Patent ID: 8083512

Claim:
An oven ( 10 ) for heat-conditioning of thermoplastic preforms, particularly intended for equipping an installation for manufacture of sterile receptacles, comprising a device for transport ( 30 ) of the preforms ( 12 ) which are rotated around their own axes and successively conveyed within at least: one first zone A, which may be called a deep-heating zone, comprising first means for heating ( 32 ) by infrared radiation (IR 1 ) intended to preheat the body ( 14 ) of each preform ( 12 ) up to a first setpoint temperature (TC 1 ); a second zone B, which is an intermediate zone, and which may be called a residence zone, through which zone, which is interposed in the path of the preforms ( 12 ) between the first zone A, which is a heating zone, and a third zone C, which is a heating zone, each preform ( 12 ) passes, during a defined period (t); the third zone C, which may be called a distributed-heating zone, comprising second means for heating ( 34 ) by infrared radiation (IR 2 ), intended to heat the body ( 14 ) of each preform ( 12 ), in accordance with a defined heater profile, up to a second setpoint temperature (TC 2 ), characterized in that the oven ( 10 ) comprises means for sterilization ( 76 , 78 , 80 ) by emission of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, arranged in the second zone B, which is an intermediate residence zone, in such a way as to sterilize at least the external surface ( 28 ) of the body ( 14 ) of the preform ( 12 ) up to a defined degree of decontamination.