Getting Your PET Heating Right: Sidel SBO and Krones Contiform IR Lamps
If you’re running a Sidel SBO 4/6 or a Krones Contiform, you already know the drill. Everything depends on those infrared lamps. If the preforms don’t soften just right, you’re looking at uneven walls or, worse, a pile of scrap. But let’s be honest: OEM parts are expensive. Really expensive. You want a replacement that drops right in and does the job—matching that original heat flux—without breaking your maintenance budget. The Voltage Trap Here is the thing about these high-wattage short-wave lamps. They’re picky. Whether your setup runs on 230V or 400V, you have to hit that number exactly. If you get it wrong? One of two things happens. Either the preforms stay too cold, or you’ll hear a pop and watch the filament burn out almost instantly. It’s not a “close enough” kind of situation. You need the right power density to punch through the PET quickly so you can keep those cycle times fast. Glass and Connections We use heavy-wall quartz glass for a reason. These lamps go from ice-cold to scorching in a heartbeat, and cheap glass just can’t handle that kind of thermal shock. It would shatter. Then there are the connectors—usually R7s or Sk15. They aren’t just about fitting into the slot. They’re built to handle high current without arcing. Plus, some of our lamps have a special coating. Instead of wasting heat by warming up the oven walls, it pushes the energy directly into the preform. It’s just smarter. A Word of Caution on Speed Swapping these in is easy. They fit the same footprint and plug into your existing sockets. No fuss. But here is a heads-up: if you decide to crank up the heat to squeeze out more production speed, keep an eye on your cooling blow-molds. When you push the lamps to their limit, the oven gallery gets a lot hotter. If your chiller isn’t up to the task, you might start seeing preform deformation. Balance is everything.