Extrusion Blow Moulding Machine Suppliers & Manufacturers

Extrusion blow moulding (EBM) is a plastic processing method for producing hollow containers and parts from thermoplastic materials (primarily HDPE, LDPE, PP, and PVC). The EBM process: a plastic extruder melts the polymer resin and forces it through a die head, forming a hollow tube of molten plastic (called a parison); a mould closes around the parison, pinching the bottom; compressed air is blown into the parison through the blow pin, inflating it to fill the mould cavity; the part cools in the mould; the mould opens and the finished part is ejected, with the flash (excess plastic at the pinch-off) trimmed. EBM produces a wide range of hollow containers: HDPE jerry cans (1–30 litres) — the largest single EBM application globally; fuel cans, chemical cans, water cans, and agricultural chemical containers; HDPE and PP drums (30–220 litres) — open-head drums (with removable lid) and closed-head (tight-head) drums for chemicals, lubricants, and food products; LDPE and HDPE bottles (100ml–5 litres) — household cleaning products, shampoo, fabric conditioner, automotive products; PP and HDPE industrial containers — pails, rectangular containers, specialty industrial parts; automotive fuel tanks and fluid reservoirs — a major EBM application using multi-layer co-extrusion with EVOH barrier; medical and pharmaceutical containers — HDPE bottles for pharmaceutical liquids; agricultural, horticultural, and food industry containers. EBM differs from injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM), which is used for PET bottles, in that the parison is extruded (not injection-moulded) and the container is formed in a single blow step without a separate preform. EBM produces heavier-wall, less optically clear containers than ISBM but is more versatile for complex shapes, large containers, and non-PET materials.

Extrusion blow moulding machines are available in continuous extrusion and accumulator head configurations, with single-layer and multi-layer co-extrusion options. Continuous extrusion EBM: the extruder continuously extrudes the parison; the mould moves up to capture the parison, close, blow, and cool, then opens and the finished part is removed; for small-to-medium containers where cycle time allows continuous extrusion; most common machine type for HDPE bottles, jerry cans, and small drums. Accumulator head EBM (large part blow moulding): for large containers (drums, automotive tanks, industrial parts); the extruder fills a large accumulator head reservoir with molten plastic; when a full shot is accumulated, a ram rapidly pushes the parison out of the die in one fast shot; enables large-volume parisons for large containers without the parison cooling before the mould closes. Co-extrusion EBM: multiple extruders feed different materials through a multi-layer die head, producing a multi-layer parison and container; used for HDPE/EVOH/HDPE containers (high barrier for chemicals, automotive), HDPE/recycled HDPE (to incorporate recycled content), and coloured/natural layer combinations. Key EBM machine suppliers: Graham Engineering (USA), Bekum (Germany), Kautex Maschinenbau (Germany), Jwell (China), Chen Way Machinery (Taiwan), RIKUTEC (Germany for industrial drums), and many Chinese manufacturers for standard HDPE bottle and jerry can machines. When sourcing, specify: plastic material (HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC), container dimensions (volume, height, diameter, neck finish), wall thickness, multi-layer or co-extrusion requirement, output (containers per hour), mould configuration (number of cavities), and any regulatory requirements (UN rating for chemical drums, food-grade certification).