Factors Affecting the Performance of Iron Barrels

During the moulding process of iron barrels, numerous factors influence their performance, with the most significant being blowing pressure, hydraulic system pressure, processing temperature, and extruder screw speed.

1. Processing Temperature: The processing temperature for bottle-shaped blow-moulded products primarily relates to the characteristics of the plastic raw material and equipment used. Typically, small to medium-sized barrel-shaped blow-moulded products commonly employ HDPE with good flow properties or HDPE-LDPE blends, with processing temperatures ranging between 130–180°C. A minority of materials may require processing temperatures exceeding 180°C. Temperature settings are progressively increased from the extruder feed inlet to facilitate normal processing and moulding.

2. Extruder screw speed: Medium-sized hollow moulding machines feature smaller extruder screw diameters, allowing relatively higher screw speeds. Speed adjustment should be tailored to the characteristics of both the steel drum product and the extruder screw, with screw speeds controlled between 10 and 70 r/min.

3. Hydraulic system pressure: For iron drums, the pressure of the hydraulic system in small-to-medium hollow moulding machines is adjusted between 8 and 14 MPa. This is primarily regulated according to the moulding characteristics of the blow-moulded products. Provided the blow-moulded products are formed satisfactorily, the hydraulic system pressure can be adjusted to operate at a lower pressure state. This facilitates energy conservation and extends the service life of the hollow moulding machine.