Apparatus for the processing of plastics material containers, beverage filling plant and/or beverage container production plant and method of shaping plastics material pre-forms as well as use of heating path conveying means

An apparatus for processing plastics material containers comprising a shaping device for shaping plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers, a heating device comprising a heating path for heating the plastics material pre-forms and with a sterilization device for the sterilization of the plastics material pre-forms, in which the sterilization device comprises a supply device for supplying the plastics material pre-forms to the sterilization device, wherein the sterilization device comprises both an external disinfecting unit for sterilizing the plastics material pre-forms at least on their external wall surfaces and an internal disinfecting unit for sterilizing the plastics material pre-forms on their internal wall surfaces, wherein the supply device comprises a heating path conveyor for conveying the plastics material pre-forms along the heating path to supply the plastics material pre-forms at least to the external disinfecting unit.

The apparatus according to 15, wherein the holding elements comprise mandrel-type holding elements.

A method of shaping plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers, in which the plastics material pre-forms are expanded by compressed air to form the plastics material containers, in which before the expansion the plastics material pre-forms are pre-heated on a heating path of a heating device, and in which the plastics material pre-forms are conveyed by a heating path conveyor along the heating path from a heating path supply device to a heating path removal device, wherein the plastics material pre-forms are sterilized at least in part on the heating path, wherein the plastics material pre-forms held on holding elements of the heating path conveyor are sterilized directly on a sterilization device.

The use of a heating path conveyor by which plastics material pre-forms are moved along a heating path of a heating device for heating the plastics material pre-forms, in order to hold the plastics material pre-forms in front of a disinfection unit of a sterilization device for the sterilization of the plastics material pre-forms.