Blow Molded Containers

Blow Molded Containers

Blow molded containters come in several different shapes and sizes. Many are equipped with snap-on or threaded lids or spouts, as well as carrying handles. Varying neck openings define what type of container they are-thin necks are considered bottles, while large openings designate jars. The food and beverage, cosmetic, medical, nursery, automotive and manufacturing industries all use blow molded containers like water bottles, baby bottles, spray bottles, temporary nursery planters, peanut butter jars, milk gallons, makeup and lotion bottles, cases, garbage cans, corrosive liquid containers, household chemical cleaning bottles, fuel tanks and drinking water storage tanks. Their walls may be clear, opaque, frosted, solid colors or tinted and have different designs, detail and textures. Blow molded containers offer high temperature resistance and strength, as well as low tooling cost and high rate of production.

The blow molding process begins with a plastic extruded preform, referred to as a parison, and made of plastic polymers like polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, thermoplastic elastomers, polyester and BDS. It is shaped like an upside down test tube, and is blown shortly after the injection process, while it is still soft and malleable. A metal ram then pushes to the top of the mold, and compressed air fills the space. The ram stretches out the sides until they are thin and uniform. This process takes only a few seconds per container. Blow molding is the least expensive method of forming hollow, thin-walled plastic containers that exhibit corrosion and stress resistance. While blow molding is an extremely cost-efficient and fast method of forming plastic containers, they are limited to uniform wall thickness, simple designs and less precision and detail than the injection molding process. When the container's exterior shape is more important than its inside and low cost outweighs high precision, blow molding is a great method of producing containers.