METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING PLASTIC CONTAINERS WITH ZONE INDICATORS INSPECTION OF PLASTIC PREFORMS

Abstract

A method for evaluating plastic preforms, wherein said plastic preforms are intended to be heated by a heating device and then expanded by a forming device by application of a flowable medium to form plastic containers, wherein the plastic preforms extending in a longitudinal direction and having several portions in the longitudinal direction, wherein the several portions having at least one threaded portion, a main body portion and a bottom portion, wherein at least the main body portion and the bottom portion being inspected, wherein values characteristic of a material quality of the plastic preforms are output, wherein the values being assigned to different portions and/or at least one property of the container to be produced being taken into account in the evaluation of the characteristic values.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating plastic preforms, wherein said plastic preforms are intended to be heated by a heating device and then expanded by a forming device by application of a flowable medium to form plastic containers, wherein the plastic preforms extending in a longitudinal direction and having several portions in the longitudinal direction, wherein the several portions having at least one mouth portion, a main body portion and a bottom portion, wherein at least the main body portion and the bottom portion being inspected, wherein values characteristic of a material quality of the plastic preforms are output, wherein the values being assigned to different portions and/or wherein at least one property of the container to be produced being taken into account in the evaluation of the characteristic values.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the values characteristic of the material quality are selected from a group of values selected from impurities of the material of the plastic preforms, sizes of the impurities of the material, a distribution of the impurities of the material over the surface thereof, a density of the impurities of the material over the surface thereof, thickness variations of a material of the plastic preforms, density variations of a material of the plastic preforms, and color properties of the material of the plastic preforms.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one characteristic value is determined which is characteristic of the main body portion of the plastic preforms and/or at least one characteristic value is determined which is characteristic of the bottom portion or a wall portion of the plastic preforms.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plastic preforms are transported along a predetermined transport path and are inspected during this transport.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plastic preforms have at least in part a recycled material.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plastic preforms are heated after the inspection thereof and are expanded after the heating thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the plastic preforms is ejected before the expansion thereof and after the heating thereof.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein an ejection takes place taking into account at least one of the values, and the ejection takes place both taking into account the values and taking into account the portion in which this value was determined.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an inspection of the plastic preforms takes place before the heating thereof.

10. An apparatus for producing plastic containers comprising a heating device, configured to heat plastic preforms, wherein the heating device having a transport device configured to transport the plastic preforms along a predetermined transport path and a forming device, configured to expand the plastic preforms heated by the heating device by application of a flowable medium to form the plastic containers, wherein the plastic preforms extending in a longitudinal direction and having several portions in the longitudinal direction, wherein the several portions having at least one mouth portion, a main body portion and a bottom portion, and comprising at least one inspection device configured for inspecting at least one main body and the bottom portion of the plastic preforms, wherein the inspection device is configured for outputting values which are characteristic of a material quality of the plastic preforms, wherein the values can be assigned to different portions of the plastic preforms and/or the apparatus comprises an ejection device which is configured for ejecting plastic preforms taking into account at least one of the values, wherein the ejection device also taking into account at least one value which is characteristic of the plastic preforms used and/or of the containers to be produced.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus has an ejection device which is configured for ejecting plastic preforms taking into account at least one of these values.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the ejection device is configured for ejecting plastic preforms taking into account a first value which is characteristic of a material quality in the main body portion and/or the ejection device is configured for ejecting plastic preforms taking into account a first value which is characteristic of a material quality in the bottom portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Further advantages and embodiments emerge from the accompanying figure. In the figures:

[0058] FIG. 1 shows a representation of a container; and

[0059] FIG. 2 shows a representation of a plastic preform from which the container shown in FIG. 1 is produced

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0060] FIG. 1 shows a representation of a container 20. Said container has a longitudinal direction L and in this case three portions 10a, 10b, and 10c. More precisely, these are a mouth portion 10a, a main body portion 10b and a bottom portion 10c.

[0061] Said portions correspond to the corresponding portions of the plastic preforms 10 shown in FIG. 2 from which the container 20 is produced by a blow-molding process. The mouth portion 10a is preferably not expanded here.

[0062] The reference number F1 identifies a fault, such as a dark point, which is located in the main body portion 10b, and the reference sign F2 identifies a fault in the region of the bottom portion 10c. These two faults F1 and F2 can have different effects. It is thus conceivable that the fault F1 in the main body portion 10b does not yet lead to a defective container, whereas the fault F2 in the bottom portion 10c leads to a defective container. In this case, a plastic preform with the fault F2 should therefore be ejected, whereas a plastic preform with the fault F1 should not.