Abstract: A plastic bottle made of biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate comprises a narrow neck portion, a downwardly and outwardly flared shoulder portion continuous from the neck portion, a generally cylindrical body portion and a bottom portion, wherein said portions except for the neck portion have a density of at least 1.375, and the internal volume increase rate is less than 5% when the bottle filled with a liquid at 20.degree. C. containing a 2 gas volume of carbon dioxide gas is immersed in warm water at 75.degree. C. for 30 minutes.

Abstract: Improved plastic containers and process for their production are disclosed. In one embodiment, containers are blow molded in a first hot blow mold, then reblown to a larger size in a second cold mold of larger volume than the first hot mold. Such containers have improved physical properties, particularly very high hoop yield stresses. In a second embodiment, containers are blow molded in a hot blow mold, then reblown to a larger size in a second hot blow mold. Such containers show high resistance to shrinkage and gross deformation in shape upon exposure to high temperatures.

Abstract: The heated end of a parison is brought into a finish mold form to shape a finish profile suitable for setting up a closure. The parison is axially stretched by a stretch pin to pull out the heated plastic material adjacent the profile to a thinner cross section. This allows to obtain a considerable saving of weight of the plastic material.

Abstract: This relates to a container which is formed of a thermoplastic material, preferably PET, wherein the container wall and flanges have a high degree of orientation and the required strength characteristics utilizing a minimum of resin in the formation thereof. An intermediate article of manufacture is formed with this article having a generally bottle-like configuration. The intermediate article of manufacture, which is blow molded from a conventional preform configuration, includes a lower portion in the configuration of the desired container and an upper portion which is an accommodation portion. The accommodation portion is removed from the container and becomes scrap which is reground. This abstract forms no part of the specification of this application and is not to be construed as limiting the claims of the application.

Abstract: This relates to the supplying of blow molding gas to a blow molding system. Most particularly, this relates to a blow molding gas supply which includes a low pressure supply and a high pressure supply and wherein the high pressure blowing gas of the molding operation is used to replenish the low pressure supply, thereby eliminating the presently required separate outside supply.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for transferring blanks, plastic parisons or other articles to be molded in a sealed cavity. One embodiment includes mold sections which are closeable along a first axis to form a mold cavity and which are movable along a second axis from a first station where the mold sections may receive a moldable blank to a second station where the blank may be molded under pressure. Optional biasing means may be included to hold the mold sections sufficiently close together to hold the blank in the mold cavity as the mold sections move from the first station to the second station. A clamp, or other pressure applying means, exerts a final closing pressure on the mold sections at the second station for molding the blank under pressure. The clamp is stationary in relation to the first and second stations so that the mold sections can move relative to the clamp along the second axis.

Abstract: A container (21), and a method and apparatus for producing the container from a tubular blank of polyethylene terephthalate or similar material, according to which a polyethylene terephthalate blank is stretched at least about 3-fold to produce a preform (20). In an axial section through the preform, the contour length substantially corresponds to the contour length in an axial section through the final container. The preform (20) is heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature (TG) and is converted to the container (21) in a blow mould (12). In doing so, the contour length of the material is maintained through successive reduction of the axial length of the body (23) which the preform constitutes during the conversion to the container. In order to achieve this, the base portion of the blow mould (11) is moved towards the orifice (22) of the final container.

Abstract: A process for preparing biaxially oriented hollow shaped articles, in particular bottles of thermoplastic material, by biaxial draw- and blow-molding comprises blow-molding a preform and subsequently maintaining the thermoplastic material in close contact with the hot walls of the mold at a temperature which is in the range from about the minimum effective temperature for biaxial orientation of the thermoplastic material to about 40.degree. C. above this temperature for a period of time which is sufficient to partially reduce internal residual stresses in the hollow shaped articles. Following this partial thermo-stabilization, the hollow shaped article preferably is subjected to cooling, whereby the pressure within the article is at least partially maintained or the shaped article is cooled or allowed to shrink and subsequently subjected to a second blow-molding procedure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular pre-moulding of a thermoplastic, suitable for subsequent blow-moulding shaping to give containers, and to a process and equipment for producing such pre-moulding. In a tube, future mouth portions and portions of adjacent neck sections are moulded to pre-mouldings, preferably from two mutually joined blank parts, by an axial stretch process and a blow-moulding process, the parts in the transition between the mouth portions being severed in order to form two separate blank parts. A tubular pre-moulding is produced after closing one end of the particular blank part and, if necessary, reworking in order to obtain the requisite closing face at the other end.

Abstract: A single injection blow molding apparatus for making a selected oriented finished product. The apparatus includes the support structure and an injection molding station where a parison is injection molded into a selected configuration. A core rod assembly cooperates in forming the parison which is formed about a first core rod. The parison is conditioned to an orientation temperature. A transfer system is on the support structure for removing the first core rod from the parison and transferring the parison to a blow molding station. The blow molding station is on the support structure and is provided for blow molding the parison while at orientation temperature into the configuration of the finished product. A second core rod assembly with a second core rod cooperates in blowing the parison into the configuration of the finished product.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for forming oriented, blown objects of moldable plastic material requiring prolonged tempering cycles to obtain conditions suitable for orientation. Disclosure provides a multiplicity of tempering molds in spaced relationship to each other for retaining and tempering parisons prior to orientation and blowing in a tempering cycle, whereby the tempering molds receive and release parisons seriatim, and whereby the overall operating cycle is substantially unaffected by the number of tempering molds.

Abstract: An injection stretch-blow molding apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least two preform conditioning stations, a molding injection station for initially molding the preform and a blow molding station. Each of the stations is preferably able to process an equal number of preforms at once. The apparatus also includes a turntable and preform supporting jaws connected to the turntable for transporting consecutive sets of preforms made at the injection station to the two conditioning stations alternately, and for transporting sets of preforms alternately from each of the conditioning stations to the blow molding station. This allows all four stations to operate at their respective full capacities, even though conditioning at the conditioning station requires up to twice as long as injection molding or stretch-blow molding.

Abstract: A method for applying prefabricated parts for reinforcing, supporting, forming, reshaping or labeling to articles blow molded from a thermoplastic material. A hot parison is blown in a mold into a preform having a shape slightly smaller than the finished article. The preform is then removed from its mold and the prefabricated part is attached to the preform. The preform is then blow molded to impart the finished shape to the article and to embed the prefabricated part into the article.

Abstract: A collapse resistant polyester container is provided for hot fill applications employing product fill temperatures up to about 190.degree. F. (87.8.degree. C.) or more. The container has at least one region which is thermoelastically deformable inwardly after the container is hot filled and sealed to offset the pressure forces which tend to collapse the container as the contents cool and create an internal vacuum. The thermoelastic region is preferably formed in a two step molding process in which the region is formed and heat set at a first position and then reformed outwardly to a second position and cooled in that position.

Abstract: A process for producing molecularly oriented hollow bodies of thermoplastic material presenting an accurately dimensioned orifice collar, by blow molding a preform in a manner to produce the orifice collar in its definitive form and, after thermally conditioning the preform, finally blow molding the desired final hollow body while forming the lower molded part of the neck below the orifice collar. This process permits the production of oriented hollow bodies with which a closure member can form an effective seal, and which can therefore be used for packaging carbonated beverages.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming blown thermoplastic articles in which an extrusion head extrudes an essentially tubular parison of thermoplastic material. Sections of a preform mold are then closed around the parison, the sections having a preform cavity with a configuration such that one end of the parison is open after closing and the other end is enclosed. A core pin is next inserted into the open end of the parison and is utilized to compression mold the parison to form a preform. Heat is transferred from the parison through the inner and outer walls of the preform between the mold cavity and core pin during the compression molding step in order to thermally condition the preform and being the temperature within the desired range. The sections of the preform mold are then opened and the preform is enclosed within sections of blow molds within a blow mold cavity. The preform is next expanded to the shape of the blow mold cavity.

Abstract: Production of oriented polyethylene terephthalate containers by injecting a polyethylene terephthalate composition into a first mold chamber defining a parison having an axis substantially defined by a core rod and perimeter defined by the wall of the mold; cooling the exterior wall of the polyethylene terephthalate parison to render the outer wall of the parison dimensionally stable; after the outer wall of the parison is dimensionally stable, transferring the parison, while disposed on the core rod, to a second mold chamber having on an average a tolerance of between 2.5 and 150% between the body of the parison and the wall of the second mold chamber; when the core rod is at no more than 265.degree. F.

Abstract: Plasticized parisons of synthetic thermoplastic material are formed in an extrusion machine from where they are transferred to a station to be pneumatically converted in the cavity of an open-and-shut premold into hollow blanks which are larger than the parison but smaller than the desired shaped article. During such pneumatic conversion the material of the parison may be subjected to shock-like cooling concomitantly with conversion into the blanks, by appropriate cooling of the premold. The hollow blanks are then transferred to an intermediate station where they are subjected to thermal tempering in two or more separate stages, in order to bring them to an optimum temperature condition for the subsequent biaxial stretching. After tempering, the tempered blanks are transferred to another station to be pneumatically converted into respective shaped articles in the cavity of another open-and-shut mold and under biaxial stretching of their material.

Abstract: In the production of hollow bodies from a thermoplastic material, in which preforms are produced from thermoplastic material by molding, each resulting preform is transferred to a final blow-mold, and each preform is molded in a blow-mold to produce a desired final body, the production of each preform is carried out to provide the preform with a false neck having at least one positioning lug, and transfer of each preform to the blow-mold is carried out in such a manner as to cause the preform to have a predetermined angular position relative to the blow-mold by the action of its associated positioning lug.

Abstract: Production of oriented hollow plastic bodies having a more uniform wall thickness by formation of elongated preforms of which one end is closed and the other is open and has a molded neck, heat conditioning of the preforms at a temperature which allows the plastic to be oriented by stretching, introduction of the preforms into blow molds the cavities of which have a greater length than the length of the preforms and reproduce the shape of the desired hollow bodies and blowing of the preforms by introducing an expansion fluid into the preforms through their open end in which the expansion fluid is introduced into the preforms towards their bottom along a direction substantially parallel to their longitudinal axis and at a distance from their bottom which is between 20 and 60% of their length which is subjected to expansion.

Abstract: Thermoplastic pre-forms which are obtained as a result of expansion of parisons in a pre-form blow mold are transformed into bottles or analogous hollow shaped articles in a final blow mold. The first stage of transformation involves mechanical stretching of the pre-form in the cavity of the final mold simultaneously with or prior to admission of a compressed blowing fluid to expand the major portion of the pre-form into contact with the adjacent surface of the final mold. The next stage involves admission of the blowing medium at a higher pressure to effect abrupt biaxial expansion of the closed end and of the portion intermediate the closed end and the major portion into contact with the adjacent surfaces of the final mold.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for reinforcing hollow articles, such as bottles, blow molded from a heated thermoplastic material. A hollow parison is preformed with concave grooves in its exterior surface and corresponding ribs on its interior surface at locations in which the finished article is to be reinforced. The parison is then blow molded into the finished article. The blowing pressure and the temperature of the thermoplastic material collapse and fuse the concave grooves to form solid reinforcement ribs located inside the article while the exterior of the article has a rib-free surface defined by the blow mold.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for the preparation of oriented hollow objects of moldable organic plastic material by providing a parison on a first blow core, expanding said parison into an intermediate shape, as by pre-expanding it, transferring said pre-expanded parison to a second blow core, finally extending and expanding said parison to form said hollow object in finished shape.

Abstract: A method for forming a molecularly oriented thermoplastic container, wherein a thermoplastic blowable shape such as a parison or a blown pre-form is blown to the configuration of the container within a blow mold cavity. The temperature of the blowable shape is within a range conducive to molecular orientation during the blowing step, which is rapidly performed by hot blow air at a temperature between about 100.degree. to 400.degree. F. Typically, a blowable shape formed of polyethylene terephthalate is blown while the shape is at a temperature within the range of 165.degree. to 200.degree. F. by the introduction into the shape of hot blow air at a temperature within the range of about 165.degree. to 200.degree. F. If desired, the blowable plastic shape may be axially stretched mechanically in addition to being blown in order to improve the biaxial orientation of the thermoplastic material in the final article.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for the preparation of hollow plastic articles wherein improved temperature control of the parison is obtained by altering the heat content of a parison by a first, temperature controlled mold and core, transferring the parison to a second, temperature controlled mold, and substantially equalizing the temperature distribution of the parison by heat exchange with the second mold.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for the preparation of hollow plastic articles wherein an improved injection blow molding process is obtained and improved temperature control of the parison is obtained by the use of a plurality of molds and cores. At least one temperature controlled mold and core is used to adjust the temperature of the parison. The temperature adjusted parison is then stretched and/or blown in at least one second mold by a second core, cooled therein and transferred by at least one third ejector core to additional finishing molds for further cooling or to removal means.

Abstract: A plastic tube is provided which has a main lumen, an auxiliary lumen, and an integral connector at one end for connecting the main lumen in fluid communication with another device. The auxiliary lumen extends longitudinally within the side wall of the tube with the integral tube connector free of the auxiliary lumen. The tube can be made by extruding thermoplastic material through a die having a hollow main lumen die pin and a hollow auxiliary lumen die pin adjacent the die outlet orifice. Air under pressure is supplied to both die pins to produce tubing extrudate having main and auxiliary lumens. The pressure of the air supplied to the auxiliary lumen forming pin is reduced at programmed intervals during the extrusion of the tubing so that selected portions are free of an auxiliary lumen or have a lumen of limited size. The tubing can be severed so that it has a selected portion at one end that can serve as an end connector.

Abstract: In order, in the molding of corrugated thermoplastic tubing, to overcome the disadvantage that pressurized air which is supplied to a zone within the tube of thermoplastic material as it is extruded from an extrusion head into the entrance of a tubular mold tunnel may tend to cause rupturing of the tube at the area immediately adjacent to the extrusion head where the tube is unsupported by the wall of the tubular mold tunnel the pressurized gas is supplied at a low pressure to a first zone within the tube of thermoplastic material to support the tube against the wall of the tunnel, and pressurized gas at a higher pressure is supplied to a second zone within the tube to urge the tube outwardly into the corrugations of the tubular mold tunnel. A first sealing arrangement separates the first zone from the second zone which is disposed downstream of the first zone, and a second sealing arrangement defines the downstream end of the second zone.