What You Need to Know About the Blow Molding Process

Clear plastic jug

The plastics industry in the United States is very important for the American and global economies. In the United States, it provides jobs to more than one million people. The contribution it makes to the American economy is worth about $375 billion. The blow molding process is very important for a number of industries. There are many industries that need blow molded plastic containers to ship and sell the products they make.

There is a set of steps that all industries that need blow molded plastic containers follow for making plastic bottles for their products.

The first step is to device a mockup of the container that will be made. Most of the ideas for custom plastic bottle design begin with a drawing or an idea. After this has been decided upon, plastic bottle manufacturers will put together a 3D model. This initial step is important in getting the right custom-made bottle for the business’s product.

Next, the design for the molded plastic containers is tweaked and altered. While the initial design may be great, there may be changes that need to be made in the design to make sure it provides the functionality that will be needed. When it comes to plastic bottle containers, this is not as crucial but can be a make or break issue for other parts and items that are manufactured this way.

The amount it will cost for the industries that need blow molded plastic containers needs to be calculated. A lot of this will depend on what the material used is, the amount of blow molded containers will be made, and how soon these items will need to be made. Any work that is done in advance to make sure the design is right for the product and how easily the container will make it to sell the products will be time well spent as it can have an impact on the cost of the blow molding process.

The right mold makes all of the difference. Any of the industries that need blow molded plastic containers will tell you that no matter how great the design for the containers is if there is a problem with the mold, all of that work will be for naught. Before any plastic is added to the mold, it should be inspected. Inspections on molds that have undergone the design and approval stages and have been made, they need to be looked over before they are used to produce plastic containers or bottles. It is important for the process of making the molds be carefully monitored all along the process. Any problems with the final mold can make a huge difference in the plastic products that are made.

There are a few processes that are used by industries that need blow molded plastic containers. They can use stretch blow molding, injection blow molding, and extrusion blow molding to make the right containers or bottles. Picking the right one can make a big difference.

After the right process for blow molding has been selected, getting the cooling system right is the next thing a manufacturer needs to do. Most of the time, water is used to cool the mold, though there are some types of blow molding where cool air is used to do the cooling. If water will be used for this part of the process, water lines need to be added to the mold to get the cool water in place. The cooling process is delicate and needs to be handled carefully. If the process goes on for too long or is done too quickly, the results can be disastrous.

Throughout the blow molding process, the same care that was made during the process that made the mold itself needs to be followed. Workers should check to make sure the resin is heated to the correct temperature so that the correct viscosity level is reached. All of the industries that need blow molded plastic containers will tell you that plastic bottle manufacturers have to closely watch the process to make sure there are no malfunctions that impact the quality of the final product.

The blow molding process is used by a number of industries for a very wide variety of plastic items.