PlastiBlow focuses on processing recycled content

Corsico, Italy-based PlastiBlow srl is focused on developments to use recycled or post-consumer material with extrusion blow molding machines.

Initially a brand introduced in 1972, PlastiBlow has been an independent partner of Plastimac Group since 1981.

PlastiBlow supplies systems to produce bottles with recycled resin in monolayer or two- and three-layer configurations.

During a growth spurt last year, the company expanded its production area and built a new headquarters.

PlastiBlow Sales Manager Frank Varuzza said the company has seen a consistent increase in the number of machines sold to process post-consumer material.

The two markets currently keeping the company busiest are home and personal care products, particularly detergents, cleaners and sanitizers, Varuzza said in an email.

"We expect to see this business segment grow further and are thus developing new ideas to enable our machines to perform more," Varuzza said in an email.

PlastiBlow has made several improvements to its existing products, Varuzza said, pointing to a special treatment to extend the life cycle of screws and barrels.

Also, the extruder processing the post-consumer material now is equipped with a screen changer that can be actuated with an electric motor instead of manual or hydraulic operation.

Screen changers are usually mounted on the main extruder to capture any impurities or "unmelts" while processing regrind or post-consumer resin.

"Due to the fact that our machines are all-electric, we generally mount a manual screen changer. This means that when the filter gets dirty, you have to manually operate a lever on top of the screen pack and change the filter," Varuzza said. "With the electric actuated system, you can do this safely from the operator panel and then just quickly change the filter and get back in production."

In another change, PlastiBlow heads are equipped with electric die gap control for each parison and operated directly from a touchscreen panel. This makes for an easy process setup when changing jobs or material parameters, Varuzza said.

"Electric die gap control is important," he added. "It helps ensure that each parison is the closest possible to the nominal weight of the container. If one parison is slightly off weight with respect to the others, you can correct this directly from the dedicated screen page on the operator panel. Without this option you would need to climb up on the machine/head and adjust manually the mechanical setting."

The touchscreen panel also is helpful to set up the die gap at the beginning of the production run.

PlastiBlow started building blow molding machines in 1981 as an independent company. Twenty years later, at the K 2001 show, PlastiBlow showed its first fully electric blow-molding machine. Now, 40 years later, the machine lines includes single or double station, monolayer or multilayer coextrusion, with traditional extruders or forced feed version, for the use of high molecular polyethylene in granules or powder.

The machines also process glycol-modified PET and PVC or other materials with structures up to six layers for the food, cosmetic and personal care industries.