Resin Dried Before Molding
PET takes up moisture from the air. The plant runs dryer and chiller units that condition resin before it reaches the machines.
Quality
How the plant is set up
A preform is an intermediate part - how it behaves on a blowing line depends on how the resin was dried, what it was molded on, and how it was handled afterwards.
The Setup
Four things the plant is built around
The equipment on site, and the deliberately narrow range we make - the two things that shape how consistent a preform can be.
A Servo-Driven Machine
Our newest machine, the Milacron Q-PET Servo 150, is servo-driven - the drive type chosen where shot weight has to repeat closely.
A Deliberately Narrow Range
We mold two neck finishes, Alaska and 26/22 short neck. A narrow range is a simpler thing to keep consistent than a wide one.
Straight Into Bulk Bags
Preforms come off the take-out conveyor and go into bulk bags in the finished-goods area - handled as little as possible on the way out.
The Part Itself
What a preform actually is
Three properties of the part - worth knowing when you are choosing a weight and a neck finish.
Preform weight sets wall thickness
A preform carries all the material the finished bottle will have. Its weight is what decides how thick the blown bottle wall ends up.
The neck is the sealing surface
The neck finish is molded, not blown - it leaves the preform in its final form and is the surface the cap seals against.
PET has to be dry before molding
PET takes up moisture from the air, and moisture left in the resin degrades the polymer during molding. Drying comes before every run.
Production Flow
How a preform moves through the plant
Resin comes in at one end and bagged preforms are loaded at the other.
Resin Intake & Drying
PET resin is dried before molding - dryer and chiller units on site condition it before it reaches the machines.
Injection Molding
Preforms are molded on our three PET machines - the Windsor Armour 150 and the two Milacron Q-PET systems.
Take-Out & Collection
Preforms leave the machine on take-out conveyors and are gathered at the collection tables beside each line.
Bulk Packing & Dispatch
Preforms are packed into bulk bags, held in the finished-goods area and loaded onto trucks for delivery.
Looking for PET preforms?
Tell us the neck finish, preform weight and monthly volume you need, and we'll come back with availability and a quote.