Abstract: In the process of raising elongated thermoplastic preforms to molding temperature by programming heat from vertically adjacent heaters at different temperatures into vertical zones of rotating preforms advancing before the heaters, the improvement of preventing heat waves emanating from one heater toward an oppositely disposed preform zone from overlapping into an area through which waves are issuing from the next adjacent heater. The apparatus includes blind members between immediately adjacent heaters extending toward the preforms to concentrate heat onto the oppositely disposed preform zone.

Abstract: In the process of loading successive molds of a multi-station rotary blow molding machine which involves closing mold sections on portions of a continuously downwardly extruding parison adjacent the outlet of an extruder head while the molds continue to move along a circular path, improvements occuring during startup of the machine are provided which comprise directing the parison out of the path while the machine speed is brought up to design rate and then severing the parison at the outlet with a device actuated outside of the circular path and in timed coordination with the position of that mold to be loaded with the next issuing parison portion.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding workpieces to and discharging formed articles from a blow mold station generally comprising base means reciprocally movable above a blow mold having one or more pairs of feed and discharge openings and including stop means for temporarily obstructing passage of a workpiece through said feed opening, means for limiting the movement of said stop means and further resilient means associated with said base means to allow continued movement of the portion of the base means containing said opening after said stop means has stopped so as to remove the obstruction at said feed opening provided by said stop means and thereby allow the workpiece to continue through the opening into the blow mold.

Abstract: In transfer apparatus for receiving lightweight articles such as containers made of plastic material, from a chute, and delivering them to a conveying means, the combination is provided of a turntable or dial having partition members forming circularly disposed receiving pockets rotatable in a generally horizontal plane below and successively in registry with the chute discharge opening, such pockets arranged for removal of the articles by the conveying means in a horizontal direction on reaching a discharge area on an arcuate path of travel thereof. Pocket loading means synchronized with movement of the dial are preferably used. The method involves successively feeding the articles individually at regular intervals to the rotating pockets, advancing the articles in the pockets along an arcuate path to a discharge area and continuously moving each article out of such discharge area in a direction generally tangential to the arcuate path.