After years of talk, all-electric blow molding machines seem poised to make advances.

Wheel machines in particular will be on display.

A new, smaller reciprocating-screw extrusion blow molder comes from Uniloy Milacron North America, Tecumseh, Mich.

Don’t believe the myth that you can’t successfully run an accumulator-head machine with more than one head.

Growing use of electric drives in blow molding machinery gathered steam at the K 2010 show, as suppliers rolled out new all-electric and hybrid models for extrusion blow, injection-blow, and stretch-blow production.

Higher throughputs and greater energy efficiency will be two big themes in blow molding at next month’s K 2010 show.

More output, bigger parts, more complex shapes, and more automation are the themes to look for in blow molding equipment at NPE.

In late August, Milacron LLC, Batavia, Ohio, completed its purchase of the former Milacron Inc.

Several new developments include a brand-new compression blow process, the first foamed PET bottles, and a preform decontamination approach for aseptically filled products sold at ambient temperature. Attendees also saw a new stack-mold Multi-Parting Line concept that doubles bottle output within the same machine footprint. (Additional NPE blow molding news appeared in May and June—see Learn More box.)

WEB EXCLUSIVE Two new reciprocating-screw extrusion blow molders are said to offer reduced energy use and shorter dry cycles.

While occupying a relatively small category of exhibits, blow molding will present no lack of innovation at NPE.

Low-cost wood is still king, but plastics’ reusability is a growing attraction among manufacturers looking for sustainable material-handling options. The one major hurdle is today’s high resin prices.

Development of all-electric and hybrid-electric blow molding machines may be gaining momentum, as evidenced by several new models introduced in Dusseldorf.

In structural foam, as in any area of plastics, keeping abreast of the latest technology is a key to competitiveness.

A patent-pending device from Uniloy Milacron, Tecumseh, Mich., modifies parison thickness in specific angular positions and thus reduces the weight and cycle time of extrusion blow molded containers.

There will be a strong emphasis on energy savings in blow molding machinery at K 2007.

Besides its safety advantages, automation stabilizers and even reduces cycle times, boosting production and cutting scrap.

Multilayer injection-blow molding technology has taken a leap forward with the commercialization of a barrier polycarbonate bottle for medical use.

New UMIB injection-blow machines from Uniloy Milacron Inc., Tecumseh, Mich., target high-precision bottles with tamper-evident or child-resistant closures for medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics uses.

Blow molded product designers and moldmakers are finding laser scanning to be a fast, accurate, and cost-effective method to replicate molds and create new designs for highly contoured and complex parts such as beverage bottles.

Among new blow molding developments at the show was an innovative coextrusion system for the growing small-engine fuel tank market.

Show-goers will see a range of new blow molding equipment that offers higher speeds, more cavitation, and faster changeovers.

Improving productivity while minimizing capital cost and floorspace will be central themes of blow molding exhibits at NPE 2006.

Coex blow molding has the inside track, but makers of small gas tanks and jerry cans are also looking at fluorination and other monolayer systems. Rotomolders, too, are considering multilayer alternatives.

Uniloy Milacron Inc., Tecumseh, Mich., has unveiled its first accumulator-head blow molder with parison suction capability for producing under-hood automotive ducts.

One of the most interesting innovations in blow molding at K 2004 will be a top-and-bottom blowing system that is said to double bottle output.

Examples of the growing trend toward all-electric blow molding machines for packaging will either be physically present or shown in videos and brochures at NPE.

Four years of development and over $7.5 million have resulted in what is believed to be the largest part ever made by gas-assist injection molding and also the largest ever made by the structural-web process, a variant of gas assist.

Long-stroke machines go rotary, all-electrics grow larger,and PET bottles get a new “glass” coating. Visitors to the show got to see all these and more.

The emphasis in blow molding equipment introductions at NPE 2003 is on higher output capability and greater versatility to take on emerging markets.

Heinz, Nestle, Dannon, Tropicana, and other packagers have discovered an eye-catching way to launch new food products: They design a shapely blow molded bottle, then totally envelop it with a brightly colored shrink or stretch label. This marketing concept could launch tens of billions of plastic bottles in the next few years.

Energy efficiency and production cost savings were dominant themes of the blow molding exhibits at K 2001. A handful of new all-electric machines aroused intense interest, though they are aimed primarily at niche markets. And in two-stage (reheat) PET stretch-blow molding, the focus was on boosting output per cavity.

Examples of the growing trend toward all-electric blow molding machines for packaging will either be physically present or shown in videos and brochures at NPE. Superior accuracy, repeatability, speed, quietness, cleanliness, and energy efficiency are all claimed for the five new all-electric models being presented by four firms at the show.

The rapidly growing popularity of electric servo-motor drives in injection molding has cut their cost, creating the opportunity for even more rapid penetration in blow molding.

Foam blow molding on the show floor was perhaps the most unusual demonstration at the fair. There were also a host of new PET machines, including one that can produce two different bottles at the same time. Other news includes an extrusion blow machine capable of high-speed large part production and new technology to produce large bottles in less than 45 seconds.