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Versatility of High Density Polyethylene Blow Moulded Products |
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A spectrum of applications of plastic processing industry, which involve products from very low capacity blow moulded bottles such as pharmaceutical bottles to high capacity blow moulded products such as 220 litre HM HDPE LRing Drums for chemicals has helped entrepreneurs to fetch higher value additions for these low capacity bottles and higher volumes of business for these high capacity drums. These blow molded containers, HDPE Carboys, HDPE Jerry cans, 220 litre HM HDPE L Ring Drums ensure safe delivery of pharmaceuticals, chemicals etc, offer a high impact resistance and less breakage. Safe delivery is needed for packaging of chemicals and pharmaceuticals as they may be hazardous and need to be packed in chemically resistant packaging that ensures safety during transportation and handling. Blow moulded high density polyethylene products thus becomes a need for packaging.
Blow molding is a molding process in which air pressure is used to inflate soft plastic into a mold cavity. It is an important industrial process for making one-piece hollow plastic parts with thin walls, such as bottles and similar containers. Since many of these items are used for consumer beverages for mass markets, production is typically organized for very high quantities.
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Blow molding is accomplished in two steps:
1) fabrication of a starting tube of molten plastic, called a parison and
2) inflation of the tube to the desired final shape. Forming the parison is accomplished by either of two processes: extrusion or injection molding.
Versatilily of blow moulding process as well the machinery helps entrepreneurs produce more number of products with more number of moulds on the same machinery leading to a higher product mix and thus a higher net profitability.
New product development at each stage of business bringing in numerous products would help entrepreneurs bring in more business. High value addition as well as high volume business would lead to a faster growth of this industry.
Widened knowledgebase of the plastic processing machinery, the new technologies both in case of imported and indigenous machinery brings in a widened horizon making it possible for both the polymer industry as well as the plastic processing industry to achieve a higher market penetration for the plastic products.
New products and new applications help this industry achieve a higher capacity utilization making it possible for the entrepreneurs and existing processors to fetch a better net profitability leading to increased number of machines.
Broadening knowledge base in the end use sector helps the mould makers in achieving a widened range of products leading to advancements in the machinery sector. Global trends in the machinery as well as the mould sector brings in more number of innovative new products.
The need arising out of the end use sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, packaging, automobiles and retail business would further gear the growth of the plastic processing machinery sector and thus a higher growth in the polymer and plastic industry.
Major Applications of Blow Moulded Products
Consumer goods :
* Packaging for vegetable oil, ghee
* Packaging for pharmaceuticals, over the counter products such as Chyavan Prash etc
* Water bottles, toys, houseware
* Container for cosmetics
* Fruit juices, milk products packaging.
* Detergent packaging
Industrial :
* Packaging of lubricants
* Brake fluid oils, greases
* Chemicals-pesticide/insecticide containers, large containers, jerry cans for transporting and storage
* Ball valves for toilet flushing
HDPE blow moulded containers provide the following advantages:
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Good stiffness |
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Good impact resistance and hence less breakage |
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Inert to most of the chemicals and hence better compatibility with materials to be packed |
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Greater rigidity which permits use of thinner walls thereby providing light weight low cost packaging |
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Low permeability to solvents thereby widening the scope of applications |
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Very good environmental stress crack resistance |
New Developments in blow moulding machinery |
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Zebra Line Blow Moulded kettle |
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2000 litre machine for water tanks |
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4 parison machine |
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In line mould labeling machine |
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2 colour machine |
One of the manufacturing process which involves innovative products with innovative product designs is that of blow moulding. Widening the horizon with the help of different types of moulds introducing newer products in this business would lead to a faster growth. Versatility of product and mould designers which has helped the Indian Industry in introducing new products is a mirror reflection of the dynamism of these designers.
Also, developments in machinery for ice box where the internal body and the external body of the ice box is manufactured on a single machine and a single mould and is cut in between separating both the internal body of ice box and the external body of ice box.
Productivity with multiple moulds is being met with multiparison machines such as 4 parison blow moulding machines. Product Design of 15 lt HDPE Edible oil containers could be modified by giving studs (elevation) on the top of the container and studs (depression) on the bottom of the previous container wherein both these containers could be locked for increasing the stackability of the products.
The constraint of stackability in HDPE Edible Oil Containers would now be overcome with the expertise of mould makers in the country.
Product Innovations as well as new developments in blow moulding machinery in the country would bring in more number of new entrants into this business contributing to the growth of Indian Industry. Amongst the new products which an entrepreneur should look at are Multilayer polyethylene blow moulded bottles for milk packaging. Also, multilayer bottles for food packaging (cold filled) based on LDPE or HDPE structure for mustard bottles, sauces, fruit juice bottles and multilayer bottles for industrial packaging based on HDPE structure for pesticide drums, agrochemicals bottles and drums, pharmaceutical bottles, chemical concentrates would make blow moulding industry more versatile. Multilayer PE bottles with this unbreakable plastic product would help handling of the packed contents at various stages easier.
Future with blow moulding is bright. High value additions in blow moulding industry needs to be looked by entrepreneurs. Also, high capacity leading to high volume business would bring in an Indian Industry with blow moulding as one of the major axis of the plastic processing industry. Leak proof products made out of blow moulding, a gain to the industry has gained importance in the plastic processing industry.
(Extracted from article by Ms Poorvi C. Desai, Sr. Manager, Business Development - Polymers, Reliance Industries Limited)
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