All-Electric Stretch-Blower for up to 3L PET Bottles

Making its public debut at the BrauBeviale 2024 show in Nuremberg, Germany, is an all-electric, linear, two-stage stretch-blow molding machine with two cavities and production of PET bottles from 0.2L to 3L at up to 3,500 bph. The model APF-Max 2L is the latest addition to the APF-Max series from PET Technologies of Austria. The “2” indicates the number of cavities; there are also APF-Max models 3, 4, 6 and 8. The “L” designation stands for “large” and indicates capacity to blow bottles up to 3L, vs. around 2 L for the standard models. APF-Max machines are all-electric, except for the pneumatic APF-Max 2.

Key features of the APF-Max 2L include energy efficiency, thanks to its all-electric design and NIR heating system, which is said to provide faster heating of PET preforms with lower energy consumption, as well as providing a shorter oven for a smaller overall footprint (approximately 11.3 × 8.8 × 6.2 ft.). It addition, the machine has two-step air recovery, enabling the blowing air (up to 40 bar) to be used for preblowing the next bottle.

The machine is also said to provide quick mold and product changeovers, and capability for hot filling and processing 100% rPET. It has a B&R PLC controller and accepts preforms with neck finishes from 18 to 38 mm.