A PROCESS FOR MAKING A STRETCH-BLOW MOULDED CONTAINER HAVING AN INTEGRALLY MOULDED HANDLE.

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for making a container having an integral handle, comprising the steps of: a) providing a preform (1) in a mould cavity (2); b) stretch-blow moulding the preform (1) to form an intermediate container (3); c) applying one or more inwardly moving plugs (5) to form one or more concave gripping region(s), whilst maintaining the pressure within the intermediate container (3) above 1 bar and whilst the temperature of the material in the gripping region of the intermediate container is at a temperature below the glass transition temperature, Tg; d) releasing excess pressure within the container, preferably prior to withdrawing the plug (5) from within the container; and e) ejecting the finished container (6) from the mould cavity (2, 4).