enables alignment of the rotational position of the plastic preforms with respect to their longitudinal direction relative to the holding devices holding these plastic preforms and/or the apparatus has a rotational position alignment device arranged along the transport path which enables alignment of a rotational position of the holding devices with the plastic preforms arranged thereon.

A method of controlling a preform for stretch blow-moulding a container with an integrally formed handle; the preform comprising, a body portion and the integrally formed handle; the preform transferred from a perform supply source to a blow moulding die for blowing the container; the method including the steps of passing the preform through a preform handle orientating apparatus, transferring the preform to a preform transportation system, maintaining orientation of the preform handle imposed by the perform handle orientating apparatus during transfer to the perform transportation system and transfer to the blow moulding die, rotating the preforms during transport along the transportation system past an array of preform heating elements while shielding the integrally formed handle from excessive exposure to the heating elements, transferring the preform from the transportation system to the blow moulding die, and wherein the handle comprises a loop of orientable material extending between an upper connection region and a lower connection region on the body portion of the preform; characterised in that the handle has a generally uniform cross section from proximate the lower connection region to a gradually widening cross section approaching the upper connection region; the cross section reaching and maintaining a maximum width proximate the upper connection region.

Provided is a device for treating containers, comprising a heating device for heating plastic preforms, wherein the heating device has a plurality of heating stations which are suitable for individually heating the plastic preforms, and wherein the heating device has a transport device which transports the plastic preforms individually through the heating device, and comprising a reshaping device which is suitable and intended for reshaping the plastic preforms heated by the heating device into plastic containers. This reshaping device is arranged downstream of the heating device in the transport direction of the plastic preforms, and the reshaping device has a movable support, on which a plurality of reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping the plastic preforms into the plastic containers. The device also comprises a transport device, for transporting the heated plastic preforms individually from the heating device to the reshaping device, and a decorating device.

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.

The invention relates to a method for controlling confined preforms which are stopped in a heating station during a production interruption, the heating station comprising a device for conveying preforms comprising individual supports which move in a closed circuit and a heating cavity which is bordered by at least one row of transmitters of monochromatic electromagnetic radiation. The method includes a step of heating, by the transmitters of the heating cavity, the confined preforms referred to as “cold” preforms which have been stopped before being exposed to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the transmitters.

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.