Table of Contents

1. Extrusion Blow Molding......................................................................................................1

1.1 General Description.........................................................................................................1
1.2 Material Used for EBM....................................................................................................1
1.3 Procedure..........................................................................................................................2
1.4 Products............................................................................................................................2
1.5 Advantages.......................................................................................................................2
1.6 Disadvantages..................................................................................................................2
1.7 Applications.....................................................................................................................3

References...............................................................................................................................3
 1. Extrusion Blow Molding
1.1 General Description:
Blow molding is a manufacturing process by which hollow plastic parts are formed. In
extrusion blow molding, an extruder uses a rotating screw to force the molten plastic
through a die head that forms the parison around a blow pin. The parison is extruded
vertically between the two open mold halves, so they can close on the parison and blow
pin. Pressurized air flows through the blow pin to inflate the parison.

Fig.1 Process Representation of Extrusion Blow Molding [2011, Varahii Consultancy Pvt Ltd]

1.2 Material Used for EBM:

The materials used in the lab for the preparation of extrusion blow molding is polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) .The materials that can be used other than lab are following;

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
Polyethylene Terephtalate (PET)
Polypropylene (PP) [Sylvia, Materials Engineering, 1995]

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1.3 Procedure:
The extrusion blow molding includes the four basic steps;

Extrusion of parison.
Parison is pinches at the top and sealed at the bottom around a metal blow pin as the
two halves of the mold come together.
The tube is inflated so that it takes the shape of the mold cavity.
Mold is opened to remove the solidified part. [Norman ,2008]

1.4 Products:
The major products which can be obtained from extrusion blow molding are;

Mostly polyethylene hollow products

Milk bottles
Shampoo bottles
Automotive ducting
Watering cans
Hollow industrial parts such as drums [Crosby, 1981]

Fig.2 Products of Extrusion Blow Molding [2001, Carton and Pallet, ISO9001]

1.5 Advantages:
Advantages of extrusion blow molding include;

Fast production rate

Low tool and die cost
Ability to mold complex part
Excellent ESCR (environmental stress crack resistance) [John Vogler, 1984]

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1.6 Disadvantages:
Disadvantages of extrusion blow molding include;

A high scrap rate

Limited to hollow parts
A limited control over wall thickness
Difficulty of trimming away excess plastic [John Vogler, 1984]

1.7 Applications:
The most important blow-molded plastic components, such as those in air intake
systems on supercharged engines or other media lines and hollow components, can be
divided up into the following functional areas;

Good chemical resistance (such as to blow-by gases)

Excellent heat aging behavior
Good barrier properties
High-viscosity grades that are easy to process
Wide range from exceptionally soft to high stiffness [Norman ,1990]

References:
SYLVIA KATZ (August 1995), Materials World, Vol. pp. 377-78.

NORMAN (2008), Blow Molding Design Guide (2nd ed.), Hanser-Gardner Publications.

CROSBY NT (1981), Plastic Materials, Aspects of analysis and migration of

contaminants, Applied Science Publishers Ltd, London.

JOHN VOGLER (1984), Small Scale Recycling of Plastics, Intermediate Technology

Publication. pp. 67.

NORMAN (1990), Plastic Blow Molding Handbook, Van Nostrand Reinhold.

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