Abstract: Preforms (90) from which bottles can be blown are disclosed. Each disclosed preform has a body, a flange (92) encircling the body and a band (94) protruding from the body. The flange (92), the band (94) and the part of the body above the flange (92) define a trough (106). When a cap (102) is fitted, the ring (112) is joined to the remainder of the cap's skirt along a weakened line (108), as well as the weakened line and the adjacent part of the remainder of the skirt (104), enter the trough. The band (94) can be heat shrunk onto the ring (112).

Abstract: A cap (10) including a transverse end wall (12) and a skirt (14) is disclosed. The skirt (14) is divided by a line of weakening (24, 26) into a main part (22) and a band (20). At least the band (20) is of heat shrinkable material. When the band is heated after fitting to the container (18) it pulls in under a bead (36) which encircles the container's neck.

Abstract: A method of moulding is disclosed which comprises opening a mould by separating one mould component (16) from another mould component (18) to provide a space which opens upwardly. A lower part of the space is in the form of a well (W). A charge of mouldable material is fed into the space from above so that the charge falls into the well. The mould is closed by displacing the mould components (16, 18) into contact with one another thereby to define a closed moulding cavity which is extended downwardly by the well. The volume of the well is then reduced by displacing a plunger (22) which bounds the bottom of the well relatively to the mould components thereby to displace mouldable material from the well into the moulding cavity and fill said moulding cavity.