Abstract: The invention relates to a thermoformable sheeting consisting of a foam material or containing at least one layer of a foam material. The inventive sheeting is particularly applicable for thermoforming cups or trays for packaging and/or consuming food stuffs, by drawing or deep drawing the sheeting and expanding the foam material. The foam material of the inventive sheeting consists of a polypropylene blend containing between 50 and 100% of high melt strength polypropylene, has a density of 0.1 to 0.7 g/cm3, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5 g/cm3, and a cell number of from greater than 300 to 3000 cells per mm3, preferably between 800 and 2500 cells per mm3. The inventive sheeting can be drawn with a high drawing ration (e.g. 1.5) and expanded to be formed into containers even with difficult shapes, whereby no drawing problems arise and the containers produced show a homogeneous opaqueness.

Abstract: The machine for the production of plastic receptacles comprises a heating device (10) in which the pre-forms are heated before being sent to a drawing-blowing device. This heating device (10) has heating elements (70) located between two rows of pre-forms and distributed in two heating bodies (85) mounted one after the other on a sliding mechanism (95) comprising telescopic tubes permitting individually withdrawing and reinserting the heating elements (70) of the heating device (10). The maintenance and adjustment of the heating elements (70) are thus greatly facilitated and the down time of the machine greatly reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a thermoformable sheeting consisting of a foam material or containing at least one layer of a foam material. The inventive sheeting is particularly applicable for thermoforming cups or trays for packaging and/or consuming food stuffs, by drawing or deep drawing the sheeting and expanding the foam material. The foam material of the inventive sheeting consists of a polypropylene blend containing between 50 and 100% of high melt strength polypropylene, has a density of 0.1 to 0.7 g/cm3, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5 g/cm3, and a cell number of from greater than 300 to 3000 cells per mm3, preferably between 800 and 2500 cells per mm3. The inventive sheeting can be drawn with a high drawing ration (e.g. 1.5) and expanded to be formed into containers even with difficult shapes, whereby no drawing problems arise and the containers produced show a homogeneous opaqueness.

Abstract: The inventive method serves for producing open containers from a flat sheeting (4) consisting of a foam material or containing at least one layer of such a material, by drawing the sheeting with the help of a female (2) and a male tool (1) and by expanding the foam material with the help of a pressure reduction. The action sequence of one cycle of the inventive method is e.g.

Abstract: The inventive packaging item is e.g. a tray for packing fresh meat. It has at least on its bottom part (10) grooves (11) which open towards the inside of the packaging item. The openings of these grooves are narrower than the inside part of the grooves. If the groove opening is sufficiently narrow e.g 1mm or less, unwanted liquid oozing out of the packed meat is trapped in these grooves (11) and such separated from the meat and kept out of sight of a potential buyer.