Heating preforms
AssigneeGr8 Engineering Limited
InventorPeter Reginald Clarke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for reheating and conditioning an elongate preform for forming a blow moulded container, said apparatus comprising: a receiver including an elongate annular non-cylindrical inner surface portion, wherein the surface portion defines a cavity and is adapted to engage with an elongate outer surface of an elongate preform to transfer heat thereto by conduction from said surface portion, wherein the surface portion includes a three-dimensional relief to provide substantially non-uniform contact between the receiver and the elongate preform; and means for heating said receiver.
Claims30
An apparatus for reheating and conditioning an elongate preform for forming a blow moulded container, said apparatus comprising:
- a receiver including an elongate annular non-cylindrical inner surface portion, wherein the surface portion defines a cavity and is adapted to engage with an elongate outer surface of an elongate preform to transfer heat thereto by conduction from said surface portion, wherein the surface portion is rotationally continuous about an elongate axis and includes a three-dimensional relief to provide substantially non-uniform contact between the receiver and the elongate preform, the three-dimensional relief defining at least one longitudinally extending non-contact region extending between opposed upper and lower surface portions located radially inwardly of the longitudinally extending non-contact region;
- and
- means for heating said receiver.
A method for reheating and conditioning an elongate preform for forming a blow moulded container, wherein said preform is formed from a thermoplastic material and has an outer surface, the method comprising the steps of:
- i) discontinuously contacting the outer surface of the preform with a surface of a receiver, wherein the surface of the receiver includes an elongate annular non-cylindrical inner surface portion which is rotationally continuous about an elongate axis and provides a three-dimensional relief adapted to engage in substantially non-uniform contact with said outer surface of the preform, and said receiver is adapted to transfer heat conductively from said surface of the receiver to the preform;
- ii) heating the receiver such that heat is transferred conductively from the receiver to the preform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.