THE PROS AND CONS OF BLOW MOLDING MACHINE

Most of us may know about the blow molding machine in a bottled water production line. But what does blow molding mean? What are the advantages and disadvantages of blow molding? 

What is blow molding?

In blow molding, hollow plastic components are formed through a producing process categorized into three main methods: injection, extrusion and injection stretch blow molding. The extrusion blow molding essentially starts with melting down the plastic and rolling it immediately after being removed from the furnace to form it into a parison. Its final form is a tube-like plastic that has a hole in one end that serves as a passage way for compressed air. Next, this material is clamped into a mold and then blown by air. The pressure will push the plastic out so it can match the mold. Once it has cooled down and hardened, the mold would open up to eject the part. In the case of injection and injection stretch blow molding, these processes use a preform - a piece that already has a form beforehand.

Blow molding has 6 advantages.

1. A revolution form of technology.

Blow molding seems to have revolutionized the industrial sector by allowing companies to use it widely to meet consumers’ needs for plastic ware. This plastic production method brought about a lot of production perks like quick manufacturing and high volume outputs.

2. It can produce variable products.

Currently, most plastic containers on the market holding some forms of liquid have gone through this process. In fact, its commonness has allowed engineers to try and create many applications and designs which resulted to multiple interesting uses. Just to mention a few, the products created using this technology are fuel tanks, seat support for vehicles, flower pots and toy wheels.

3. Low cost.

Extrusion blow molding machine uses a lower level of pressure. This means that machinery costs are low. It will become easier and more cost-efficient to mold external threads or open-ended and large parts which can be split by opening a closed molding. Besides that, you can reduce labor costs by using this technology.

4. It allows multiple production methods.

Blow molding uses different methods to create final products. Extrusion method works like traditional glass blowing. Materials are blown through a long tube to work on the end which can create products. As for injection method, it is employed to produce receptacles in huge quantities. Instead of being blown through by air, melted polymers are injected into the blow mold. This technology keeps on developing to improve these production methods, it uses tweaks in design and moves towards pure automation.

5. It helps promote productivity.

This technology always move forward with the purpose of becoming universally used with plastic production. It has allowed a significant increase in production capabilities then manufacturers can produce greater quantities in just a short period of time. Using machines that allow 3D moldings has fastened a production cycle.

6. Blow molding offers benefits of automation.

Essentially, this is an automated production method allowing minimal flash around the material, seamless part incorporation and increasing production speed thanks to the precise receptacle it creates.

What about the disadvantages?

1. It highly depends on petroleum.

Same as the gas industry, the pet blow molding machine sector is based on millions of gallons of petroleum so it can have the ability to produce plastic products. The technology has become an ongoing threat to the diminishing oil supply in the world since oil is an essential factor in thermoplastics that is becoming automated and more streamlined.

2. It impacts greatly to the environment.

This technology depends mostly on petroleum and it is an integral part in producing polymer. That is why it carries a huge risk on environment destruction. Besides the fact that it contributes to the diminishing oil resources, it creates plastic that is not biodegrade. It can increase plastic production yet it cannot remove the risks that it brings to the environment.

3. It requires many methods.

Even though this technology uses multiple production methods, it can be a disadvantage. It would need more resources and the process could not be streamlined, so we need to remove correspondence in the process.

4. It comes with limited uses.

Blow molding is limited to hollow forms like bottles and plastic containers. The air pressure is also essential to the process, it would come with limited uses. 

5. It requires process and the accuracy of material creating waste.

While this technology uses automation to produce great quantities of products, it is still limited to hollow forms. Examining that thickness should be exact, it can lead to wasted material from processing containers with specific dimensions. Thermoplastic is stretched to save material but it can also lead to substandard products.

It is true that the blow molding process has taken the world of plastics to some higher level. Even the way people transport goods with quick production and high volumes of output has enabled us to produce receptacles at a lower cost for consumers around the world. Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages that we need to consider to see whether it is best to make as a commonality or not.

Blow molding has its own good and bad sides. What matters is that we should choose machines and methods which are the most suitable for our factories. That was all about the advantages and disadvantages of blow molding that we thought you should not miss. If you are looking for a blow molding machine for your bottled water production line, Hisson is a perfect choice for you.