Coming off a year of overall stable sales in 2014, blow molding equipment suppliers are looking for some growth coming from the packaging, automotive and medical end markets and they will be showing off some highly automated systems at NPE 2015 in Orlando, Fla., to entice product producers.
With emphasis on improved energy efficiency and productivity, machine makers also will be tempting companies to replace older equipment.
The latest technological advances can shorten cycle times, lower energy costs, and allow for quick-change systems to reduce downtime. The equipment innovations come in the form of all-electric blow molding presses, hybrid machines, and the next generations of hydraulic pumps — many of which will be running on the show floor.
At least one exhibitor in the blow molding segment also will put a spotlight on lab developments featuring a hybrid machine and a coinjection work cell.
And, get ready to hear about how saving resources through more efficient use of energy and raw materials contributes to sustainability.
Some of the highlights of what NPE attendees will see include:
Agr International Inc. (Booth W618): Display of quality control and productivity improvement tools, including automated blow molder management systems for distributing material thickness and defect detection.
Amsler Equipment Inc. (Booth W1989): Stretch blow molding machines, blow molds, custom machines, leak testers.
Aoki Technical Laboratory Inc. (Booth W963): New polypropylene material molding; four stretch blow machines demonstrating technologies and ideas to mold the same container faster.
Bekum America Corp. (Booth W2763): Debut of all-electric EBLOW 607D — the first domestically built all-electric extrusion blow molding machine with production demonstrations of twin-parison, 10-liter containers in sugar-cane based high density polyethylene.
Davis-Standard LLC (Booth W6144): Extrusion blow molding machines geared toward energy and cost efficiency, product versatility.
FGH Systems Inc. (BoothW3031): Extrusion blow molds for all brand machines.
Graham Engineering (Booth W3142): Commercial launch of the Graham Revolution MVP with exhibit of the modular-clamp design and its maintenance of a single-clamp station to minimize downtime and demonstrations of the variable-pitch option. Both allow a range of package sizes to be manufactured on a single platform. Also, video about spiral flow diverter head, which enables color or material change over within one hour as well easy cleaning.
Hesta Blasformtechnik GmbH & Co. (Booth W489): Extrusion blow molding machines.
Jackson Machinery Inc. (Booth W977): Extrusion blow molding machines.
Jomar Corp. (Booth S28181): Injection blow molding machines for pharmaceutical, health care, personal care and household products end markets.
Kautex Machines Inc. (Booth W1551): Demonstration of the all-electric KBB60D extrusion blow molding machine, which has a 2 by 12 head configuration, producing 24 milliliter amenity bottles for the hotel industry. Also, demonstration of the virtual KBS241 fuel tank machine developed for simulation training. And, new Jet120 injection blow machine demonstration from their Italian partner, Meccanoplastics srl.
KHS Corpoplast GmbH (Booth S26157): Stretch blow molding machines, blow molds, auxiliary labeling equipment, and services for mold and tool design and analysis.
Nissei ASB Co. (Booth W463): Demonstration of the AB-12M, a small-sized, one-step injection stretch blow molding machine, making 20-ounce Tritan reusable sports bottles. Also, new medium-sized machine, the ASB-70DPHv4, will mold 12-ounce, wide-mouth jars in a five-cavity configuration in a demonstration complete with inspection and packing.
Plastiblow srl (Booth W1959): First-time, North American showing of fully electric PB5E-DL double-station machine in operation, producing 350-ml flat and oval personal care bottles in a 4+4 cavity setup. Features include patented device for individual blowpin calibration stroke; servo-driven, two-axis robot that allows for compact machine footprint; and module that recovers kinetic energy of carriage movements and converts it to electrical energy that is returned to the line.
R&B Plastics Machinery LLC (Booth W7065): Blow molding machine maker will exhibit with Monroe Mold — its sister company that makes cold-end tooling and molds — with focus on how the partnership provides turnkey solutions for blow-molding machines, extruders and other systems.
Side (Booth S31174): PET blow molding machines, blow molds, business solutions to maximize profitability in PET container production.
Sipa North America Inc. and Sipa SpA (Booth W151): Sipa T80, a single-stage injection stretch blow molding system, will run with a six-cavity mold to produce 500 ml asymmetric PET bottles for household cleaning products; sharing booth with Athena Automation, its partner in developing the XForm 150 and 300 preform injection molding systems.
Techne Graham Packaging Co. Italia srl (Booth S30055): Shuttle and wheel extrusion blow molding machines for polyolefin rigid containers; demonstration of hybrid electric-mechatronic ADVT machine.
Uniloy (Milacron Booth W2703): A work cell with the new Uniloy-IBS-199-3, a hybrid with direct electric screw drive and servo hydraulic injection for shot-to-shot consistency. Also, part of the cell is a 20-cavity injection blow mold set, in-line bottle inspection system and auxiliaries, such as hopper loader, mold temperature control units and chiller.
W. Muller USA Inc. (Booth W2783): Extrusion blow molding machines.
Wilmington Machinery (Booth W1255): High-speed extrusion blow molding machines.
