Plastics Workshops and Seminars
Blow Molding
Instructor: Norman Lee
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Designers, process engineers, applications engineers, and others can benefit from this two-day, hands-on workshop that introduces the student to the world of blow molding. Anyone who is interested in blow molding or just getting started in the blow molding industry can gain an understanding that will enable them to be effective when working with both processors and engineers. Novice staff can benefit from this workshop also.
EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
The core of this intense workshop is to provide participants with an understanding of plastic blow molding materials, the types of blow molding processes and machines, the basic principles of the design of a blow-molded part, and the application of this knowledge to bottles. The end result is a practical knowledge of the fundamentals of blow molding. This workshop features classroom instruction as well as hands-on laboratory exercises.
WORKSHOP OUTLINE:
1. The Basics of Blow Molding
- Polymer materials
- Polymers
2. Material Testing
- Understanding the specs from the material supplier
- Short term tests vs. long term tests
3. The Blow Molding Process
- Extrusion blow molding
- Basic process
- Types
- Machines
- Heads and head tooling
- Injection blow molding
- Stretch blow molding
4. Extrusion Blow Molds
- Features
- Mold materials
- Cooling
- Blowing pins/needles
- Pinch-off
5. Injection Blow Molds
- Preform
- Cavity
- Neck-ring insert
- Core-rod assembly
6. Basic Design Considerations
- Blow ratio
- Guideline for radii
- Draft of part
- Layout
7. Computer-Aided-Engineering Analysis
- Modeling
- Simulation
8. Laboratory Exercises