Preform and container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196167-B2
Application number	US-201514676482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2012
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

An injection-molded preform for manufacturing plastic containers, for example plastic bottles, in a stretch blow molding process is disclosed. The preform can have an essentially elongated preform body, whose one longitudinal end is formed closed. On an opposite longitudinal end, the preform body is connected to a neck section that is provided with a pour opening and whose outer wall has a connector to make an interlocking connection with a closure that is equipped with corresponding engagement. The neck section has at least one constriction that extends all the way around and has a wall thickness of between 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm. The injection-molded plastic material exists at least on the at least one constriction in a state that is highly oriented and at least partially crystalline, due to an injection-molding process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An injection-molded preform for manufacturing plastic containers, in a stretch blow molding process, the injection molded preform comprising:
an elongated preform body including one longitudinal end formed closed; and
another longitudinal end, lying opposite the one longitudinal end, connected to a neck section provided with a pour opening and on whose outer wall is formed a connector for making an interlocking connection with a closure equipped with corresponding connector, wherein the neck section has at least one constriction having a wall thickness of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm, and the injection-molded plastic material of the at least one constriction is highly oriented and at least partially crystalline, due to an injection-molding process, the plastic material forming the at least one constriction having an average density greater than an average density of the material forming portions of the neck section which do not include the at least one constriction.

2. The injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , wherein the injection-molded plastic on the at least one constriction comprises:
a degree of crystallization equal to or greater than 3% and determinable via a density of the injection-molded plastic material.

3. The injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , wherein the preform is injection-molded from a molten mass of plastic material at spray pressures from 1500 bar to 4000 bar, measured at the melt reservoir or, in injection-molding machines without melt reservoirs, directly at the nozzle.

4. The injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , the plastic material comprising:
a polyester, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate copolymers, or a combination thereof.

5. The injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , the plastic material, comprising:
at least one of dyes, fillers, lubricant, and petroleum- or biologically based additives.

6. The injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , the plastic material consisting essentially of polyethylene terephthalate and having, on the at least one constriction, a degree of crystallization that is equal to or greater than 3%, whereby the degree of crystallization is determined via density measurements according to standard ASTM D 1505-10 at an intrinsic viscosity of 0.78 dl/g to 0.84 dl/g, which is measured according to ISO 1628-5.

7. The injection-molded preform according to claim 6 , wherein the degree of crystallization of the at least one constriction amounts to between 5% and 7%.

8. The injection-molded preform according to claim 6 , wherein the degree of crystallization of the at least one constriction amounts to between 7% and 9%.

9. The injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , the neck section comprising:
a plurality of constrictions extending all the way around at least in places, each of which has a wall thickness of between 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm.

10. The injection-molded preform according to claim 9 , wherein
at least one constriction of the plurality of constrictions, has a different wall thickness than at least one other constriction of the plurality of constrictions.

11. A plastic container manufactured in a stretch blow molding process from an injection-molded preform according to claim 1 , with a body section and associated container neck, whose geometry essentially corresponds to that of the preform, whereby the container neck has mechanical, thermal, and barrier characteristics that essentially correspond to those of the neck section of the injection-molded preform.

12. The plastic container according to claim 11 , wherein the container neck is configured to exhibit, during a 24-hour internal pressure loading of 4 bar and at a temperature of 38° C.+/−1° C., an inner diameter expansion that is less than or equal to 1% of the inner diameter without internal pressure loading.

13. The plastic container according to claim 11 , wherein the container neck is configured to exhibit, during a 24-hour internal pressure loading corresponding to a carbonization of the fill content from 4 g/l to 9 g/l and at a temperature of 38° C.+/−1° C., an inner diameter expansion that is less than or equal to 1% of the inner diameter without internal pressure loading.

14. The plastic container according to claim 11 , wherein the container neck is configured to exhibit, at a temperature between 50° C. and 55° C. and a 3-second-long axial load with 200N, an axial length contraction of less than 0.5%.

Assignees

• Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Marin Dietmar

Classifications

• B29C49/071

  Preforms or parisons characterised by their configuration, e.g. geometry, dimensions or physical properties · CPC title

• B29C2949/0715

  the preform having one end closed · CPC title

• B29B2911/14426

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B29B2911/14913

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B29B11/14 Primary

  characterised by structure or composition · CPC title