Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming and applying a plastic sleeve to a rigid base article, such as a glass bottle. A blank of plastic is wrapped and seamed around the fingers of a stripper sleeve enclosing a mandrel. The stripper sleeve holding the plastic sleeve is extended along its longitudinal axis telescopically over a preheated bottle positioned above and longitudinally aligned with the mandrel and the stripper sleeve. Clamping means, such as a plurality of vacuum fingers, extend downwardly and hold the plastic sleeve in position while the stripper sleeve with its fingers is retracted to its original position. The heat of the bottle causes the plastic sleeve to shrink slightly such that it is held in position relative to the bottle when the clamping means is removed. The bottle and plastic sleeve are then subjected to a thermoconstrictive operation.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a machine for making a plastic covering on a rigid base article which in the illustrated form comprises a glass bottle and a conforming shrunken plastic covering thereon. The plastic is fed in oriented sheet form to the turret apparatus, cut into lengths and wrapped and seamed on successive mandrels as sleeves. Bottles are simultaneously processed to preheat condition and indexed over the sleeves, the latter telescopically assembled on the rigid base article, i.e., the bottle, and the combination carried to a heat tunnel. The plastic sleeve shrinks into snug surface fit on the adjacent surface portion of the rigid base article.The bottle is preheated in one of two embodiments by: (1) a preheat tunnel on the machine which raises the bottles from room temperature to about 220.degree. F., or (2) the preheat is carried over as latent heat in the glass bottle from the annealing lehr, a part of the bottle manufacturing process.