PET Preform Mold

Zhenke Thin Wall Mold: Your Professional PET Preform Mold Manufacturer!

Taizhou Zhenke Thin Wall Mold Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer specializing in the production of thin-wall molds, PET preform molds, and packaging molds for medical and high-end daily chemicals. Our company currently has more than 40 senior technical personnel and is a young and dynamic technology-based factory. We provide customers with comprehensive services such as product processing solutions, technical guidance, and after-sales maintenance.

Our Advantages

Advanced Processing Equipment

Zhenke Mold currently has more than 20 sets of various mold steel processing equipment such as CNC machine tools. Mold assembly machines can replace manual assembly of large molds, thereby improving mold quality.

Strict Quality Inspection

We use 7 injection molding machines of various sizes to conduct mold trials to check whether the mold is running well. We will be responsible for any quality issues.

High Return on Investment

The molds we produce adopt a needle valve hot runner system, which helps to accurately control the flow of melt, providing customers with higher production efficiency and lower production costs.

Wide Range of Services

Our company has more than five years of experience in mold design and production. Since its birth, it has provided products and services to more than 30 countries and regions around the world and has more than 100 partners.

Introduction to PET Preform Mold

The PET plastic preform molds serve as the backbone of the entire preform production process. These molds are engineered with Thin Wall to produce identical preforms that meet industry standards in terms of weight, dimensions, and design. By design, these molds can handle a wide range of preform sizes and shapes.

Advantages of Using PET Preform Mold for Production

Mass Production
Plastic injection molding is one of the fastest production processes in the world, lending itself well to mass production. An injection molding cycle with PET Preform Mold typically takes less than a minute and can sometimes only be a few seconds! Combine the quick cycle time with the fact that each cycle can produce multiple parts, and the output can be quite significant.

Low Waste
Unlike CNC machining, which cuts away plastic from a large block or sheet, plastic injection molding produces of PET Preform Mold very little waste material. For CNC machining, you might start out with a 100g block of plastic but by the end of the manufacturing process, you could be left with a final product that only weighs a few grams. Plastic injection molding is more efficient. Out of 100g of original plastic material, only 20g becomes waste on average.

Complex Parts
Products made using the plastic injection molding process can be intricate, which can cut down on the number of separate parts needed to make a single object, further shaving down overall production time. By adding features such as unscrewing fixtures and core pulls, you can create parts with threads or side holes, eliminating secondary operations required when using other manufacturing processes. You can even mold your design or company’s brand right onto the part during the manufacturing process.

Low Cost (In the Long Run)
Since plastic injection molding with PET Preform Mold wastes less material than other types of plastic manufacturing like CNC machining, it is a less expensive process. Plus, plastic is cheaper than other materials like metal and rubber. Recycling is another cost-saving feature of injection molding. You can recycle any leftover plastic that isn’t part of the final product by grinding it up. This by-product of the process is called “re-grind.” If you have enough regrind, it can be mixed with virgin material and used in the process. It can also be sold to a factory that manufactures plastic parts with low cosmetic requirements, making the overall process even more affordable. Once you pay for the initial cost of the mold, the labor costs are low to operate it. Over time, the PET Preform Mold’s high production rate will pay for some, if not all of itself.

Consistent Quality
Plastic injection molding with PET Preform Mold is a highly repeatable process. With an injection molding machine, you can produce thousands of plastic products in just one day, and they will all be of similar quality. Pending proper mold design, material selection, and product design, the rejection rate for injection molding can be lower than one percent. If consistency is important for your brand or project, plastic injection molding is an ideal manufacturing method.

Application of PET Preform Mold

Bottled Water
PET preform molds are extensively used in the production of preforms for bottled water. These preforms are later heated and stretched to form the final shape of the water bottles.

Carbonated Soft Drinks
PET preform molds are used to manufacture preforms for carbonated soft drink bottles. The preforms are then processed further to create the bottles used for carbonated beverages like soda and sparkling water.

Juices and Beverages
PET preform molds find application in the production of preforms for juice bottles and other non-carbonated beverages. These preforms are later transformed into the final bottle shape for packaging the beverages.

Edible Oil and Cooking Oil
PET preform molds are utilized in the manufacturing of preforms for edible oil and cooking oil bottles. The preforms are subsequently processed to create bottles that are suitable for storing and dispensing oils.

Shampoo Bottles
Preforms are transformed into bottles used for packaging shampoos, conditioners, and other hair care products.

Medicine Bottles
Preforms are transformed into bottles for packaging liquid medicines, cough syrups, and other pharmaceutical liquids.

Materials Suitable for PET Preform Mold

You’ll most often see thermoplastics in plastic pellet form for injection molding purposes. You can mix plastic pellets with colorants, recycled material, and even glitter or other specialty additives.

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Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
ABS is a rigid and lightweight material. It’s a very popular material to use for plastic injection molding. Did you know that LEGO bricks are made out of ABS?

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Polycarbonates
Polycarbonates are transparent thermoplastics. They are impact-resistant and can withstand high levels of plastic deformation without breaking or cracking. Manufacturers often use this type of thermoplastic for eyewear lenses, medical devices, and mobile devices. You can even use it to make bullet-proof glass!

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Polypropylene
Polypropylene is a flexible material. It also has good chemical resistance and does not leach into food products, making it an ideal choice if you want to manufacture food containers or eating utensils.

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Polyethylene
Polyethylene is one of the most versatile plastics to use for injection molding. Polytheylene’s high ductility, tensile strength, impact resistance, low moisture absorption, and recyclability make it an ideal material for plastic containers and bags.

PET Preform Mould Designs

Typically, to fulfill the requirements for designing a PET preform Mould for production, a preform mold must have functional strength, possess sales appeal, be competitively priced, and fulfill practical characteristics. It is important to design a preform mould so that the most appropriate steel and processes will be utilized to make it economically feasible for the manufacturer to manufacture the PET preforms.

Cooling Channel Set-up
An especially designed set-up of water cooling channels combined with special finishing reduced the overall cycle time. Each particular water channel was specially processed to minimize the chance of jamming.

Correction Technique for Core off-Centered
It is possible to make a difference in preform’s wall thickness of less than 0.006 mm by utilizing the Off-Center Correction Technique. The application of this system does not affect the longevity of the PET mould throughout its useful life.

Pin-Valve System
Using a Pin-valve type of Hot Runner System for the PET preform mold, this type of Hot Runner System is effective in reducing processing times, reducing part wear & tear and lowering gate trim costs, and at the same time cutting electricity consumption.

Coil Heating
The Dual Heating and Cooling system can ensure that the result of heating and cooling is excellent and quality control is reliable. Heat coils keep the nozzles at a constant temperature through the full cycle time. Moreover, the Heater System is utilized to increase the hot-runner plate’s heating capacity with long life and effectiveness. We imported the heating band for the preform mould from Germany.

Technique of Self-Locking
Our PET preform mould incorporates world state-of-the-art bi-axis insert alignment and self-lock system in line with global best practices.

Injection Molding Process of PET Preform Mold

Mold Cavity Creation

The process begins with the design of a mold cavity, which represents the desired shape of the PET preform. These cavities are typically made from high-grade steel to withstand the stress and high temperatures of the injection molding process.

Plastic Resin Injection

Small pellets of PET resin are fed into the injection molding machine's hopper. The pellets are heated and melted, forming a molten plastic material.

Injection into the Mold

The molten plastic is then injected into the mold cavity under high pressure. This ensures that the material flows into every nook and cranny of the cavity, creating a precise and uniform preform shape.

Cooling and Solidification

After injection, the mold with the molten plastic is allowed to cool and solidify. Cooling time is carefully controlled to achieve optimal results.

Ejection

Once the preform has solidified, the mold is opened, and ejector pins push the preform out of the cavity.

Manufacturing Process of PET Preform Mold

Designing
Reputable mold makers use the latest CAD software. This program lets plastic mold engineers visualize, test, and change designs—all with a few clicks. Take the opportunity to try to lower the tooling costs in the design phases. Even the smallest details can have a dramatic impact. Remember, changing a design is easy and inexpensive, but changing a physical object may cost you dearly.

Prototyping
Unless your mold is super basic, prototyping the mold is the best practice. Otherwise, you might spend six figures on a mold that doesn’t meet your requirements! 3D printers work well in the prototyping phase because using them doesn’t cost too much. Depending on the part’s design, polymer casting, machining, or fabricating might be appropriate too.

Tooling
Tooling is the final step in the mold building process. During this step, engineers transform the design into a finished product. A good plastic injection mold manufacturer will have an in-house tool room with a wide range of tooling materials and machines available to them.

Testing
Despite the best design, prototyping, and tooling efforts, never skip the testing phase. This is an opportunity to check important factors like the finished surface of the plastic part and how the runner separates from the part. Use the testing phase to make minor changes to your mold to ensure long-term performance.

Our Factory

Zhenke Mold is a company that can manufacture Thin Wall molds and has many years of experience in mold design and production. 23,000 square meters of construction area and advanced equipment enable our factory to quickly create value for customers.

Ultimate FAQ Guide to PET Preform Mold

Q: What are PET Plastic Preforms?

A: These preforms, which are made of PET resin, are created through the injection molding process and resemble miniature bottles, complete with threaded necks and closed bottoms. These preforms are heated and stretched during the blow molding process to create the final PET bottles.

Q: What are the design considerations for PET Preform Molds?

A: Wall Thickness
The wall thickness of the preform must be uniform to ensure consistent quality and minimize defects during the blow molding process.
Gate Design
The gate is the entry point for the molten plastic into the mold cavity. Proper gate design is critical for ensuring minimal waste, smooth filling, and easy removal of the preform.
Cooling System
An efficient cooling system is essential to regulate the cooling process and maintain a consistent cycle time.
Ejection Mechanism
The ejection system must be designed to gently remove the preform from the mold without causing any damage.

Q: What is the use of PET preform?

A: It is normally manufactured using a mould on an injection system, which is subsequently blown into a container for edible or non-edible liquids (water, soft drinks, milk, alcohol, oils, detergents, personal care) on a blowmoulding system.

Q: Why are plastic injection molds so expensive?

A: Injection molds are subject to thousands of pounds of pressure every cycle. As a result, the molds must be made from very strong materials that can withstand repeated use without deforming. The most common choice for injection molds is steel, with the grade of steel determined by the number of parts to be produced and the material to be injected into the mold.

Q: CNC Machining vs. Injection Molding: what is the difference?

A: While injection molding has a high upfront cost for the molds, at a certain volume injected parts do become cheaper than machined parts. This crossover can occur from as little as 100 parts up to about 5000, depending on the part. But there are still several scenarios in which CNC machining is a better choice than injection molding.
Speed
Creating an injection mold can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. When you need parts fast, CNC machining is the perfect solution.
Better Tolerances
When you need tight tolerances, nothing beats plastic machining. We excel at producing plastic parts with tolerances of +/- .001”.
Material Selection
Not all plastic materials can be injection molded, limiting your selection of materials. CNC machining offers a much greater selection of materials, including high performance and specialty plastics.
Design Flexibility
Design features that would be difficult or cost prohibitive in injection molding are easily accommodated with plastic machining. It is also easy to modify a design with machining, allowing you to offer customized parts that meet the specific needs of your clients.

Q: What is the use of waste generated by PET Preform Mold?

A: The scrap produced from the injection molding process can be recycled back into the manufacturing process. For manufacturing purposes, post-industrial scrap can be shredded and fed back into the injection molding machine or the plastic melted into pellets for reuse.

Q: What products are made from injection molding?

A: Manufacturers all over the world use injection molding to mass-produce all kinds of goods. You can use injection molding machines to make anything from a large object like a garbage can to a small object like a mobile phone case. The most widespread use of plastic injection molding is to make non-consumer parts used in situations where visual appeal doesn’t matter—like mechanical parts—because the injection molding process often leaves impurities behind on the plastic part.

Q: What are the steps in injection molding?

A: The injection molding process has four main steps:
Step 1: Melt the material to a molten state
Step 2: Injection the molten material into the mold
Step 3: Allow the molten material to cool to a solid state inside the mold
Step 4: Remove the cooled part from the mold

Q: What is the biggest advantage of using injection molding?

A: Injection molding has many advantages when compared to other manufacturing processes to create parts or components for a product. It is most often used for mass-production processes where the same part is reproduced over and over. Some parts may be produced in quantities of a thousand, while some may be replicated a million times over the course of the injection mold’s life. One of the major advantages of choosing injection molding as your primary manufacturing process is that you can produce a large quantity of parts for a low cost. The tooling will be the largest investment of the project, but you have the ability to scale the project as needed, whether that is more or less parts in a short amount of time.

Q: How to selection the right PET preform injection molding machine?

A: Since PET has a short stable time around the melting point and high melting point, it is necessary to choose an injection molding system with more temperature control sections and less self-friction heat generation during plasticization, and the actual weight of the product (including PET preforms` tails) cannot be less than the machine injection 2/3 of the amount.

Q: What is the gate design of PET Preform Mold?

A: PET preforms are generally molded by hot runner molds. It is better to have a heat shield between the PET preform mold and the PET injection molding machine platens. The thickness of which is about 12mm, and the heat shield must be able to withstand high pressure. The exhaust must be sufficient to avoid local overheating or chipping, but the depth of the exhaust port should generally not exceed 0.03mm, otherwise it is easy to produce flash.

Q: What is the PET preform injection molding temperature?

A: The PET injection molding temperature is about the melting temperature mostly. It is set with the injection molding machine nozzle temperature or by the main runner temperature of the PET preform mold. The temperature range is normally from 270 to 295℃, and the enhanced GF-PET can be set at 290-315℃.

Q: What is the function of the hot runner system in a PET preform mold?

A: The hot runner system ensures the controlled flow of molten PET material into the mold cavities, minimizing waste and improving production efficiency.

Q: What is the injection speed of PET Preform Mold?

A: Normally, we prefer to have a high injection speed to prevent premature solidification during the injection process. But it will cause too big molecular stress and the preform will be whitened and getting fragile if the injection speed is too fast. Just make sure the injection time within 4 seconds should be good.

Q: What treatment should be done on the raw materials before using PET Preform Mold for production?

A: Because PET macromolecules contain fat bases and have certain hydrophilicity, pellets are more sensitive to water at high temperatures. When the moisture content exceeds the limit, the molecular weight of PET decreases during processing, and the product becomes colored and brittle. Because of this, the materials must be dried before processing. The drying temperature is 150°C for more than 4 hours, generally 170°C for 3-4 hours. The air shot method can be used to check whether the material is completely dry. The proportion of recycled materials should generally not exceed 20%, and the recycled materials must be thoroughly dried.

Q: What are PET preforms made of?

A: Preforms are manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), so they are called PET preforms. They are produced by injection molding process on equipment. Preform weight depends on the end container's desired volume.

Q: How are PET preform molds made?

A: PET preform molds are typically made of high-quality steel, using Thin Wall machining techniques such as CNC milling and EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining).

Q: Why do you need to maintain PET Preform Mold?

A: To ensure that the plastic mold can produce qualified plastic parts stably and reliably, it is necessary to keep the PET mold in good working condition. When the PET injection mold is working, it is impossible to always be in good working condition. There will always be one or another situation, such as the guide post, the action block caused by the lack of oil in the guide sleeve, and the action deformation caused by loose fasteners, etc. These small problems will cause damage to the product, and timely maintenance will overcome these small defects and keep the mold in good working condition.

Q: Why does the PET Preform crack in the gate part?

A: The occurrence of this kind of situation is basically caused by the gate being inverted and the gate area being too hot, in addition, the hot runner and gate's different heart will also lead to this situation. When the sprue area is too hot, you should strengthen the heat insulation of the sprue. In addition, modifying the mold and gate can solve this problem.

Q: Why is the PET Preform bent after demoulding?

A: The eccentricity of the gate hole and uneven cooling will lead to the bending of the bottle embryo after demoulding. Solution: When this happens, some measures need to be taken. When the sprue hole is eccentric, the mold can be corrected. In addition, reducing the holding pressure, increasing the injection rate, extending the cooling, cleaning the waterway, and increasing the cooling water pressure can solve the bending phenomenon.

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