Key words used in the blow moulding industry and on this website:

Blow Mould   Mould manufactured from steel or aluminium, from which bottles or other vessels or containers are blown.

Extrusion Blow Moulding Sometimes referred to as EBM, is a method of blow moulding bottles from a tube of molten polymer extruded through a pin & die.  Common materials moulded using this process are HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC & PETG.

Stretch Blow Moulding Sometimes referred to as SBM, ‘two stage’ or ‘re-heat’ blow moulding, is a method of blow moulding a bottle from an injection moulded preform.  The preform, having previously been injection moulded, is re-heated prior to being introduced the the blow mould cavity and inflated to form the desired bottle shape.

Injection Stretch Blow Moulding Abbreviated to ISBM or ‘single stage’, is a method of blow moulding bottles from raw PET granules, where-by the preform is injection moulded  and conditioned immediately before being introduced to the blow mould cavity to be ‘blown’.  Popular machine types are Nissei & AOKI.

Shell Mould Sometimes referred to as ‘PET Moulds’; a type of mould tool used predominantly in stretch blow moulding.  Now adopted by many machine manufacturers, e.g. Sidel, KHS, Krones, Side, Sipa, etc.  Round section aids speedy mould changes.

Extrusion Blow Mould Sometimes referred to as a ‘platen mould’: Type of mould used in extrusion blow moulding, sometimes referred to as a ‘platen’ mould.

Take Out Term used to describe the gripper arms that support/transport the blown bottle from the mould cavity to the trimming-de-flashing station on extrusion blow moulding machines.

Trimming / De-flashing Sometimes described as a mask or nest and punch; this is the process of removing any unwanted material from the blown bottle in EBM.

Blow Pin Device fitted to an extrusion blow moulding machine,which is introduced to the molten polymer, through which air passes to the un-blown bottle to inflate it to the cavity shape.

Extrusion Pins & Dies Sometimes referred to as ‘head tooling’; devices fitted to the blow moulding machine, through which molten polymer passes prior to being introduced to the mould cavity and ‘blown’ into a bottle.

Outfeed Term used to describe the components on a PET blow moulding machine that transfer the blown bottle from the mould to the airveyor.  Individual components include; star wheels and guide rails

Bottle Dependant Change Parts Components on a PET stretch blow moulding machine that are specific to each bottle being blown, items include; stretch rods, stretch-rod stops, star wheel and guide rail.

Preform Injection moulded test-tube-like component which is re-heated and blown into a PET bottle.

Petaloid Base Type of base profile found on CSD (carbonated soft drinks) and sparkling water bottles – usually has five ‘feet’ and is specific to PET.

Champagne Base Type of base profile found on non-carbonated drinks bottles and cordials – specific to PET.

Blow Wheel Rotary PET blow moulding machine, such as those made by Sidel and KHS.

PET Polyethylene Terephthalate: Has good barrier properties against oxygen and carbon dioxide and is widely used in the production of bottles for carbonated soft drinks and water.  It is also very clear and ‘glass-like’ in appearance.

HDPE High Density PolyEthylene: High density version of  PE, is wax-like in appearance in its ‘natural’ colour, but pigment can be added to it to produce almost any colour desired.  It is flexible and opaque – widely used for the production of personal care products (shampoo, etc) and household goods (detergents, bleach, etc).

Sidel Two stage (SBM) PET blow moulding machine manufacturer.

Bekum Extrusion blow moulding machine manufacturer.