Blow Molding Process

Blow Molding Process
https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com 1
INTRODUCTION
• Blow Moulding process is widely used for producing
bottles or other hollow objects, due to its least
expensive & simplest process to manufacture.
• It offers a number of processing advantages,such as

moulding of irregular curves,low stresses,variable
wall thickness,the use of polymers with high
molecular weight & favourable moulding cost.
• Blow moulding is operated using low moulding

pressure & hence result in Low Internal Stresses.
• Commonly used materials are:PE,PVC,PET,PC, PA,

POM. https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com 2
• It is principally a mass production method.
• Blow Moulding is an alternatives process to

other process like
Injection Moulding.
Rotational moulding
Thermoforming
• Since the mould used for the process consists
of female cavity, it is easy to vary wall
thickness & weight of the part.
• This is done either by changing machine parts

or melt conditions.
Fig 4.1
PRINCIPLE
• Material is fed into a heated barrel of Extruder.
• With the help of screw rotation & heaters the

plastic is melted and homogenised.
• Melted material is forced through a set of die

to form a tube or parison (Hot Plastic tube)
• parison is introduced into a mould,The mould

closes & pinches off.
• Blow pin is inserted through the open end of
the parison to form a neck.
• Finally air is introduced through the blow pin
to inflate the parison inside the mould.
• By this, the molten Polymer copies the details
of the Mould.
• Lastly the moulded product is cooled &
ejected.
• In the finishing stage, the part undergoes,
trimming, finishing, Printing-Labeling &
decorating.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
• Homogeneous melt of plastic material.

• Formation of the molten resin into a hollow tube
or parison.
• Sealing the ends of the parison in the closing
mould,except the area through which blowing air
can be supplied.
• Inserting the blow pin or mandrel through the
open end of the parison.
• Blowing or inflating the parison inside the
mould.
• Cooling the blow moulded part.
• Ejecting the part & trimming flash if needed.
• Finishing & decorations on the product.
BLOW MOULDING METHODS
• Based on the method used to create the

parison or preform, two types of blow
moulding are recognised.
1. Extrusion Blow Moulding that uses an

extruded tube.
2. Injection Blow Moulding that uses an

Injection Moulded preform.
Blow moulding methods commonly used
in Industries are :-
• Extrusion Blow moulding
• Injection Blow moulding
• Stretch Blow moulding.
• Press Blow moulding & Dip Blow moulding for

squeeze.
• Multilayer Co extrusion Blow moulding.

Table 4.1
BLOW MOULDING MACHINES
& THEIR CONSTRUCTION.
Blow moulding machine consists of two parts:
1. The parison Forming Unit(Extruder).
2. The Blow moulding unit.
BLOW MOULDING UNIT
• Made off two female cavities that close around a

parison.
• Pinch-off at one or both ends.
• One entrance for the blowing air.
• A cutout section.
MOULD MATERIALS USED
• For Mould Parts:

aluminum,aluminum alloys,
Steel, Beryllium-Copper(Be/Cu) & Cast Zinc alloys.
• For Pinch off section:

Beryllium-Copper or Steel inserts.
Be/Cu Provides high thermal conductivity.
Steel Insert provides wear resistance &
toughness.
Blow Moulds can be made by :
1. Casting
2. Machining
3. Electroforming
• Casting is more popular techniques for

aluminum moulds.
OPERATIONS & FUNCTIONS
Blow Mould Closing operations by:

• Pneumatic System
• Mechanical System &
• Hydraulic System.
Clamp Platen mechanism serves following Functions :

• Hold & align the mould halves.
• Hold the mould closed against the pressure of
blowing air.
CLAMPING FORCE
Clamping Force required:

FC=APf
FC-Clamping Force.
A-Projected Area.
P-Blow Pressure(Usually in the range of

0.5to1.5MPa).
f-Safety factor(25% extra)

PLASTIC MATERIALS
• Those Materials which show high melt strength

& good stretch properties at the extrusion
temperature are suitable for formation of parison
& blowing.
Following Polymers are more often blow moulded:
• PE(LDPE,HDPE,HMHDPE)
• PP,PVC,PA,PS,PC,PET,EVA,SAN,TPE
• LDPE us used for more flexible items.
• HDPE is used for Rigid Bottles, Chemical Drums,

gasoline tanks.
• PP is used because of high stiffness, good

chemical resistance, clarity and good glass and
good resistance to high temperature.
• PVC & PS for general purpose articles requiring

transparency at modest cost.
• RPVC – Can be bi axially oriented in extrusion
stretch blow moulding.
• PC is used for containers which show good

transparency, excellent impact strength, good
heat resistance, good printability.
• PET is used in basically oriented stretch blow

moulding & commonly used for carbonated
beverages, packaging of drinks pharmacy
products & water bottles.
• EVAL (Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol) is used as barrier

layer in Multilayer containers.
PROCESSING TEMP.OF PLASTICS
Polymer Proc. Temp. Drying Temp. Cavity Temp.

LDPE 160-170 50-70 5-30
LLDPE 160-180 50-70 5-30
HMHDPE 160-210 50-75 10-30
PP 170-220 50-80 20-50
PVC 170-200 50-70 15-35
PS 250-280 50-70 20-40
PC 280-300 70-100 50-70
PA 190-240 70-100 20-40
PET 240-255 120-140 10-20
EFFECT OF PROPERTIES OF
PLASTICS ON QUALITY
Following plastic material Parameters effects
the quality of blow moulded products:
• Melt Flow Index(MFI).
• Melt Strength.
• Density.
• Molecular Weight Distribution.
• Extrudate Swell &
• Finish https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com 24
EXTRUSION BLOW MOULDING
Different types of Extrusion Blow moulding:
1.Continuous
a.Single station Method
b.Twin Station Method.
c.Rotary Table Method.
2.Intermittent
a.Reciprocating Screw.
b.Ram &
c.Accumulator Head
RECIPROCATING SCREW EXTRUDER
• When making large parts, the parison becomes
so large and heavy that it sags under its own
weight and it becomes thinner and thinner as it
is extruded.
• Here, the resin is plasticated by the rotating

screw and the melt accumulates in front of the
screw.
• The screw retracts to accommodate the melt,
then it is pushed forward by hydraulic means,
forcing the melt through the die head to form a
parison (see Fig. ).
• At that point, the mould closes, the blow air
inflates the parison, forcing the hot plastic
towards the mould cavity walls. After sufficient
cooling the blow moulded part is ejected.
• During the blowing and cooling stages, the screw

retracts and accumulates another charge.
• Even if the blowing and cooling times remain the

same as in any other process, the overall
reduction in cycle time can be significant, making
it possible to produce larger objects that could be
made with normal extruder of the same size.
RAM ACCUMULATOR EXTRUSION
• The ram accumulator type blow moulding is
recommended for larger parts.
• This type of machine (see Fig ) is used to make

parts, weighing up to 50 pounds.
• The main applications are industrial parts,

shipping containers, and toys.
• The size of the extruder is independent of

accumulator size, and in some cases more than
one extruder is used.
The main disadvantage of the system is that the
first material to enter the accumulator is the last
to leave, (FILO).
This makes the process unsuitable for heat-

sensitive materials.
A variation on ram accumulators that provides

first-in, first-out material flow is the accumulator
head machine.
• In this case, melt from the extruder enters the
accumulator head from the side and flows
around a mandrel; a tubular plunger pushes
the entire shot through the die.
• Parts as large as 300 pounds can been

produced by this method.
ACCUMULATOR HEAD METHOD
• This method also utilises the external

accumulator that can be many times larger than
the volume of a reciprocating screw cylinder.
• It is designed to produce containers with

capacity of 100 to 400 L. Here, one to four
extruders continuously fill the accumulator
head with enough plastic for a complete parison
shot.
• The container is annular, that makes it possible

to produce parisons with more uniform
circumferentialhttps://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
wall thickness. 33
• After the correct charge has been accumulated,
a hydraulic ring piston drives out the melt to
form a parison, which is then placed in the
mould and blown.
• The parison is extruded by moving an annular

ring plunger downward to displace the material
through a die bushing and mandrel.
• Fig. 4.5 shows the die head accumulator, which

can produce large HMW-HDPE containers.
EXTRUDER & ITS FUNCTION
• Extrusion plant for blow moulding consists of :

The Extruder.
parison Die Head & Mould.
• Function of the extruder :

To produce homogeneous melt.
• Screw L/D ratio of 20 to 24 is preferable.
Special requirements
for the blow moulding extruder are:
i. Different types of polyethylene with widely

differing melt viscosities must be processed.
ii. Single‑screw extruders for PVC must

plasticate powder blends for crystal clear,
impact resistant and glossy bottles with melt
temperatures close to the decomposition
limit, whereby the addition of processing aids
is severely limited.
iii. The melt must be conveyed against high die
resistance, that is, with a high melt pressure
at the screw tip.
iv. The melt temperature must be kept as low as
low as possible to avoid parison elongation.
v. The addition of dyes, stabilisers and varying
quantities of reground material must be
possible without difficulty.
• The parison die connected to the extruder into
which the melt is fed from the side has the
function of deflecting the melt through 90 0 and
forming a parison through annual cross section
and a defined wall thickness.
• Upto a container size of 25-30lit, the continuous

parison extrusion can be used.
• For larger container sizes, the discontinuous

extrusion process must be used.
• The extruded parison is picked up by the
closing mould and transported under the
blowing station where the moulding is inflated,
generally with a pressure of 0.8 to 1 MPa, and
thus simultaneously cooled.
• To reduce the blowing and cooling time (60 ‑80

percent of the total cycle time), intermittent
blowing is frequently used. This results in an
additional cooling effect, which is amplified by
blowing on to critical zones, particularly in the
base and neck areas.
• In all blow mould parting line flash is pinched
off outwardly.
• Flash in the case of bottles with symmetric

design, can account for 20‑25% of the material
used and for over 50% in case of a symmetric
mouldings.
• The proportion of flash or its reworkability for

production can be decisive for the economics
of the process.
• Extrusion blow machines have a variety of
ancillary equipment, viz. blowing and ejection
stations, flash removal, weighing and density
determination, discharge stations, filling, locking,
printing and labelling of containers, etc.
• In mass‑production line extrusion blow machines

are automated, electronically controlled and
hydraulically or pneumatically actuated.
• Extrusion blow moulding is the preferred process
for forming containers and other hollow products
of all sizes and shapes.
EXTRUDER DIE HEAD AND DIE ASSEMBLY
• The die set is attached to a plasticating

extruder through a cross assembly from which
the parison is extruded.
• The design of die assembly is most important

in determining the quality of the parison and
hence the blow moulded product.
DIE HEAD ASSEMBLY
• To facilitate the melt flow and to prevent
accumulation of plastic, the surfaces of the die
and the core should be well polished.
• If the surface of the channel is rough, stagnant
flow layers of the polymer may form, the material
will eventually degrade, causing dark streaks to
appear in the parison.
• Roughness in flow channels may also cause the
parison rupture. Streamlining the shape of flow
channels also helps to prevent areas of
stagnation and welding of the plastic streams
after it has flownhttps://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
around the head mandrel. 45
• An annular restriction called a "choke" is often
placed on the mandrel to increase the head
pressure.
• This choke decreases the cross‑sectional area of

the annular flow channel and builds up melt back
pressure in the weld area just past the flow
deflector, upstream from the choke.
• If a choke is used and flow is not streamlined

polymer or hard gels may get trapped in the
channel.
• In addition to ensuring uniform flow conditions in
the extrusion head, it is necessary to control the
flow leading to the die orifice.
• A tapered approach angle to the die orifice is

recommended for most applications. Each type of
material will require a different approach angle.
• The ratio of wall thickness at the die orifice to the

length of die land is a controversial subject, for
linear polyethylene, for example, the die length as
high as twelve to twenty times the wall thickness is
recommended by material suppliers.
DIE ASSEMBLY
• Die Assembly.(To convert a Plastic melt into a

tubular shape).
1. Torpedo-head or spider type dies(center fed

dies). [used for heat sensitive materials like
PVC].
2. Pinhead dies(side fed dies).[used for heat

stable materials like poly olefins].
• The torpedo head dies are generally
recommended for the use of heat sensitive
material like PVC.
• The pinhead dies or side fed dies are commonly

used for heat stable material such as poly
olefins.
• The side feed dies are generally difficult to

centre and they may cause serious problems
with the weld line, the spider-type torpedo dies
eliminate most of these problems but they are
more complicated.
• Furthermore, the possibility of stationary flow
with resultant decomposition is considerably
less with a centrally fed than with a right-angle
fed extrusion head.
• For example, side fed extrusion heads with core

pins that work satisfactorily with PE usually
produce weld lines with PVC.
• Thus, for the latter plastic, a centrally fed

torpedo head is used - it minimises the
interruption of material flow and prevents
movement of the mandrel under generated high
pressure. https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com 50
PARTS
• Die & core pin design :
The die & core pin is used to determine the

inside & outside diameter of the parison tube.
• Blow pin or mandrel :
The blow pin is designed to form the neck &

it has a provision to supply compressed air or
blow to inflate the parison.
PARISON
• An uniform parison is of paramount importance.
• Extruder must deliver an extrudate with in close

dimensional tolerance.
• Irregular extruder output causes weight variations

from one blow part to the next.
• Temperature of the parison should be controlled.
• parison “draw down” results from gravitational

pull on the plastic during extrusion.
• The bottom becomes heavier while the top
thins down. The lower the melt viscosity the
greater the drawdown.
• Drawdown can be reduced by: using polymer

grades with long-chain branching, lowering the
melt temperature, increasing the extrusion rate.
• Also, the parison programming can be used to

compensate for drawdown.
• parison extrudate swell occurs when the melt

exits from the parison die.
PARISON SWELL
FOR VARIOUS POLYMERS
Polymer Extrudate Swell(%)

LDPE 30-65
HDPE 20-60
RPVC 30-35
GPPS 10-20
PC 5-10
PARISON WALL THICKNESS CONTROL
Objectives:
• A method of minimization of the weight at its
maximum mechanical performance.
• Cost Saving.
Techniques:
• parison Programming &
• Die Shaping.
PARISON PROGRAMMING
• Programming controls the wall thickness as

the parison emerges from the die.
• The draw bar is attached to a mandrel that

forms the inside of the parison.
• A bushing shapes the outside of the parison.
• The parison thickness changes with vertical
movement of the mandrel.
• The sequence of mandrel & bushing movements

constitute the parison programming.
• The programming is accomplished electronically,

either by mechanical means, with a patch panel,
or by a microprocessor.
DIE SHAPING
• Used to improve wall distribution of a blow
moulding part.
• Irregularly shaped parts such as gas/fuel tank

usually need die shaping.
• The shaping can be done either on a bushing

or on a mandrel depending upon the easy
machining.
[Usually bushing for diverging die & mandrel
for converging die].
• Frequently, a combination of programming and
die shaping gives the best results.
• For example, this is the case for a conical –

shaped part where shaping is cut on a
converging mandrel.
• The die mandrel moves up to the maximum die

gap to extrude thick parison for the corner.
MELT TEMPERATURE
High Melt Temperature :
1.Leads to better finish as well as better

physical & mechanical properties.
2.May cause parison sag.
3.Requires longer cooling cycle & cause more

shrinkage.
Low Melt Temperature :
• Results in better shaped parison, shorter
cooling cycle & less shrinkage.
• Too low melt temp leads to non-
homogenous melt as well as inferior
mechanical & physical properties.
• It is desirable that the parison have the
lowest practical melt temp.
BLOWING AIR
• Expands the parison tube against the mould

walls.
• Forcing the material to assume the shape of

the mould & duplicate surface details.
• During the expansion phase high volume of

air is desirable for the rapid accomplishment
of the expanded parison against the mould
walls.
• The maximum volumetric flow rate into the
cavity at a low linear velocity can be achieved
by making the air inlet orifice as large as
possible.
• The pressure of the blowing air influences the

surface details in the moulded item.
• Some PE containers with heavy walls can be

blown and pressed against the mould walls by
air pressure as low as 200 to 300 kPa.
• Large items such as 5 L bottles require still
higher air pressure (600 to 800 kPa).
• The clamping force of the mould platens must

be sufficient to withstand the blowing pressure
inside the blow moulds.
• An excess of 25‑50% of pressure over the

calculated value of projected area of the product
items blowing pressure is advisable.
SURFACE IMPERFECTION
• Die lines & scratches are surface imperfections
formed on parison.
• Cleanliness of the parison die is important in

reducing these lines.
• Chrome plating of the die & Teflon coating may

be helpful.
• Die lines can be minimized by by the actions

(Increasing blowing speed,Increasing air
pressure,increasing mould temp.)that minimize
cooling of the melt until it is pressed against the
mould surface. https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
68
SHRINKAGE
• Length wise shrinkage.
• Horizontal shrinkage occur in wall thickness.
• May be reduced by raising the blowing pressure

& lowering the temp.of the mould.
• High shrinkage is observed in HDPE(Due to

crystallinity) & thicker-walled products(due to
slower cooling rate).
PRINCIPLES OF PRODUCT DESIGN
• Following factors are considered to design the

blow moulded containers & other complex
shapes:
1. Resin,Size & weight of the product.

2. mould,contour,inserts,surface texture.
3. Engravings,sharp corners & straight
angles.
4. Parting lines.
PINCH-OFF FLASH
• The pinch-off is the section of the mould where

the parison is squeezed & welded together.Its
design:
• Should be structurally sound to with stand

pressure.
• Should push a small amount of plastic

material into the interior of the part.
• Should leave a thin pinch line to provide a

clean break point for flash removal.
PINCH OF DESIGN
• To perform this, most moulds use rugged,
double angle pinch‑off (see Fig. 4.10).
• Its land will stand up to the pressure and will

provide a clean break point.
• The 30° provides a slight back pressure and

causes the melt to thicken in the weld area.
• The flash pocket depth is related to the pinch ‑off

area and is very important for proper moulding
and automatic trimming of the part.
• The width of the pinch‑off edge depends on the
material to be processed, the wall thickness,
the closing speed and the blowing time.
• For short runs, the pinch‑off can be made of

aluminum, but for long production runs the
moulds have inserted pinch off areas made of
steel or beryllium‑copper.
• Too big a relief angle can hinder the adequate

cooling of the edge zones, which in turn could
result in dull spots next to the weld line.
• With too small a relief angle a cooled ‑off
seam might be pushed into the mould cavity
forming a deep groove along the weld line.
BLOW MOULDING CYCLE
• As shown in Fig. 4.11, the cycle time is made

off :- Blowing time + mould closing time +
blow pin insert time + cooling time + ejection
or removal time .
Blow Ratio :
• The blow ratio is the ratio of the outer
diameter of the blown container divided by
the outer diameter of the parison.
• The required die gap can be approximately

calculated multiplying the desired wall
thickness of a blown bottle by the blow ratio.
DRUMS OR BARRELS
• With this Moulding technique,a hollow,semi-

hollow or completely solid ring can be
moulded .
• Solid ring can be produced with good

consistency,but hollow & semi-hollow ones
are difficult.
• Preferred material is HMWHDPE.
FLUORINATION FOR BARRIER
PROPERTIES
• HDPE containers(used in fuel tanks) may be
fluorinated i.e treated with fluorine gas.
• It improves the barrier properties.
• Two fluorination processes are used:
• Injection of fluorine gas during the

blowing cycle.
• moulded container may be exposed to

fluorine gas at elevated temp.
INJECTION BLOW MOULDING
• An ideal combination of Injection & blow

moulding.
• It includes three stages:
1. Formation of preform by using injection moulding.
2. Transferring the preform into the blow moulding.
3. Passage of air or gas pressure through the core

rod to blow the thermoplastic resin into the cavity
walls of the blow mould.
MOULDING PROCESS
• There are three station & four station
Injection blow moulding system.
• The difference between the three & four

station indexing heads is the dry cycle time.
• Injection unit,a blow station,& a ejector or

stripping station are the three station in
Injection blow moulding machine using three
station.
• The four station machine has a safety or core

rod conditioning station.
FIG 4.13
FIG 4.14
• The injection blow moulding becomes
economic at the level of one million to seven
million units of small containers (300 mL or
smaller capacity).
• The investment cost is greater for the injection
blow moulding than for the extrusion blow
moulding. However, the quality of containers
moulded using the former method will be
superior.
• The injection blow moulding is used primarily
for the production of cosmetic and
pharmaceutical containers.
ADVANTAGES OF INJECTION
BLOW MOULDING
• Accurate shaping of the neck.
• A high level of dimensional accuracy.
• Minimal weight tolerances.
• The highest quality surface finish.
• Production absolutely free from waste.
• Crystal-clear containers for pharmaceutical
application.
• Finished bottle without weld line & scrap.
• Secondary/finishing operations can be avoided.
• Multi-cavities can be operated.
DISADVANTAGES OF INJECTION
BLOW MOULDING
• The preform design generally establish the core rod
length & diameter.
• The process is more expensive than extrusion blow
moulding.
• Compromise between preform wall thickness and
blow up ratio.
• The ratio of the maximum wall thickness to minimum
wall thickness across a preform cross-section should
be less than 1.5 to prevent weld lines.
• Preform thickness greater than 6 mm is unstable
during blowing since the thick section cannot be
properly conditioned.
MOULDS FOR INJECTION BLOW MOULDING
• Injection blow moulds should be machined to precise

tolerances for their critical function in the moulding
cycle.
• The preform moulds are more important since they
are subjected to direct injection pressure. Care
should be taken to see that the core rod is concentric.
• The parison (preform) neck ring forms the finished
shape of the threaded neck section of the container.
• It also centres and securely retains the core rod
inside the preform cavity to prevent core rod
deflection during the injection (see fig.4.15).
• The preform mould consists of stationary &
movable halves.
• The cavity dimensions are determined by the
core rod layout.
• Temp. control is an important part of the cavity
design.
• The neck finish is formed in the preform neck
ring the blow mould nock ring secures the
already formed neck finish.
• The blow mould cavity also consists of
stationary & movable halves & are used to
shape the final form of containers.
• Cavities are made from tool steel,pre hardened

steel,aluminum or beryllium copper depending
upon the type of plastic material.
• They are subjected to the minimal clamp

pressure needed to withstand preform blowing
air pressure of 700 to 1200 kPa. The most
important in the mould cavity design is the
provision of maximum cooling.
STRETCH BLOW MOULDING
Principles
• It is mass production process
• Stretch blow moulding is a process on which

stretching is done before blowing.
• The stretch blow moulding method can be

applied to both injection and extrusion blow
moulding process.
• Each plastic material has a temperature limit at

which it can be stretched to get optimum
orientation andhttps://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
properties. 95
• Biaxial stretch blow moulding is the method in
which the stretching is done in both longitudinal
and transverse direction.
• Biaxial orientation increases the tensile

strength,gas barrier properties,drop impact
strength and clarity of plastics.
• The various materials suitable for stretch blow

moulding are PET,PVC,PS,SAN,POM,PP.
APPLICATION
• Containers made by Stretch Blow Moulding are

used for –
• Packing of Oil.
• Wine, Sprits.
• Milk.
• Mineral Water.
• Carbonated Drinks.
• Soft Drinks & Medicine.
• The Orientation temperature & Stretch ratios
of same materials are given in the table.
Plastic Orientation Stretch

Material Temperature (0c) Ratio
PET 105-120 16/1
PP 128-140 6/1
PVC 100-115 7/1
PS 140-160 12/1
SAN 120-128 12/1
INJECTION STRETCH BLOW MOULDING
Single Stage Process
• The Preform produced by Injection moulding.

• Thermal conditioning & Stretching of the
preform can be performed by
1. Single Stage Process

2. Two Stage process
• The preform is then sufficiently cooled in the

mould.
• In one or more tampering stations the
injection moulded preform is heated
upto the stretchable temperature.
• The blowing and stretching are

performed with the help of a telescopic
stretch rod.
PET STRETCH BLOW MOULDING PROCESS
• The PET preform is injection moulded in the first

station and upon proper cooling, the cavity
mould half drops down and the core rod mould
half rises.
• The table indexes 90° to the conditioning station,

where the preform is conditioned by internal and
external core‑rod heaters to the proper
temperature for stretch blow moulding.
• The table again indexes 90° to the third station,

where the preform is stretch blow moulded. 101
https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
TWO STAGE PROCESS
• In this process the injection moulded preform

can be produced any time at any place.
• The preform is to be re-heated before

stretching and blowing.
• In the process the preforms are transported

through an oven where they rotate
continuously to attain even temperature
through out the surface.
• Usually the threaded area is protected form

heating by heat shield.
• After heating the preforms exit from the oven and
are allowed to equilibrate.
• Since the preforms are usually heated by IR

heaters the temp on the outside skin is higher
then the inside skin.
• During equilibration, the outside skin temperature

drops while inside skin temperature rises.
• Then it is transferred to blowing section
• The blow moulds closes at the threaded area of

the preform and clamped to required tonnage.
• The stretch rod enters the preform through
the preform towards the bottom of the mould.
• The air is then blown in to the mould up to the

required pressure
• The bottle cools due to contact with the cold

mould.
• The blown air is exhausted,the rod retracts

and the mould open to eject the bottle.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGE
Single stage process :
Advantages
• Low investment
• Requires no capping ring
• All process are done at one place.
Disadvantages
• Low barrier properties
• The products are heavier
• Requires more https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
skilled operation. 107
TWO STAGE PROCESS
Advantage
• Low cost per bottle
• The products have low weight
• High barrier properties
• High productivity
• Preform making and bottle making can be

done at different places.
Disadvantages
• High capital investment
• More blemishes than single stage
• Requires capping ring on the preforms.
Comparison Between Single & Two-stage Process
Single Stage Process Two Stage Process

• Low investment. • High investment.
• Requires no capping ring. • Requires capping ring &
• Low volume production. bumper role.
• Higher weight bottle. • High barrier properties.
• Low efficiency. • Lower weigh bottle.
• Require more skilled • High efficiency.
operator. • Required operator.
ORIENTATION AND ITS EFFECTS
• Stretching leads to biaxial orientation of the

molecular structure.
• Hoop ratio is defined as the ratio of the largest

inside diameter of the blown bottle (D1)to that
of preform before blowing.(D2)
RH = D1/D2 , If range from 4 to 7
• Axial ratio is defined as the ratio of length
measured after axial stretching of the
container(L1) to the original length of the
preform.(L2)
RA = L1/L2, If ranges from 14 to 26
• Total blowup ratio is equal to the hoop ratio
multiplied by the axial ratio.
Rtotal = D1 X L1
D2 X L 2
• Each plastic has its own natural maximum

stretching limit.
• In case of PET bottle to held the pressure of soft

drink,the blow up ratio should be 10
EXTRUSION STRETCH BLOW MOULDING
Process
• The preform mould closes around the parison.
• The pre blow mandrel is lowered in the parison

to calibrate the bottle neck.
• The blowing air blows the preform at the same

time. The bottom scrap is then removed.
• The mould opens, the preform retained by the
pre blow mandrel is transferred to stretch blow
mould.
• The blowing is carried out with the assistance of

mechanical for longitudinal and pneumatic for
latitude stretching.
• After cooling takes place, the mould opens to

takeout the product for post moulding operation.
MULTILAYER BLOW MOULDING PROCESS
• Co-extrusion blow moulding offers to produce

containers having several layer of plastic.
• The process makes it possible to combine

various materials which attributes to create a
product for a particular application.
• The co-extruded blow mould containers

gaining importance for packaging of various
sensitive food,with high barrier properties.
• The process require a parison die designed to
over lap several parisons to produce a single
parison consisting multiple of layers.
• The co-extruded parisons are generally

processed by extrusion blow moulding.
• The principle purpose of this method is to

improve the barrier properties.
• To improve adhesion between the two
layers,tie layers have to be used.
• A five layers structure consists of one inside

and one outside structural layer, a central
functional layer and two adhesive layers one
on each side of the functional layer.
PLASTIC MATERIALS FOR
MULTILAYER BLOW MOULDING
Structural Materials :
• The plastic material suitable for extrusion blow
moulding are considered as structural materials.
• These materials posses good melt strength good

strain hardening characteristics and can be
deformed when blown.
• Some structural materials are
LDPE,LLDPE,HDPE,PP,PET and PVC
• Some engineering plastic such as PC,Polysulfone

are used for special application.
BARRIER MATERIALS
• These plastic materials shows good resistance

over gas and water vapour permeability.
• Some best barrier materials are Ethylene Vinyl

Alcohol , Polyamide, Polyvinyledene
Chloride .
• EVA and PVDC are best known barrier

materials to Oxygen,Co2, Moisture
• Aromatic Polyamides combine high barrier
properties with high distortion temperature.
Two types of adhesives resins used are :
1. Directly synthesized co-polymer or terpolymer
2. Polyolefin grafted with anhydride or epoxy

compound
CO-EXTRUSION EQUIPMENT
• The extruders must supply several streams of

melted material to the die.
• The melt stream stability and the uniformity is

most important.
• Usually single screw extruders are used
• The screw design must take into account the
melt characteristics like flow rate, head
pressure and melt temperature.
• The L/D ratio preferably should be more than

20:1
• The size and number of extruders make their

arrangement around the die to be done
carefully for maintaining proper flow
DIES
• Co-extrusion dies have the main function to
maintain the proper order and the desired
thickness to form a parison.
• In co-extrusion die the design parameters for
all materials in the system must be meet
simultaneously.
• Co-extrusion dies are of a center fed rather
than a spider head type.
• Important types of extrusion dies are –
– Die body construction / layers combinations.
– Manifold Design
• The major requirement for the die design are-
1. Proper arrangement to accommodate
multiple melt feeds.
2. Formation and location of weld lines

where the melts combine to form the
annular shape of each lays.
3. How best to combine the layer into the

parison inside the die.
PRESS & DIP BLOW MOULDING PROCESS
Press Blow Moulding
• Press Blow moulding is used to produce

smaller parts ranging from 1 to 200ml.
• Most wall sections are less than 0.6mm
Press blow moulding consists of :-
• The injection moulding assembly, include the

cavity section, and the extrusion blow mould.
• A full cycle consists of four operation phase
• In the first, an injection mould cavity for forming
the parts head or neck moves down between the
two half of the blow mould and is placed tightly
on top of the melt nozzle.
• The newly formed head or neck section is cooled

in the injection cavity.
• The melt is still attached to the solidified

moulding that serves as a drawing collar for the
parison.
• The Injection mould rises from the nozzle lifting a
parison like preform with it.
• The nozzle serves as an extrusion die.
• As soon as the injection mould reaches its

starting position the extrusion stops.
• The blow mould is clamped in position around
the parison and air entering at the neck forces
the soft,hot parison against the cooled wall of
the mould cavity.
• When the part is cool enough, the blow mould

opens up and the product is removed.
• Post treatment operations such as trimming to

final length, deflashing and flaming, etc.is done.
ADVANTAGE
• It does not produce scrap during the

injection moulding part of the cycle.
• In press blowing equipment a small amount

of scrap is trimmed and separated inside
the machine.
• Less wall thickness products can be

manufactured.
APPLICATION
• Squeeze tubes, bellows,pharmaceutical, medical,cosmetic

and industrial applications that require not-standard
closures for thin walled pliable containers and tubes.
Plastics which are successfully press blow are :

PE
PP
PS
ABS
PA
Polyurethane
PVC
EVAc etc.
DIP BLOW MOULDING
Dip blow moulding is a low pressure injection

blow moulding.
The process was 5 steps.
• First,melt is extruded into a storage pot.
• The pot is made of two parts.dipping barrel and

recuperator piston.
• The recuperator piston moves towards the neck

cavity, acting as a piston and filling the cavity with
melt.
• The dipping mandrel is fully inserted into the pot
and the bottle neck is formed.
• The mandrel is progressively withdrawn form

the pot, followed by the recuperator piston.
• Their relative speed controls the volume of melt

that is extruded coating the mandrel.
• This enables a parison thickness profile to be

implemented.
• When the melt pot is completely withdrawn, a
knife cuts off the parison.
• The mandrel rotates vertically to the blowing

station.
• The opposite mandrel moves towards the

coating station.
• The longitudinal coating process with
transverse stretching during blowing imparts
biaxial orientation.
• This results in increased drop strength of the

bottle.
• The preform is blow into shape.
ADVANTAGES
Compared with injection blow moulding, it has
• Lower tooling cost
• Capacity to form single bottles with upto 700ml

vol.capacity.
Applications
Clean, accurately moulded, scrapless small bottles
Blow moulding of Engineering thermoplastics
Machines and process methods
• Extrusion blow moulding is the main

processing method used for engineering
thermoplastics.
• Continuous parison formation processing

equipment is used to produce containers or
small industrial parts.
• The accumulator head blow moulding process
is used with engineering thermoplastics to form
intermediate or larger parts.
• parison programming or changing of the

parison annular thickness during its formation
is used to provide more uniform distribution of
the material in the part.
Blow moulding machines are classified by :
1. Extruder size
2. Extruder output
3. Accumulator capacity
4. Platen size
5. Clamp pressure capacity.
• Screw diameter typically range from 50 to
150mmwith a length / diameter ratio from 18/1
to 30/1.
• 24/1 is the most common.
• Screw configuration range from single stage,
single flight to more complex barrier and mixing
screws.
• High shear section, that is needed for polyolefins

may overheat sensitive engineering plastics.
• This results in polymer degradation and low

melt strength.
PARISON PROGRAMMING
• The up and down movement of the mandrel
during forming cycle changes the parison
thickness.
• The die line created by deposition of foreign

material or the accumulation and scratches.
• Scratches & Imperfections on the mandrel or

die ring cause die lines.
• The die line results in a poor part finish.
• The design and surface finish of the dies are

critical factors in providing a parison free from
defects.
MOULDS FOR ENGINEERING
THERMOPLASTICS
• aluminum and steel mould are used. It is due

to the fact that
• They are smoother (low porosity)
• They provide more uniform surface finish

than cast aluminum.
• aluminum moulds require steel or hardened

pinch off inserts to prevent coining of parting
line.
MOULD TEMPERATURE CONTROL
• Polyolefins are processed in chilled moulds.
• Engineering thermoplastics are moulded in

heated moulds.
• Mould temperature of 70-80º C is common

when good mould surface reproduction is
required.
ADVANTAGES OF ENGINEERING
THERMOPLASTICS
• The engineering thermoplastics offer a

number of performance advantages
compared with polyolefinic materials.
• Greater stiffness or the ability of a material to

resist deflection under load.
• Higher resistance to stretching.
• Impact strength dependent on the material and
environmental factors.
• Greater hardness, i.e,resistance to surface

penetration from a concentrated load.
• Greater resistance to deflection of the part

under load at an elevated temperature.
• Crystalline engineering plastic, like polyamides
and polyesters offer excellent resistance to a
wide range of chemicals and solvents.
• Improved capability of the material to reproduce

the mould surface and details.
• Engineering thermoplastics generally shrink

less than that of polyolefins.
APPLICATION
• The engineering plastic is a processable

polymeric material , capable of being formed to
precise and stable dimensions, exhibiting high
performance at the continuous use temperature
above 100ºc, and having tensile strength in
excess of 40MPa.
• Business machine housings,covers and ducts.
• Medical equipment housing, ducts, furniture

components and stretchers.
• Automotive instrument panel, seat
components,bumpers, spoilers and under-
hood ducts and fluid reservoirs.
• Furniture door, drawer fronts, seating and

cabinets.
• Appliance doors, ducts, housings and covers.
MATERIALS
• Polycarbonate
• Polyamide
• Polyesters
• Polyphenylether and alloys of these

polymers are commonly blow moulded.
PET BLOW MOULDING PROCESS
AND APPLICATION
• The PET bottle manufacturing process consists
of injection moulding of a closed bottom
preform.
• The preform is reheated to the blow moulding

temperature, which is about 10 to 20º c.(18 to
36ºF) above the glass transition temperature.
• Stretching of the preform is done axially in the

blow mould by a stretch rod.
• Simultaneously compressed air is introduced
into the preform to biaxially expand the preform.
• The melt processing of PET requires that it must

be very dry before it is moulded.
• Any water that may be present in molten PET

will be rapidly consumed by chemically reacting
with the polymer in a process called
“hydrolysis”.
• The temperature of the melt is one of the
most important parameters to be considered
when injection moulding of bottle performs.
• The temperature affects the crystalline

behaviour of PET.
• The reheat blow (RHB) process is widely used
to produce oriented containers (bottles) for
carbonated beverages.
• There are two steps to the process.
• In the first step, the resin,PET, is injection

moulded into an amorphous preform.
• It is then heated to exceed the resin’s glass

transition temperature for proper orientation.
• It is then blow in a mould with high pressure air

to obtain the desired bottle shape.
APPLICATION
• Bottles for carbonated beverages.
• Containers for fruit, juice, drinks.
• Containers for Oils, Pickles, Vinegars,

Liquors.
• Container for canned milk,water bottle.
CONTROLS IN BLOW MOULDING
OPERATION
• In blow moulding operation there are different

categories of controls which play the most
important role for performance and quality of the
products.
• The machine control affects some characteristics

of the machine itself such as temperature, screw
speed etc.
• For blow moulding process, accurate control of

time, temperature and position is a vital
requirement.
• Temperature control is required for the extruder
barrel, the mould, the die head, hydraulic oil and
polymer melt.
• The filling of the head, the ramming of the

parison, the wall thickness of the parison and
the press clamp are all position-controlled.
• The blowing /cooling cycle is controlled through

microprocessor.
• Product controls measure are those which and

control some characteristic of the final product
like weight and wall thickness of the
component. https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com 157
MATERIAL AND PARTS HANDLING AND FINISHING
Auxiliary equipments
• Air compressor, hopper loader, mould
temperature controllers,oven drier, scrap grinder
and dry blender are required as auxiliary
equipments.
• The surface treating equipment, trimmer,reamer
and conveyor system as well as finishing and
decorating equipment,printing and labelling
equipments are also needed.
STRIPPER
• A stripper is a simple device for parts handling at
the blow moulder.
• It is activated either by a mechanical linkage or an
air cylinder interconnected with the moulding
machine.
• The operations includes a vertical down stroke that
pushes the moulded part from the die.
• This strip it from the blow pin and separate the part
with its flash from the parison at the extrusion die
face.
• The stripper runs automatically, discharging the
parts onto a conveyor or into a chute for further
handling. https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com 159
NECK FINISHING
• Neck finishing is typically the facing or

machining of the sealing surface at the top of
the thread opening.
• The surface must be correct in dimension and

squarely cut so as not to have a top edge.
• Many industrial parts are fly cut when round

openings or holes are required to complete the
product.
• Cutter design range from a single flute with
no spiral to multiple spiral flutes, made of
hardened tool or carbide compounds.
• Container neck inside diameter sizing and

top spot facing is done in one step with a
dual-purpose cutter.
POST MOULDING & FINISHING OPERATION
1. Drilling
2. Reaming
3. Cutting
4. Trimming
5. Deflashing
DRILLING
• Making holes of 25mm or of less in diameter.
• Common on many industrial parts and

containers.
• For larger holes fly cutting is used.
• For smaller holes standard drill bit is used.
• For plastics drill bits designed with minimal

spiral.
REAMING
• Work piece should be held firmly.

• Provides high quality finish with excellent
accuracy.
• The spindle speed is 200-400 rpm.
• This operation is performed in a milling
machine with a clamping force.
CUTTING
• Performed by hard using standard knifes or
specially contoured or ground knives.
TYPES
1. Spin Trimming
2. Routing
SPIN TRIMMING
• Knife blades are mounted in jugs or fixtures
• They advanced into rotating parts or parts
are rotated into blades.
ROUTING
• It is another method of culture.

• Produces a cut of good quality.
• It is adaptable to irregular stapes and large
parts.
• Router may be free end or to follow a
template or may be fully automated.
TRIMMING
• Trimming equipment is located adjacent to

blow moulding machine.
• Some machinery trims the product in the

mould or in a post moulding station.
• After trimming product is collected in

containers via conveyor belt.
Advanced Trimming Technique
1. Laser cutting Trimming
2. Water Jet Trimming
DECORATION METHODS
• Blow moulded products mostly finished by

coating or printing over the surface.
• Decoration carried out by Coating, Printing or

Labeling.
SURFACE PREPARATION AND
TREATMENT
To apply coating or print ink over plastic surface

some treatment is needed.
Surface clearing treatment of plastic products:-
• Solvent Clearing & Etching
• Chemical etching treatment
• Flame treatment
• Corona discharge
• Plasma treatment
FLAME TREATMENT
• Used for sheets and irregular moulded items.
• Used to improve ink adhesion to polyolefins
and other plastic containers.
• It oxidises the surface and makes it easily
wettable
CORONA DISCHARGE
• Used for films & sheets.
Plasma treatment (cold gas)
• Effective box expensive.
• Rarely used for packaging containers.
SCREEN PRINTING
• It is a stencil process
• Ink is forced through the open areas of screen

by squeegee.
• Ink spreads out and gives continuous ink

coating
• Process is inexpensive and versatile
PAD PRINTING
• An offset gravure process.
• The ink is applied in cliché.
• Excess ink is removed by a doctor blade.
• A silicone rubber pad picks up the ink and

transfer it to the part to be printed.
• Process is suitable for irregularly shaped and

rough surfaces.
HOT STAMPING
• By Applying heat and pressure, the

pigmented coating form a carrier films is
transferred to the part to be printed.
• A flat die is used to transfer the foil only.
IN MOULD LABELLING
• Inserts are used
• Inserts consists plastic film pre-printed with

required decoration.
• Insert is placed inside the mould.
• It becomes an integral part of the moulded

article.
QUALITY CONTROL OF BLOW
MOULDING PROCESS
• In line quality control and testing facilities is

needed at the manufacturing place.
• Inspections and quality assurance testes

should follow specifications as per standard.
TESTS
• Container weight
• Wall thickness
• Overflow capacity
• Neck & Thread dimensions
• Drop impact resistance
• Visual inspections for contamination
• Additive and colour homogeneity
• Other required tests as required to meet the

specifications.
FAULTS,CAUSES AND REMEDIES IN
BLOW MOULDING PROCESS
FAULTS CAUSES ACTIONS

parison Excess extrusion output Reduce screw
too long speed.
Melt too fluid leading to
parison sag. Reduce barrel
temperature
Reduce die head

temperature.
parison Insufficient extruder Increase screw
too short output. speed.
Too low a melt Check heaters are

temperature
https://polymerandpaint.blogspot.com
functioning. 178
parison diameter Incorrect die selections Check
too large Excess die swell Raise melt
temperature.
parison diameter Incorrect die selection. Check

too small Excess parison sag Lower melt
temperature.
Excess parison Incorrect setting of Check
wall thickness parison thickness
controller.
Raise melt
Excess die swell temperature.
parison wall too Incorrect setting of Check
thin parison thickness
controller.
Excess parison sag. Lower melt

temperature.
parison curls Die temperature too Raise die
outward as it low. temperature
leaves the die.
parison curls Die temperature too Lower die

inwards as it high. temperature.
leaves the die.
parison veers to Die and mandrel not Adjust.
one side. concentric.
Incorrect setting of
parison wall thickness
control.
Sharkskin Die head temperature Raise die head
(rough on inside). too low. temperature.
Melt temperature too Raise melt

low. temperature.
Longitudinal Dirty die. Clean.
marks on parison
surface Damage die. Repair
Weld lines Melt not re- Build up back pressure
on parison welding after between spider and die
passing through lips by lowering die/die
spider. head temperatures.
Increase land length of die.
Increase melt temperature.
Burn marks Decomposition. Check melt temperature.
(PVC). Check no dead spots.
Check tip of screw not too
hot.
Dark Contamination Check
particles.
Decomposition Check dead spots.
Poor neck/flash Blow pin badly set. Check and adjust.
separation.
Damages cutting Replace.
sleeve.
Displaced punt Bent parison. Check parison
weld. faults.
Blunt parison knife.
Replace.
Deformed Moulding ejected too Increase cooling
moulding. hot. time.
Check cooling
water supply to
mould.
Tail flash on Short parison. See parison faults.
bottle.
Moulding does Insufficient Raise air pressure.

not fully inflate. air.
Increase blowing time.
Moulding sticks Mould too hot. Check mould
to mould. temperatures.
Moulding too
hot. Increase cooling time.
Reduce melt
temperatures.

Blow Molding Process

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Blow Molding Process

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Blow Molding Process

• It offers a number of processing advantages,such as

• Blow moulding is operated using low moulding

• Commonly used materials are:PE,PVC,PET,PC, PA,

• Blow Moulding is an alternatives process to

• This is done either by changing machine parts

• Material is fed into a heated barrel of Extruder.

• With the help of screw rotation & heaters the

• Melted material is forced through a set of die

• parison is introduced into a mould,The mould

• Homogeneous melt of plastic material.

• Based on the method used to create the

1. Extrusion Blow Moulding that uses an

2. Injection Blow Moulding that uses an

• Extrusion Blow moulding

• Injection Blow moulding

• Stretch Blow moulding.

• Press Blow moulding & Dip Blow moulding for

• Multilayer Co extrusion Blow moulding.

Blow moulding machine consists of two parts:

1. The parison Forming Unit(Extruder).

2. The Blow moulding unit.

• Made off two female cavities that close around a

• Pinch-off at one or both ends.

• One entrance for the blowing air.

• For Mould Parts:

• For Pinch off section:

• Casting is more popular techniques for

Blow Mould Closing operations by:

Clamp Platen mechanism serves following Functions :

Clamping Force required:

P-Blow Pressure(Usually in the range of

f-Safety factor(25% extra)

• Those Materials which show high melt strength

Following Polymers are more often blow moulded:

• HDPE is used for Rigid Bottles, Chemical Drums,

• PP is used because of high stiffness, good

• PVC & PS for general purpose articles requiring

• PC is used for containers which show good

• PET is used in basically oriented stretch blow

• EVAL (Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol) is used as barrier

Polymer Proc. Temp. Drying Temp. Cavity Temp.

• Molecular Weight Distribution.

• Extrudate Swell &

Different types of Extrusion Blow moulding:

• Here, the resin is plasticated by the rotating

• During the blowing and cooling stages, the screw

• Even if the blowing and cooling times remain the

• This type of machine (see Fig ) is used to make

• The main applications are industrial parts,

• The size of the extruder is independent of

This makes the process unsuitable for heat-

A variation on ram accumulators that provides

• Parts as large as 300 pounds can been

• This method also utilises the external

• It is designed to produce containers with

• The container is annular, that makes it possible

• The parison is extruded by moving an annular

• Fig. 4.5 shows the die head accumulator, which

• Extrusion plant for blow moulding consists of :

• Function of the extruder :

• Screw L/D ratio of 20 to 24 is preferable.

i. Different types of polyethylene with widely