The plastic bottle manufacturing industry produces parts and products for a variety of markets, ranging from food and beverage to health and beauty to industrial consumables. As of 2019, it was estimated to be worth $39.03 billion and expected to grow to $50.19 billion by 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2% from 2020 to 2025. This growing popularity stems from their relative lightness, handling safety, and low cost compared to other bottle and container alternatives (e.g., glass), all of which help decrease operational cost and increase operational efficiency. Plastic bottles are available in numerous variations, differing in material, size, shape, and other design elements to suit different applications. Choosing which design is best suited for an application can be challenging. Fortunately, the experts at E2 Global are here to help. We are a packaging company and contract manufacturer of custom consumables, including custom plastic bottles and containers. If someone has a product, we can design, prototype, and produce packaging for it.
Plastic Bottle Manufacturing Process Methods
Once we’ve designed a custom bottle or container, we proceed with prototyping it to verify form, fit, and function and producing it in the desired production quantities. There are many methods of producing plastic bottles and containers. Two of the most common are extrusion blow molding and injection blow molding.
Extrusion Blow Molding
The extrusion blow molding process begins with the formation of a hollow tube (i.e., parison) by an extruder. The two halves of the mold are then closed around the tube, pinching off on end. Next, compressed air is directed into the tube, forcing it to expand and conform to the walls of the mold cavity. Once the material has sufficiently cooled, the mold is opened and the molded part is removed. Any excess plastic (i.e., flash) is removed and reprocessed for use in future molding operations. The wall distribution, thickness, and weight of the final container can be controlled by altering the programming of the parison and the tooling. By optimizing the programming, manufacturers can optimize the performance and production cost of the container.
Injection Blow Molding
The injection blow molding process consists of three main stages. The first stage involves melting the plastic material and injecting it into the mold cavity to create a preformed parison shaped like a test tube with a mold screw finish on top. In the second stage, air is blown into the parison, causing it to expand and conform to the walls of the mold cavity. Finally, the molded container is ejected from the mold in the third stage.
