Blow molding sector seeks quality, speed, sustainability

The companies that build the machines for producing everything from water bottles and cosmetic containers to automotive fuel tanks and industrial drums will show their latest developments in running recycled materials and speeding up cycle times and mold changes at K 2019.

Like their plastic industry colleagues, the builders of blow molders are focusing on how their machines contribute to the circular economy. The aim is to preserve resources and eliminate waste as opposed to a linear economy of take, make and dispose.

To that end, watch for major blow molding machine manufacturers to show how recycled content can be incorporated in three-layer bottles. Engineers and R&D teams in the industry also have intensified their focus on reducing energy use by improving electric drives and control systems.

Machine manufacturers also have been improving the molten tubes that are inflated with air to take the shape of the cavity for container production.

Here are some of the highlights to be presented from the blow molding industry.

Bekum Maschinenfabriken GmbH (Hall 14, Booth C3) will present its newly designed blow molding machine for packaging that can contribute to the circular economy.

The Berlin-based company, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, has a K show exhibit theme of "focused on the future." Its latest machine, called Concept 808, will use Bekum's tri-extrusion technology, which can process single-origin polyethylene and polypropylene scrap. The post-consumer material can be embedded between layers of virgin plastic materials, which also reduces the cost to manufacture containers.

The new machine also has a magnetic quick mold change system, a next-generation control system and other improvements that reduce energy consumption by 20 percent.

Egg Harbor Township, N.J.-based Jomar Corp. (Hall 14, Booth A32) is encouraging new processors of bottles produced by injection blow molding to check out its Model 25 machine that comes with an "entry-level price." The machine replaces the Model 20, which will be discontinued.

"We've found that customers wanted a Jomar, but they either didn't have the capital required for our larger machines or couldn't meet their annual volume requirements with our Model 20," Jomar President Carlos Castro said in a news release. "The need to provide a high-quality, high-volume machine at a lower price point drove the development of the Model 25."

The company says it sold its first machine to a cosmetics company.

Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH (Hall 14, Booth A16-18) will produce three-layer HDPE bottles with foamed middle layers using Braskem SA's trademarked "I'm green" polyethylene and post-consumer recycled material. The company says the bottles will have a "drastically" reduced carbon dioxide footprint compared to conventional products.

And, in keeping with its green theme, Kautex will hand off the bottles to Erema Group for recycling rather than show attendees.

Graham Engineering Corp. (Hall 16, Booth A71) will show a rotary wheel blow molder called Revolution MVP that offers high outputs in a range of package sizes with quick mold changes. The York, Pa.-based company says the latest innovation is that each clamp station is independent of the others so all forces are self-contained with the clamp. The number of clamp stations also can be varied from 12 to 24 on the same platform. In addition, the wheel can be configured based on the application and bottle height.

The quick mold changes are achieved by water manifolds through the platens, the company says in a new release.

Nissei ASB (Hall 13, Booth B48) will run five machines with its molding technology called Zero Cooling, which moves preform cooling away from the injection station and into the second conditioning station to reduce cycle times.

The company said the cooling method produces preforms for PET containers faster and with a higher quality through injection stretch blow molding.

For molding heavyweight, glass-like premium containers, Nissei ASB says lower-cost PET grades can be used without concerns about haziness.

Rikutec Group (Hall 14, Booth B13) will put a spotlight on its multilayer blow molding machines along with high-quality, fast-cooling molds, and a range of technical blow molded products, including the first all-plastic twin drum that meets regulations set by European, United Nations and U.S. agencies.

The Altenkirchen, Germany-based company covers the entire value chain from production of raw materials and machinery to product design and production of large-volume plastic containers. Rikutec can use up to 100 percent recycled HDPE for some products depending on the application and customer.

The circular economy isn't just a buzzword, according to Rikutec Group CEO and owner Bodo Richter.

"Many external factors are currently affecting the plastics industry — we, as manufacturers of machines and HDPE products manufactured by blow molding, are trying to help shape the sustainable change in the plastics industry," Richter said in a news release.

Sipa (Hall 13, Booth B11) will showcase a new hot-fill option for its ECS SP single-stage injection blow molding machines that can be retrofitted to existing machines or supplied on new ones.

The ECS SP machines have a hybrid drive technology for a combination of high performance and low energy consumption. The same hot runner system also can be used for different types of preforms.

At the K show, Sipa will produce 420-milliliter ketchup bottles with an oval shape that weigh just 28 grams on an ECS SP80 HF, which has 80 tons of injection clamp force. About 1,540 bottles per hour will be formed in six cavities with a cycle time of about 14 seconds.

Another new hot-fill capability gives ECS SP users a lower-cost alternative to aseptic filling. Sipa says if oxygen-scavenger barriers are used in the PET, it is possible to achieve a shelf life of 12 months for ketchup without needing to add preservatives, which provides a healthier product.

ST BlowMoulding SA (Hall 14, Booth B4) will present two technologies for the industrial packaging sector as well as manufacturers of 3D suction blow molding parts and conventional blow molded parts.

The Monza, Italy-based company will show its ECT 880 CoEx3 blow molding machine, which can produce three-layer plastic drums up to 220 liters and was developed with AST Kunststoffverarbeitung GmbH and Willy Müller GmbH.

The company also is out with a new suction blow machine called ASPI 200 for three-dimensional and two-dimensional shaping. The machine is designed for processing polyolefin and techno polymers. The company says it reduces plastic and energy use.