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If you are new to blow molding or if you have been in the industry for 30 years, it can still be confusing as to what type of blow molding machinery or process is best for your next application. I have been fortunate in my career to design and build machinery for every type of blow molding process. For your information I consider there to be 7 primary machinery processes for packaging applications.
Some people may refer to them differently and some may argue several of these should be grouped together, but for sake of discussion, we will use this grouping. Before we compare, let's take a moment to define the technologies.
Shuttle Machinery - Extrusion Blow Molding
This is the most popular type of machinery for blow molding high density polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene Plastic (PP) containers around the world. Literally thousands are sold every year. A shuttle machine consists of either single or dual clamps that shuttle (or slide) from under the die head to a blow pin assembly for blowing. The machines come in all sizes and configurations from single cavity to as many as 20-30 and bottle sizes from a few ounces up to a 10 litre jerry can. Included in the shuttle group is the long stroke type blow molding machine. Popular manufacturers include Bekum, SIG, Automa and Magic to name only a few of hundreds.
PROS:
- Relatively inexpensive for small to medium volume production requirements
- Deliveries container with calibrated neck
- Typically trims container prior to exiting machine
- Most flexible in container size and number of cavities
- Can handle coextrusion
- Can handle all type of container shapes including handleware
CONS:
- Can not process PET material
- Hydraulics and controls can be complex
- Requires multiple machines for very high production volumes unless
- Multiple parisons can be difficult to process consistently
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