In goes an injection molding machine, out comes an injection blowmolding unit

Three years ago we reported on the early efforts of a Cyprian plastics expert to alter a standard injection molding machine (clamp force from 200-550 tons) so that it could be used as a single-stage stretch blowmolding unit suitable for small-to-medium volume PET bottle and jar production. Costas Sideris, the developer and patent holder, now tells us that commercial models are right around the corner.

Sideris, managing director of Cypet Technologies (Dhali, Nicosia, Cyprus), a subsidiary of Cypriot plastics resin and processing machinery distributor M. Sideris & Son Ltd., says his company has redesigned its initial prototype to make it more operator-friendly and more productive. The results can be seen in successful injection stretch blowmolding of high-quality bottles (see photo) consistently on three machines.

One of these machines is housed in Cyprus for development trials, and another is with a customer in the Middle East producing 10-L bottles in a two-cavity mold, with cycle times below 30 seconds. The third is with a customer in Asia producing 100-ml pharmaceutical bottles with a 16-cavity mold. "We expect that in three to six months we will be able to offer our machines commercially to the market, after completing our beta testing phase with the two machines currently in production," reports Sideris. The development machine in Cyprus also is being used to develop protocols for processing of materials other than PET.

According to charts at the company's website, the Cypet process that Sideris has developed is likely to cost substantially less than established single-stage and 1.5-stage blowmolding machines marketed by better-known manufacturers, while exceeding their output.