Injection blow molding process

A process for injection blow molding hollow plastic bodies having an injection molded integral handle, said process comprising:

• a. positioning a hollow preform carrier between an open split injection mold;
• b. closing said injection mold to form an injection mold cavity with a contiguous injection mold handle cavity and a preform carrier cavity, said preform cavity enclosing at least a portion of said preform carrier upon said closing of said injection mold;
• c. inserting a preform pin through said preform carrier into said injection mold cavity;
• d. injecting thermoplastic material into the recess defined at least partially by said injection mold cavity, said handle cavity and said preform pin to form a thermoplastic preform having a solid injection molded handle;
• e. cooling said thermoplastic preform to a temperature at which it will maintain its basic shape when said injection mold is opened;
• f. withdrawing said preform pin from said injection mold cavity;
• g. opening said injection mold;
• h. moving said injection molded preform on said preform carrier from said split injection mold to a split blow mold having a handle cavity that is larger than said handle and having a neck cavity that has a larger diameter at the point of juncture with said handle cavity than the diameter of said preform;
• and
• i. inflating said preform to the shape defined by said blow mold cavity while allowing said handle to move outwardly in said handle cavity as the portion of said preform adjacent said neck cavity moves outwardly into contact with the walls of said neck cavity.