Blow Molding

PET Technologies APF-Max3U offers greater speed

April 23, 2024

Its near-infrared heating and air-recovery systems reduce the blow molding machine's energy needs.

The APF Max-3U blow molding machine from PET Technologies offers energy efficiency.

APF-Max 3U This PET Technologies stretch blow molding machine can be used to produce bottles with capacities from 0.1 liter to 8 liters. Such bottles can be asymmetrical, returnable or refillable; made from color or glass-like PET or 100 percent recycled PET; or designed for hot-fill processes. The machine also can make cylindrical bottles at high speeds.

What’s new? The blow molding machine, making its debut at NPE. The APF-Max3U is the first of PET Technologies’ machines that’s compatible with rotary blow molds — a significant advantage for converters.

Benefits Flexibility, energy efficiency and speed. The fully electric APF-Max3U is equipped with a near-infrared (NIR) heating system, so it heats up more quickly than machines with conventional infrared systems. This allows it to operate with a relatively smaller heater, reducing its footprint and energy needs. In addition to the energy savings generated by the NIR system, the APF-Max3U's two-step air-recovery system also provides efficiency. The system recovers air after the main blowing action and sends it to the control system. The machine can use the air for the pre-blowing of the next bottle or for control in the filling line.

PET Technologies GmbH, Neunkirchen, Austria, 347-897-9300, www.pet-eu.com

Vital Statistics

Machine dimensions	20.2 feet by 10 feet by 9.6 feet
Weight	13,669 pounds
Blowing pressure	Up to 580 pounds per square inch
Number of possible cavities	1, 2 or 3
Possible preform neck diameters	18mm– 48mm
Maximum throughput	5,400 bottles per hour
Products that can be contained in bottles produced by the machine	Water, carbonated beverages, beer, milk and dairy products, household and automotive products

About the Author

Karen Hanna | Senior Staff Reporter

Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.