Getting Your Krones and Sidel Blow Molders Back in Gear
If you’re running PET stretch blow molding, you already know the deal. You need that infrared energy to hit the preforms just right—hot enough to soften the plastic, but not so hot that you start scorching it. For those of you using Krones Contiform S, the SBO series, or the newer Matrix lines, the heating lamps are basically the “consumables” of the operation. They wear out. It’s just part of the job. We make replacement lamps that slide right into those machines. No hacking the oven housing, no “making it work” with duct tape and prayers. They just fit. It’s more than just wattage Here’s the thing: you can’t just throw any lamp in there. It’s all about the spectral output. We obsess over the filaments to make sure the wavelength matches exactly what your Krones or Sidel system expects. If the length is off by even a couple of millimeters, you’re looking at uneven heating—or worse, a lamp that won’t even seat in the socket. To stop them from popping under the constant heat-and-cool cycle, we use high-purity quartz glass. It’s tough. No fuss installation We spent a lot of time on the connectors. Whether you’re dealing with an R7s or a specialized SK15, the connection needs to be tight. A loose fit leads to arcing, and once your socket starts failing, you’ve got a real headache on your hands. Our lamps are true drop-ins. You pull the old tube out, slide ours in, and wire it up. Done. It makes upgrading from an old SBO setup to a Matrix configuration way less stressful because you don’t need a bag full of custom adapters. A quick word on the trade-offs You might be tempted to go with higher wattage to push the machine faster. Sure, that increases your heat density. But be careful. If you’re cranking up the wattage just to make up for a dirty, failing reflector, you’re just killing your filaments faster and putting your cooling blowers under way too much stress. Keep those reflectors clean. It’s the easiest way to make your quartz lamps last longer.