Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for producing cardboard cutouts, comprising a magazine (3) which projects outside the closed chamber of said machine, and a window (10) in one of the walls of said chamber for feeding said cutouts into said chamber. Said machine includes at least two associated sensors (15 and 16), which are positioned in the immediate vicinity of the window (10); said sensors are slightly offset such that, in particular, one or the other causes the complete and absolute stoppage of the machine before said window is opened. The two sensors (15, 16) are of different types, and the operations thereof are based on separate physical principles: one (15) of the sensors consists of a photoelectric cell, and the other sensor (16) is an ultrasonic sensor.

Abstract: A unit for treating blanks of hollow bodies made of a plastic material which includes: an enclosure which the blanks travel through longitudinally; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation sources, arranged on at least one lateral side of the enclosure; at least one airlock adjoining the enclosure, provided with mobile shields that are opaque to the electromagnetic radiation travelling along a path locally encroaching upon the path of the blanks; two shields defining two-by-two an area for holding at least one blank.

Abstract: A container filling machine includes at least one filling spout, and a cleaning device including a stationary collecting member with a passage opening, a sealing member that can be displaced between a retracted position and a service position in which said sealing member is capable of tightly sealing the passage opening, and displacement means for displacing said sealing member between the retracted position and the service position thereof. The sealing member includes an elastically deformable membrane mounted on a holder and forming therewith a tight deformation chamber capable of receiving a pressurized fluid in order to deform the deformable membrane for sealing the passage opening when said holder is displaced into the service position by the displacement means.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gas feed installation for depositing barrier layers in a container. According to the invention, a balancing step is carried out using a start-up feed device (70) during transient states when the operation passes from a vacuum step, then to a step of depositing a preparatory layer and finally a step of depositing an actual barrier layer on an injector (44) inside a container (42).

Abstract: A filling valve includes a hollow housing including a liquid chamber, a gas chamber, and a sliding valve assembly. The sliding valve assembly includes a hollow valve rod with an opening in the gas chamber at an upper end of the valve rod, the valve rod sliding in the housing between an open position where valve rod opens an aperture in the housing allowing liquid to flow from the liquid chamber through the aperture, and a closed position where the valve rod closes the aperture, and a sliding piston disposed in the housing between an open position where a lower end of the piston is spaced from the upper end of the valve rod allowing gas to pass from the gas chamber to the opening in the valve and a closed position where the lower end of the piston contacts the upper end of the valve rod.

Abstract: The device for fast assembly of a tool on its support comprises a bolt attached to said support and disposed within a bore with a through hole and a mandrel, which is attached to the tool as such and disposed within said through hole and interacting with said bolt. At the junction between the tool and its support, the device comprises centering and locking means which consist of a set of the tenon and mortise type, which set extends perpendicularly to the mandrel and thus forms a T-shaped structure of the assembly, which confers high rigidity to the tool. Said assembly device is in particular suitable for tools such as actuators or pliers, i.e. tools which are utilized in machines for packaging flasks, bottles or the like.

Abstract: Container (1) of thermoplastic material produced by blowing or stretch blowing of a blank, said container comprising a petaloid bottom (3) provided with projecting feet (4) separated by hollow valleys (8) that extend radially from a central zone (5) of the bottom (3), each foot (4) having two flanks (9), each of which laterally borders a valley (8). Each foot (4) is provided, on each of its flanks (9), with a cheek (18) that projects laterally from the side of the valley (8).

Abstract: Plant and process for assembling, in the form of an open-ended box (27; 31), a cardboard blank (1) for the manufacture of a box of the American box type, said blank (1) comprising two opposite walls, joined by their lateral edges, each of the walls comprising two adjacent sides of the box to be formed, the two adjacent sides having different lengths, said process consisting in using three assembly arms (10, 11, 12), the three arms being actuated, in pairs, by control means (5) following a first operating mode (I) or a second operating mode (II).

Abstract: The invention relates to an entry station (1) which comprises at least one passageway for parallelepiped packages, located upstream from the preparation station (3), said passageway (6) being defined by means of lateral rails (7, 8) which are separated by a distance substantially corresponding to the length of said packages (2) and comprising a means for varying the width thereof at the pivoting area of said packages (2). The passageway (6) is defined by a rail (7) which is aligned with the pivoting abutment (15), and a rail (8) located opposite, facing the former, said opposite rail (8) including, in the downstream portion thereof, in the pivoting area, a rail section (14) that extends as far as the entrance to the preparation station (3) and said section can be retracted in order to allow the pivoting of the package (2) halted by said abutment (15) at said pivoting area.

Abstract: The invention relates notably to an installation comprising a device for orienting objects which have more or less two axes of symmetry and are placed on a conveyor. The installation is notable in that the device comprises four arms (81, 82, 83, 84) arranged perpendicular to one another so as to form a cross, the arms (81, 82, 83, 84) being mounted on a chassis, said chassis being mounted so that it can rotate about a common axis (Z) of rotation which is perpendicular to the plane of said conveyor. In addition, each arm (81, 82, 83, 84) is mounted with the ability to effect a rectilinear translational movement along a segment of a straight line, said segments being offset by a distance in relation to the common axis of rotation (Z), said segments intersecting to form a square centred on said common axis of rotation (Z). Finally, the installation comprises means for moving the axis (Z) of rotation of the device transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis (Z) of said conveyor of said items.

Abstract: The invention relates to facility including a robot (2) for supplying pallet preparation stations with products (3) of the crate type or different. The structure of the facility includes side walls (11) and doors (13, 14) for accessing the palletization stations A and B. The structure further includes a fixed wall (15) separating stations A and B, and a cowling (20) mobile from one station to the other and in the shape of a dihedron, for alternatively converting each palletization station A and B into a kind of pallet hatch, wherein said conversion is carried out automatically before the opening of the door for accessing a loaded pallet located in said hatch. The cowling (20) is directly actuated by the product handling robot (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to blowing equipment (1) that uses a pressurised fluid for blowing vessels from preforms of a thermoplastic material and including a body (3) and a neck (6), wherein said equipment comprises a blowing mould (5) with a moulding cavity (4) in which the body (3) of a preform (2) can be placed, said mould (5) including an upper surface (7) from which protrudes the neck (6) of a preform (2) once the body (3) of said preform (2) is placed in the cavity (4), and wherein said equipment (1) also includes a nozzle (8) with an end (9) shaped so as to be placed in functional sealed relation with the protruding neck (6) of the preform (2). The end (9) of the nozzle (8) is connected to a means (12) for degassing the blowing fluid, capable of bearing tightly on the upper surface (7) of the mould (5) so as to define an inner volume (13) in which the blowing fluid blown under pressure into the preform (2) can be discharged after the preform (2) blowing operation.

Abstract: Clamp (1) for holding a container (2) by a neck (3) in a container handling machine, said clamp (1) comprising a pair of resilient arms (5) and a pair of neck grippers (7) provided at respective ends (6) of the arms (5), said arms (5) and said neck grippers (7) being configured to allow the container neck (3) to be laterally engaged between the neck grippers (7), each neck gripper (7) being pivotally mounted on the corresponding arm (5) about a rotation axis (8), and having at least two gripping jaws (9a, 9b) of different dimensions, configured to cooperate with container necks (3a, 3b) of different sizes.

Abstract: Device (1) for gripping an object such as a blow-moulding container preform (3), comprising: a guiding body (12); a stop body (13), mounted so as to move axially relative to the guiding body (12) along an axis (4) of the device, intended to be aligned with the object (3) to be gripped; a mandrel support (7), equipped with a gripping mandrel (15), able to move axially relative to the guiding body (12) and having a plunge-in travel (8) going from a set-back position to a plunged-in position in which the mandrel (15) is capable of gripping the object (3). The stop body (13) has, together with the mandrel support (7), a system of support stops (18, 19) arranged so that the mandrel support (7) drives the stop body (13) axially onto a terminal portion of the plunge-in travel (8). The device (1) includes a return means (34, 36) mounted between the guiding body (13) and the stop body, for the purpose of driving the stop body along an axial set-back direction opposite direction of plunge-in travel.

Abstract: Rotating pressure distributor (I) for a carousel-type machine for treating hollow bodies in a plurality of identical treatment stations, comprising two rings, (2) fixed and (3) rotating, in sealing contact, the ring (3) having orifices (6) each adapted for being connected to a station and opening onto the contact face (5) thereof, the ring (2) having at least one aperture (7) which may be connected to a pressure source and opening onto the contact face (4) thereof by being on the trajectory of the orifices (6); grease is spread between the contact faces (4, 5) of the two rings (2, 3) to provide the seal; at least one annular channel (13) covers the annular opening (19) of the joint plane (P) and is connected to the atmosphere; in the channel respective flanges (14) are mutually interlaced without contact with one another, forming chicanes; the channel is filled with grease.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing a container from a thermoplastic blank (2), comprising: a step in which the blank (2) is heated using at least one beam (22) of coherent electromagnetic radiation, and a step in which the container is formed from the blank (2) thus heated. The invention also relates to an installation (1) which is used to produce containers (2) and which comprises a unit (16) for heating the blanks (2) in order to form containers from the blanks (2) thus heated. The inventive installation (1) defines a path (23) along which the blanks (2) travel inside the heating unit (16). In addition, the heating unit (16) comprises at least one coherent electromagnetic radiation source (26) which is directed towards a zone (25) that is located on the aforementioned path (23).

Abstract: A container made of thermoplastic material having a body in which at least one side panel is hollowed out, the container including a central zone having, in a longitudinal plane, a concave profile, and an adjoining zone longitudinally extending the central zone and having, in a longitudinal plane, a convex profile. The central zone and the adjoining zone are stiffened, and the junction between the central zone and the adjoining zone defines a deformable membrane.

Abstract: A Blow-mold assembly for the manufacturing of containers, comprising: A mold having a sidewall defining a mold cavity and provided with a channel for the circulation of a heating or cooling fluid, said channel having, on an outer face of the mold, an fluid inlet port and a fluid outlet port; A plug provided with a fluid supply line and a fluid discharge line; Wherein said mold and said plug are provided with complementary connection elements configured to provide removable connection of the plug to the mold with simultaneous connection of the supply line to the inlet port and connection of the discharge line to the outlet port.

Abstract: Object transfer device comprising a frame (3,20,63,58), at least one gripper (6,22,22a,62,57a,57b) having a gripper body (7,25,45) and means of guiding the gripper body with respect to the frame; the gripper being equipped with one or more jaws (8,28a,28b,46) mobile with respect to the gripper body (7,25,45). The gripper comprises a magnetic element (12,32,44,52,56) capable, when it is subjected to a magnetic field greater than an efficiency threshold, of exerting a force on at least one mobile jaw. The frame comprises a control device (24,49,50) of the gripper capable of creating a magnetic field greater than the efficiency threshold in at least one zone (14,15) of the frame dedicated to the operation of the gripper. Said gripper body guide means is designed so that the magnetic element of the gripper is driven in translation along a movement path (13,33) passing through the operation zone (14,15) of the gripper defined by the control device (24,49,50).

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for products having a non-circular cross-section, such as ovoid containers or bottles. The machine includes: a collector having cavities arranged obliquely relative to the XX? axis of the conveyor used to supply said products; a means for transferring the batch of products formed into groups by said collector to a depositing station, on a table arranged along said feed conveyor; a means for dropping the batch of products by a reversing movement in an oblique direction; and a means for returning said collector to the starting point, that is, level with the first product on said feed conveyor.