Point of fill air system

In an apparatus for extruding plastic into a length of parison in the form of a vertically oriented hollow tube, molding a container from the parison and for filling the container with liquid product, said apparatus having extruder means, with a parison head, for forming the parison, hot knife cutting means for cutting the parison to a selected length with concomitant release of plastic particulates, gripping means for maintaining an opening at a top of the cut parison, sealing means for sealing a bottom of the cut parison, vacuum means for molding the container with a temporary top opening, extendable and retractable nozzle means for filling the molded container through the temporary top opening with the liquid product and sealing means for sealing the filled container, the improvement comprising:

• blower means for providing a source of high efficiency particulate air filtered air;
• vacuum means for exhausting the filtered air;
• outer shroud means, in communication with said blower means for surrounding the extruder means, including the parison head, with H.E.P.A. filtered air;
• inner shroud means, in communication with said vacuum means and disposed around said parison head, for preventing the particulates from entering the parison upon cutting thereof by the hot knife means;
• and
• third shroud means in communication with said blower means and surrounding the nozzle means, for directing H.E.P.A. filtered air into the molded container before and during liquid filling thereof.