Patent ID: 8662876

Claim:
Installation for heating bodies of thermoplastic preforms with a view to manufacturing containers by blow-moulding or stretch-blow-moulding, while said preforms are being moved along in such a way that their respective bodies follow a predetermined straight path, the installation comprising: a tunnel oven flanked laterally by a first side wall and a second side wall respectively disposed on each side of said predetermined straight path, a source of infrared electromagnetic radiation positioned to the side of the predetermined straight path followed by the bodies of the preforms, said source of infrared electromagnetic radiation having a plurality of juxtaposed laser diodes being supported by the first side wall and directed towards a location on said predetermined straight path, and a straight reflector which is positioned on the second side wall opposite to the first side wall and extends at least at a location on the second side wall where a direction of propagation of the radiation reaches said second side wall and reflects from said second side wall in the form of a broadly divergent beam or a beam with substantially parallel edges for heating the bodies of preforms, while said preforms being moved along the path of the tunnel, wherein the source of infrared electromagnetic radiation comprises a first directional source inclined by an angle of between about 60° and 10° with respect to a tangent to said predetermined straight path at the location toward which said source of infrared electromagnetic radiation is directed.