METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CONTAINERS

• US 20090214690A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sidel Participations (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Sidel Participations (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Feuilloley, Guy, Desoutter, Luc
• Granted Patent: US 8,303,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 425/174.400
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 13/024 Hollow bodies, e.g. tubes or profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0822 using IR radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0838 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2949/0715 the preform having one end closed
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0805 using electromagnetic radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/06 Injection blow-moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/645 by cooling the neck
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/68 Ovens specially adapted for heating preforms or parisons
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/6835 using reflectors

Abstract

A method of producing a container from a thermoplastic blank, including a step in which the blank is heated using at least one beam of coherent electromagnetic radiation, and a step in which the container is formed from the blank thus heated. The invention also relates to an installation which is used to produce containers and which includes a unit for heating the blanks in order to form containers from the blanks thus heated. The inventive installation defines a path along which the blanks travel inside the heating unit. In addition, the heating unit includes at least one coherent electromagnetic radiation source which is directed toward a zone that is located on the aforementioned path.

Claims

1. An installation for producing containers from thermoplastic parisons, which comprises a heating unit for heating the parisons with a view to forming the containers from the parisons thus heated, the installation defining a path but the parisons are intended to follow within the heating unit, characterized in that the heating unit comprises at least one source of coherent electromagnetic radiation directed toward a region situated on the path of the parisons.

2. The installation as claimed in claim 1, in which, with the path of the parisons being substantially linear, said plurality of sources of radiation is directed transversely with respect to said path.

3. The installation as claimed in claim 2, in which the heating unit comprises a row of adjacent radiation sources arranged parallel to the path.

4. The installation as claimed in claim 3, in which the heating unit comprises several superposed rows of radiation sources arranged parallel to the path.

5. The installation as claimed in claim 4, in which the heating unit comprises a chamber comprising a first wall and a second wall facing one another and substantially parallel to the path of the parisons, these walls being positioned one on each side of this path and together delimiting an internal volume, the first wall being equipped with a plurality of superposed parallel slits facing each of which there is positioned, on the opposite side to the internal volume, a row of radiation sources.

6. The installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the second wall at least, on the same side as the internal volume, has a reflective internal surface.

7. The installation as claimed in claim 5, in which the heating unit comprises a ventilation system able to generate an air flow passing through a region situated vertically in line with said chamber.

8. The installation as claimed in claim 1, in which, with the path of the parisons being substantially linear, said source of radiation is directed parallel to said path.

9. The installation as claimed in claim 7, which comprises an opaque screen positioned facing the source of radiation.

10. The installation as claimed in claim 7, which comprises at least two successive heating units.

11. The installation as claimed in claim 1, in which, with the path of the parisons being substantially circular, the heating unit comprises a plurality of successive chambers positioned along the path, each chamber having two cylindrical walls facing each other and positioned one on each side of the path and together defining an internal cavity, each wall having several adjacent reflective facets facing toward the cavity, the source of electromagnetic radiation being directed toward one of these facets and the facets are not exactly parallel with their pair but together define an angle of a few degrees.

12. The installation as claimed in claim 11, which comprises an opaque screen adjacent to one of the facets.

13. The installation as claimed in claim 1, in which, with the parisons having an axis of revolution, the heating unit comprises means for rotating the parisons about their axis.

14. The installation as claimed in claim 1, in which the source of coherent electromagnetic radiation is a laser source.

15. The installation as claimed in claim 14, in which the source of coherent electromagnetic radiation is a laser diode.

16. The installation as claimed in claim 15, in which the laser diode is designed to emit a planar laser beam.

17. The installation as claimed in claim 15, in which the heating unit comprises at least one block or one array of juxtaposed laser diodes.