The Insider’s Guide to the HDPE Drum Manufacturing Process & Industrial Jerry Cans

The Industrial Packaging Landscape

If you are looking to master the HDPE drum manufacturing process and stop purchasing from third-party suppliers, you are in the right place.

In the logistics of packaging, volume is the enemy. A truckload of empty 20-liter jerry cans hits its volume limit long before it hits its weight limit. This means a significant portion of your purchasing budget is consumed not by the plastic resin or the container itself, but by the diesel fuel required to transport hollow shapes from a supplier’s factory to your filling line.

This guide is written for Growth-Stage CPG Brands e Established OEM Packaging Factories who have realized that bringing blow molding in-house is no longer just an operational detail—it is a strategic necessity to protect margins and secure the supply chain.

The Shift to In-House Manufacturing

In recent years, we have seen a massive shift in how chemical, automotive, and industrial brands approach their packaging. The old model of relying on outside factories is breaking down. We hear the same pain points repeatedly: “My current bottle supplier is too expensive,” or “I’m worried about my supply chain; I have no control over production.”

By installing your own Moldagem por extrusão e sopro (EBM) line, you flip the economics. You stop buying volume and start buying raw resin. You gain the ability to produce on demand, eliminating the need for massive warehousing of empty containers. More importantly, you take control of your qualidade, ensuring that the container holding your valuable product meets your specific standards for strength and finish.

Defining the Scope: Why HDPE and Why EBM?

Before we discuss machinery, we must define the material and the process. In the world of plastic containers, there are two dominant technologies:

1. Moldagem por sopro com estiramento (SBM): This is used primarily for PET containers, such as water bottles and edible oil jars. While PET is excellent for clarity and speed—like our Série AQUA which is optimized for high-speed beverage production—it is rarely the right choice for industrial chemicals.
2. Moldagem por extrusão e sopro (EBM): This is the industry standard for industrial packaging. EBM processes High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), a material known for its superior chemical resistance, impact strength, and durability.

If your product is a heavy-duty lubricant, a corrosive chemical, or requires a container that can survive a drop test when fully loaded, you need HDPE. Therefore, this guide focuses strictly on Máquinas de moldagem por extrusão e sopro.

The “Product” Spectrum: Jerry Cans vs. Industrial Drums

Not all Máquinas EBM are created equal. The most critical error buyers make is trying to force one machine to do every job. To select the right equipment, we categorize industrial packaging into two distinct tiers based on volume and parceiro de fabricação difficulty.

1. The Jerry Can (1L – 25L)

These are the workhorses of the packaging world. They include automotive oil jugs, detergent bottles, and stackable square chemical containers (jerry cans).

• The Challenge: These containers often require handles and complex shapes. The production focus here is on versatility and flexibility.
• The Machine Class: For this range, we utilize continuous extrusion machines, like our Série FORMA. Estas machines are engineered to efficiently craft everything from small bottles to medium-sized jerry cans. They offer the agility to switch between different molds and bottle weights quickly.

2. The Industrial Drum (30L – 200L+)

This category represents the heavyweights: L-Ring drums, large floaters, and open-top barrels.

• The Challenge: These containers hold massive weight. A 200L drum full of liquid is a heavy, dangerous object. The container walls must be thick, uniform, and incredibly strong to prevent catastrophic failure.
• The Machine Class: You cannot simply scale up a small machine for this. You need a machine synonymous with strength and scale, designed specifically for large-capacity, high-strength industrial-grade containers. This is where the Série TITAN dominates, delivering the unparalleled clamping force and parison control required for heavy-duty blow molding.

Understanding where your product falls on this spectrum—FORMA territory (1L–25L) or TITAN territory (30L–200L+)—is the first step in ensuring your parceiro de fabricação line is profitable from day one. With the product landscape defined, we must next examine the unique physics involved in shaping these containers.

The EBM Process (Specific to Square Containers)

To the uninitiated, moldagem por sopro sounds deceptively simple: you melt plastic, put it in a mold, and inflate it like a balloon.

However, if you are reading this, you aren’t trying to make a simple round balloon. You are likely trying to manufacture a Galão or a Square Drum. This changes the physics entirely. In this section, we will strip away the marketing fluff and look at the engineering reality of producing industrial square containers using High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

The Parison Challenge: Round Peg, Square Hole

The fundamental challenge in manufacturing jerry cans is geometric. The machine o extrusa a comparação—a hot, hollow tube of plastic—which is perfectly round. Your mold, however, is square or rectangular.

When the mold closes around that round tube and air is injected, the plastic has to travel different distances to reach the mold walls. The plastic reaching the center of the flat panel travels a short distance. The plastic reaching the corners must stretch significantly further.

Without precise control, this physics problem results in a container with paper-thin, weak corners (which fail drop tests) and excessively thick, heavy panels (which waste resin). This is why a standard, low-tech machine might produce a 20L drum that weighs 1.2kg, while a precision machine can produce the same strength at 1.0kg. Over a year of production, that 200g difference per cycle is a massive financial loss.

The 5 Critical Manufacturing Steps

To control this process, an Moldagem por extrusão e sopro (EBM) machine executes five distinct steps. Understanding these will help you troubleshoot quality issues later.

1. Extrusion & Parison Formation

The process begins with the extruder unit. Here, HDPE granules are melted and homogenized. The qualidade of the “melt” is non-negotiable. If the temperature is inconsistent, the parison will swing or sag.

• Engineering Note: Look at the L/D Ratio (Length-to-Diameter) of the screw. A standard ratio like 25:1 (found on our FORMA e TITAN series) ensures the plastic is thoroughly mixed and plasticized before it exits the head.

2. Clamping (The Force Factor)

Once the parison drops, the mold closes around it. This is where Clamping Force becomes critical. When you moldagem por air at 6–8 bar pressure into a large container, the internal surface area creates a massive force trying to blow the mold open.

• If your machine’s clamping force is too weak, the mold will “breathe” (crack open slightly).
• This creates Flash—excess plastic leaking out the parting line. Flash requires manual trimming (labor cost) and ruins the container’s finish.
• Série TITAN machines are engineered specifically to counteract this, providing massive locking forces (e.g., 300 KN on the TITAN H30LD) to ensure the mold stays rock-solid during the blow.

3. Blowing & Calibration

A Blow Pin inserts into the neck of the hot plastic. It does two things:

1. Inflates: Ele injects air to push the plastic against the chilled mold paredes.
2. Calibrates: It compresses the plastic in the neck area to form a perfect threaded finish. This is vital for industrial chemicals—if the neck isn’t calibrated perfectly, the cap won’t seal, and the drum will leak during transport.

4. Cooling (The “Profit” Phase)

This is the longest part of the cycle. HDPE is a thermal insulator; it holds heat. The plastic must be cooled against the mold metal until it is rigid enough to be ejected without warping.

• The Profit Equation: If you can cool the part 2 seconds faster, you get more cycles per hour. This is why mold design (water channels) and machine efficiency are paramount.

5. Deflashing

When the mold closes, it pinches off the excess plastic at the bottom (the “tail”) and the top (the “moil”).

• Automatic Deflashing: Modern machines, like our Série FORMA, include automated deflashing units. The machine punches out the excess plastic automatically.
• Manual Deflashing: Without this feature, an operator must cut the plastic off with a knife. For high-volume production, manual deflashing is a bottleneck you cannot afford.

Crucial Detail: The “View Stripe” Requirement

If you are manufacturing packaging for lube oil, agrochemicals, or detergents, your customers often require a View Stripe (or Visistripe)—a thin, transparent line running down the side of the colored bottle so users can see how much liquid is left.

Warning: You cannot simply “add” this feature later. It requires a specific hardware configuration.

• Hardware: It requires a machine equipped with an Auxiliary Extruder.
• Process: The main extruder pumps the colored HDPE, while a smaller, secondary extruder injects a stream of clear/natural HDPE into the cabeça da matriz.
• Selection: If you plan to produce view-stripe containers, you must specify this during the machine selection phase. Machines like the Série FORMA are designed to be flexible and can be configured with these co-extrusion capabilities to meet high-end market demands.

With the engineering fundamentals established, we now face the most critical strategic choice in the buying process: determining the right machine technology for your specific volume and container size.

Machine Selection – The “Continuous” vs. “Accumulator” Fork

This is the most critical decision point in your project.

Many first-time buyers make the mistake of looking at “Blow Molding Machines” as a single category. They are not. Depending on the size of the container you intend to manufacture, you must choose between two fundamentally different technologies: Continuous Extrusion ou Accumulator Head.

Choosing the wrong technology is a fatal error. If you try to make a 200L drum on a continuous machine, physics will work against you, and production will fail. If you try to make small 1L bottles on a large accumulator machine, your cycle times will be too slow to be profitable.

Here is the consultant’s view on which path to take.

Path A: Continuous Extrusion (The Efficiency Choice for 1L – 25L)

Best For: Motor garrafas de óleo, detergent jugs, 5L–25L Jerry Cans.

In this process, the extruder screw turns constantly, pushing the plastic parison out without stopping. Because the parison is relatively light (for containers under 25L), it does not stretch or “sag” significantly under its own weight before the mold closes.

The defining feature of this setup is speed and rhythm. The mold carriage shuttles back and forth—capturing the parison, moving aside to blow and cool, and then returning for the next cycle.

The LEKA Solution: The FORMA Series

For this range, we deploy the Série FORMA. The FORMA line is engineered for versatility and stability, making it the “Swiss Army Knife” of moldagem por sopro.

The “Double Station” Advantage:

If you look at our catalog specifications, you will see models with a “D” suffix, such as the FORMA M5LD. This stands for Double Station.

• Single Station: Has one mold carriage.
• Double Station: Has two mold carriages (left and right) fed by the same extruder.
• The ROI Impact: While one side is cooling (the longest part of the process), the other side is capturing a new parison. This effectively doubles your output without doubling your labor costs or floor space. For high-volume items like 5L jerry cans, a double-station FORMA machine is the standard for profitability.

Selection Rule: If your container is under 30 Liters, you are almost certainly in FORMA territory.

Path B: Accumulator Head (The Power Choice for 30L – 200L+)

Best For: 30L Square Drums, 50L Chemical Barrels, 220L L-Ring Drums, Floaters, Automotive Tanks.

Once you cross the 30-liter threshold, gravity becomes your enemy.

To make a large, heavy drum, you need a very thick, heavy parison. If you tried to extrude this slowly (like the Continuous process), the sheer weight of the plastic would cause it to stretch and thin out at the top like a wet noodle before the mold could close. You would end up with paper-thin tops and thick bottoms.

The Solution: O Accumulator Head.

Instead of pushing plastic out continuously, the machine stores (accumulates) the molten plastic in a heated chamber. When the chamber is full, a hydraulic ram shoots the entire parison out in 1 to 2 seconds.

• Because it ejects so fast, gravity doesn’t have time to stretch it.
• This ensures uniform wall thickness from top to bottom, which is critical for passing drop tests with hazardous chemicals.

The LEKA Solution: The TITAN Series

For these heavy-duty applications, we deploy the Série TITAN. As the name suggests, this series is synonymous with strength and scale.

Why “TITAN”?

Manufacturing a 200L drum requires violence. The clamping force needed to hold a mold closed against that much internal air pressure is immense.

• O Série TITAN is engineered specifically for large-capacity industrial-grade containers.
• It features massive clamping systems (up to 300 KN on smaller Titans and much higher on the H1000L/H4000L models) to ensure stability.
• It is designed for “Heavy-Duty” sectors, including chemical drums and automotive parts.

Selection Rule: If your container is 30 Liters or larger, or if you are making heavy automotive parts, you are in TITAN territory.

Summary: Which Machine Are You?

By now, you should know exactly which “family” of machines matches your product. However, picking the series is just the beginning. To ensure your machine runs efficiently for decades, you must scrutinize the specific technical configurations detailed in the quotation.

The “Must-Have” Specs (And Why They Matter)

When you receive a quotation for an extrusion máquina de moldagem por sopro, it is easy to get lost in the numbers. Competitor A offers a machine for $150,000. Competitor B offers one for $180,000. On paper, they might look identical: same output, same mold size.

But as any honest mechanic will tell you, the difference is under the hood. In embalagens industriais, a machine isn’t just about making a bottle; it’s about making a bottle consistently without chewing up your profit margin in scrap and downtime.

Here are the three critical specifications you must scrutinize in any machine quote, and exactly why they matter to your bottom line.

1. Clamping Force: The “Anti-Flash” Insurance

You will see a spec listed as “Clamping Force,” usually measured in kilo-Newtons (kN). For example, our FORMA H30LD is rated at 300 kN.

Many buyers ignore this number, assuming “if it closes, it closes.” This is a dangerous assumption. When you blow a 20L or 50L jerry can, you are injecting air at high pressure into a large surface area. This creates massive internal force trying to blow the mold apart.

• The Risk: If your clamping force is insufficient (even by a small margin), the mold will “breathe”—it opens slightly during the blow cycle.
• The Consequence: This creates “flash” (excess plastic) along the seams. Flash means you are trimming away paid-for resin and throwing it in the grinder. It also ruins the aesthetic finish of the bottle, which can be a red flag for quality audits.
• The Fix: You need a machine synonymous with stability. Our Série TITAN is engineered specifically with high-rigidity toggle systems to deliver unparalleled power and stability. This ensures the mold stays locked tight, minimizing flash and ensuring the container dimensions remain within strict tolerances.

2. Parison Wall Thickness Control: The Secret Weapon for ROI

This is the single most important technology for profitability. In the industry, we call this the “Profile Controller” (often associated with brands like MOOG).

A basic machine extrudes a tube of uniform thickness. But as we discussed earlier, a square jerry can naturally has weak corners. If you use a basic machine, you have to make the whole bottle thicker just to ensure the corners pass the drop test. This wastes a massive amount of plastic on the flat panels where you don’t need it.

The Solution: 100-Point Parison Control

High-end machines, including our advanced FORMA e TITAN models, utilize servo-hydraulic systems to change the thickness of the parison as it is being extruded.

• Thicken the Corners: The machine programs the parison to be thicker exactly where the corners will form.
• Thin the Panels: It thins out the plastic where it forms the flat sidewalls.
• The Result: You get a lighter bottle that is actually stronger. This “lightweighting” capability is a major pain point for manufacturers facing rising resin costs.
• The Math: By using proprietary parison thickness control, you can reduce resin weight by up to 12% without compromising top-load strength. On a high-volume line, that 12% saving pays for the machine upgrades in months, not years.

3. Die Head Design: Single Layer vs. Co-Extrusion

The third “must-have” spec depends on your sustainability goals and raw material strategy. You will see options for “Single Layer” or “Multi-Layer” (Co-Extrusion).

• Single Layer: The entire container is made of 100% virgin HDPE. This is standard but expensive.
• Multi-Layer (Co-Extrusion): The die head is designed to extrude three layers of plastic simultaneously (ABA structure).
  • Inner/Outer Layer: Thin layers of virgin, colored HDPE for appearance and chemical resistance.
  • Middle Layer: A thick layer of PCR (Reciclado Pós-Consumo) material or “regrind.”

Why It Matters:

Sustainability is no longer optional. Brand owners are demanding carbon footprint reporting and the inclusion of recycled materials. However, standard machines often struggle to process mixtures with >30% PCR because the screw design isn’t optimized for it.

If you plan to use recycled material to lower costs or meet EU/US regulations, you must specify a machine capable of processing up to 100% PCR or integrating rPET flake. A multi-layer die head allows you to bury the cheaper, visually imperfect recycled material inside the wall of the drum, keeping the outside looking pristine.

The Economics of Industrial Blow Molding: ROI, Troubleshooting & LEKA Advantage

To ensure your investment delivers real value, we must move beyond the technical specifications and look at the financial reality of operating these machines. The difference between a profitable line and a money pit often comes down to two specific operating costs: resin and energy.

The Economics of Production (ROI & Data)

When a CFO or Business Owner looks at a quotation for a manufacturing line, their eyes naturally drift to the bottom line: the Capital Expenditure (Cap-Ex).

However, in the blow molding industry, the purchase price of the machine is a “vanity metric.” It tells you almost nothing about the actual profitability of the project. A cheap machine that consumes excess energy and wastes raw material will bleed your profit margins dry within the first 18 months.

To understand the true economics of producing jerry cans and drums, you must shift your focus to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The real cost drivers are Resin and Energy.

The Resin Reality: The “10x” Rule

The most expensive part of a máquina de moldagem por sopro isn’t the steel, the hydraulics, or the computer; it is the plastic that flows through it. Over a typical 10-year serviço life, a machine will process raw material worth 10 times its original purchase price.

This leads to a critical concept: “Giveaway.”

Every gram of plastic in your container that exceeds the minimum strength requirement is money you are giving away to your customer for free.

The Problem: Standard machines with poor parison control have high variation. To ensure the weakest container passes the drop test, you have to run all containers heavier (e.g., aiming for 250g to ensure none drop below 245g).

The LEKA Advantage: With the precision parison control discussed previously (such as the systems found on our FORMA and TITAN series), you can reduce variation. You can target a lower weight (e.g., 235g) with the confidence that the corners remain strong.

DATA TABLE: The “Lightweighting” ROI

Here is the math on why a “cheaper” machine is actually more expensive. Let’s assume a production run of 5-liter jerry cans.

The Bottom Line: On resin savings alone, a precision machine can “pay back” a significant portion of its cost difference in just one year. This addresses the critical pain point of “Lightweighting Pressure” facing modern manufacturers.

Energy Consumption: The Hidden Killer

Energy costs are no longer a minor line item; in many regions, electricity now accounts for 15–30% of the unit container cost.

Old Technology: Traditional hydraulic machines run their pumps continuously, even when the machine is idle (e.g., during cooling). These “energy vampires” typically consume 0.35–0.50 kWh per kg of plastic processed.

The New Standard: Buyers focused on ROI are now demanding machines that achieve ≤0.22 kWh/kg.

This is why we emphasize the “H” (Hybrid) and “E” (Electric) designations in our machine series:

Hybrid Systems: Machines like the FORMA H Series utilize servo-driven oil pumps. The pump only spins when movement is required. During the cooling phase, energy consumption drops to near zero.

Electric Systems: For maximum efficiency, particularly in smaller formats, our AERO Series or electric variants eliminate hydraulics entirely, offering the “cleanest” production with the lowest energy footprint.

The Cost of Downtime

Finally, we must quantify reliability. In a high-volume factory, the most expensive machine is the one that isn’t running.

An average unplanned stop can last 2–4 hours.

In a high-speed line, every hour of downtime can equate to 12,000 to 25,000 bottles lost.

Frequent change-overs for different SKUs (flavors, sizes) are common. A standard machine might require >2 hours for a mold change, whereas a modern machine with quick-change tooling can reduce this significantly, keeping your OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) high.

Troubleshooting the “Shop Floor” Nightmares

In the showroom, every machine looks perfect. But out on the production floor, at 3:00 AM during a rush order, reality sets in. Blow molding is a thermal process, and thermal processes are sensitive. A 5-degree shift in ambient temperature or a clogged cooling channel can turn a profitable run into a scrap pile.

As a technician, I have seen production managers panic when pallets of drums are rejected by QC. Often, the problems look mysterious, but they usually stem from three common “nightmares.” Here is how to diagnose and fix them, and how the right machine specs prevent them from happening in the first place.

Nightmare #1: The “Rocker Bottom” (Uneven Base)

The Symptom: You place your freshly molded jerry can on a flat table, and it wobbles or spins. The bottom surface has bulged outward.

The Impact: You cannot stack these. If you stack a pallet of “rocker bottom” drums, the stack will lean and eventually collapse in the warehouse. This is an immediate safety hazard.

The Diagnosis: This is almost always a cooling issue. The plastic at the bottom pinch-off (where the parison is sealed) is the thickest part of the container. If it is ejected while still too hot, the residual heat migrates to the surface, softening the plastic. As the air inside the drum cools and contracts, or if there is slight residual internal pressure, the soft bottom warps.

The Fix: Check Cooling Channels: Ensure the mold’s bottom plate has dedicated cooling channels and that the water flow is turbulent, not laminar. Increase Exhaust Time: Before the mold opens, the compressed air must be fully vented. If you open the mold with pressure still inside, the bottle will “blow out” slightly. Machine Solution: This is where the FORMA Series shines. Its high-efficiency cooling design allows for rapid heat dissipation specifically at the pinch-off areas, ensuring the base is rigid before the mold opens.

Nightmare #2: Drop Test Failures

The Symptom: You fill a 20L drum with water, drop it from 1.5 meters at a 45-degree angle, and it bursts.

The Impact: Catastrophic. If this happens with a chemical drum during transport, you face liability claims, environmental fines, and loss of client trust.

The Diagnosis: Drop tests usually fail in two places: the Corners or the Weld Line. Weak Corners: As discussed in previous sections, the plastic stretches thinnest at the corners. If you don’t have active control, these points become structural liabilities. Weak Weld Line: If the plastic temperature is too low or the mold closes too slowly, the two sides of the parison won’t fuse together perfectly at the bottom or top. This creates a “zipper” effect where the drum splits open on impact.

The Fix: Optimize Parison Profile: This is the only real way to fix weak corners without wasting material. You must use the 100-point parison controller to program a “thick spot” in the parison exactly where the corner will form. Increase Melt Temperature/Pressure: For weld line failures, the plastic needs to be hotter and squeezed harder. Machine Solution: If you are failing drop tests on large drums, your machine likely lacks the “squeeze.” The TITAN Series is engineered for this exact scenario. Its massive clamping force (e.g., 200–300 kN) ensures that the pinch-off creates a deeply fused weld that is often stronger than the surrounding wall.

Nightmare #3: Persistent Handle Flash

The Symptom: The “window” inside the handle of your jerry can is blocked by a thick web of plastic (flash) that the automatic deflasher can’t punch out cleanly. Or, you see razor-sharp fins of plastic along the handle seam.

The Impact: Manual labor. You have to pay an operator to stand there with a knife and carve out the handle. It looks unprofessional and slows down the line.

The Diagnosis: This is a Clamping & Alignment issue. Mold Deflection: When the blow air hits, the mold plates are being pushed apart. If the machine’s platens are weak or the toggle system is worn, the mold flexes open in the middle (where the handle usually is). Guide Rail Wear: If the mold platens aren’t moving on precision linear guides, the two halves of the mold might be slightly misaligned (offset). This creates a “step” in the plastic that prevents a clean cut.

The Fix: Check Platen Parallelism: Use a feeler gauge to check if the mold is closing evenly top-to-bottom. Increase Lock Pressure: Ensure your hydraulic system is hitting its peak pressure before the blow cycle starts. Machine Solution: Look for machines with Linear Guide Rails and rigid platen structures. The TITAN Series uses a reinforced toggle design specifically to prevent “center deflection” on large molds, ensuring that the handle area is pinched off cleanly every single time.

Sourcing & Logistics (The LEKA Advantage)

If you are a Plant Manager in Europe or a Founder in North America, sourcing heavy machinery from Asia can feel like a leap of faith. You have likely heard horror stories: machines arriving without manuals, spare parts taking weeks to ship, or intellectual property being leaked.

However, the manufacturing landscape has changed. The “China Price” is no longer just about being cheaper; it is about being faster and more flexible. At Máquina LEKA, we have structured our logistics and support specifically to address the anxieties of Western buyers.

Here is why sourcing your extrusion blow molding line through us is a strategic advantage, not a risk.

1. The Lead Time Gap: Speed as a Competitive Weapon

In the current market, speed is often more valuable than price.

If you order a high-end machine from a traditional European supplier (Germany or Italy), you are likely looking at a lead time of 6 to 8 months. In that time, market trends can shift, or your competitors can launch their products first.

The LEKA Timeline: We operate on a 60–90 day delivery cycle.

Why this matters: If you just won a large contract with a major CPG brand or a retail chain, you rarely have six months to ramp up production. Your clients want product now.

The Advantage: Our ability to deliver a machine in 2–3 months allows you to say “Yes” to tight-deadline contracts that your competitors—stuck waiting for equipment—have to turn down.

2. The “One PO” Turn-Key Solution

A máquina de moldagem por sopro is useless without a mold, a leak tester, and a chiller. Traditionally, you might have to source the machine from one vendor, the mold from a tool shop, and the downstream automation from a third party. This creates a “blame game” when components don’t fit together.

We offer a Turn-Key Line Bundle.

Integrated Molds: We handle the sample bottle development and mold fabrication internally or with close partners. Our mold build time is typically 4–6 weeks, significantly faster than Western tool shops.

Single Responsibility: You issue one Purchase Order (PO) covering the machine, the molds, the leak testers, and the palletizers. We are responsible for ensuring every piece of equipment talks to the others before it ever leaves the factory floor.

3. Installation & Remote Support: Bridging the Distance

The biggest fear for international buyers is: “What happens if it breaks and you are 5,000 miles away?”

We address this head-on with a hybrid support model designed to minimize downtime.

On-Site Installation: We don’t just ship a container and wish you luck. We send engineers to your facility for assembly, installation, and staff training. We ensure your team knows how to operate the machine before we leave.

Remote Engineering: Modern machines are digital. Our service team can provide remote repair guidance. Often, a “breakdown” is just a parameter setting error that can be fixed via a video call or remote diagnostic session, eliminating the need to fly a technician out.

Spare Parts Strategy: We understand that waiting 3 weeks for a part is unacceptable. We recommend and supply comprehensive spare parts kits with the machine to cover common wear items.

4. IP Protection & Trust

For CPG brands and OEM packagers, your bottle design is your intellectual property. A common concern is that proprietary designs might leak to competitors.

Security: We treat your designs with strict confidentiality. We are willing to sign NDAs with penalty clauses to protect your CAD files and proprietary bottle shapes.

Transparency: Our business model is transparent. We act as your supply chain partner, managing the entire process from “factory audit” to “door-to-door delivery”.

Conclusion & Next Steps

If you have read this far, you now possess a more technical understanding of industrial blow molding than 90% of the procurement managers currently buying these machines.

You understand that “price” is just the entry fee, but efficiency is what keeps the factory doors open. You know that saving 15 grams of resin per bottle is worth more than saving $20,000 on the initial purchase. And most importantly, you know that not all machines are built for the same task.

The Final Decision Matrix

As you move toward making a decision, simplify your choice down to two core factors: Volume and Quality Standards.

If you are producing small-to-medium containers (1L – 25L): You need speed and flexibility. The FORMA Series (Continuous Extrusion) is your solution. Look for the “Double Station” models to maximize output per square meter.

If you are producing large industrial drums (30L – 200L+): You need power and melt strength. The TITAN Series (Accumulator Head) is the only viable path to ensure your drums pass drop tests and meet UN hazardous goods standards.

If you face strict cost pressure or sustainability audits: You cannot ignore the specs. You must demand Parison Wall Thickness Control to reduce resin usage and potentially Co-Extrusion capabilities to integrate recycled material (PCR).

Don’t Guess Your Numbers

The biggest risk in any capital project is uncertainty. “Will this machine actually run at the speed the salesperson promised?” “Will the bottle actually weigh 235g, or will it come out at 250g?”

At LEKA Machine, we believe in proving the math before you sign the contract. We don’t just sell machines; we provide the manufacturing data you need to build your internal business case.

Here is my offer to you:

Do not guess your cycle times or resin costs.

Send us a photo or technical drawing of the container you want to manufacture.

Tell us your target monthly volume.

My engineering team will analyze your design and provide you with a free Production Simulation Report, including:

• The exact recommended machine model.
• The calculated Cycle Time (seconds).
• The optimized Resin Weight (grams).
• A projected Daily Output calculation.

This costs you nothing, but it gives you the hard data you need to calculate your true ROI.

Let’s build a production line that makes profit, not just plastic.

Slany Cheuang
Technical Sales Manager
Máquina LEKA
Email: slany@lekamachine.com
Website: www.lekamachine.com

Appendix: Buyer FAQs

Q: Can I use the same machine for PET water bottles and HDPE Jerry cans?
A: No. PET requires “Stretch Blow Molding” (SBM), while HDPE requires “Extrusion Blow Molding” (EBM). They are completely different processes. If you need water bottles, look at our AQUA Series; for industrial jerry cans, you need the FORMA or TITAN Series.

Q: What is the lead time for a custom TITAN machine?
A: Unlike European suppliers who may take 6–8 months, LEKA Machine typically delivers in 60–90 days, including custom tooling fabrication.

Q: Can your machines process recycled plastic (PCR)?
A: Yes. We offer specific screw designs and multi-layer (co-extrusion) die heads optimized for processing >30% to 100% PCR or Regrind without sacrificing the outer finish.

Q: How do you handle installation if I am in the US or Mexico?
A: We provide a full turn-key service. We send our engineers to your factory for installation and training. We also have a network of bilingual support staff to assist with remote diagnostics.

Q: Do you make the molds or do I need to find another supplier?
A: We are a one-stop solution. We design and manufacture the molds in-house or with trusted partners. Your machine will be tested with your specific mold before it ships.