Bottling / Preforms
Preforms are the product of Injection Molding. In 2003, Pacific Allied Products teamed up with Husky, the leader in the preform manufacturing equipment industry, and installed two HyPet Preform Injection Molding Systems to meet the growing demand of our customers. Having these two Husky HyPet Systems allows us to produce preforms efficiently and with low energy consumption. All components of these state-of-the-art systems, which include a hot runner, mold, robot and post-mold cooling tool, are specifically designed to work together as a fully integrated work cell to achieve the highest level of productivity and quality.
STEP 1
RESIN DRYING
Preforms are made from raw material resin beads. The material is shipped from overseas and loaded into our 540 cubic feet resin silo. The resin, which naturally absorbs atmospheric humidity, must be put through a drying and dehumidification process before it’s used. From the silo, resin flows to our industrial dryers that sit above our HyPet Systems. It is here where the resin is heated and dried at a temperature of 170°F.
STEP 2
PLASTICIZATION
Once dried, the resin is routed through a screw in the HyPet injection chamber. During this phase, the resin is heated to a temperature of about 285°F, taking it from a solid state to a liquid state. It is at this stage where dye may be introduced to the material. The color and amount of dye introduced will determine the color and shade of the final product preform.
STEP 3
INJECTION MOLDING
Now in liquid state, plastic is conveyed by the rotating screw into an injection chamber to fill every cavity of the mold. Our HyPet Systems have a total of 32 cavities on each mold. When the mold is closed, the molten plastic is injected into the cavities where it will solidify and form. The temperatures of the cavities are cooled by a system that allows the plastic to solidify before being ejected from the mold through a system of extractors.
STEP 4
COOLING
The solidification process ends when the preforms are ejected from the mold by a cooled automated gripping system called a CoolPik. The rapid cooling system is necessary to give the plastic its transparent properties.
STEP 5
PACKAGING
Once the cooling cycle is complete, the preforms are deposited onto conveyor belts and sent into large corrugated or plastic bins. These bins are sealed and labeled before finally being stored in our warehouse. Preforms are staged for in-house usage.
