The Art of Speed and Precision: How Funeng Precision Engineering Reshapes Preform Production with Injection Molding Technology.

Introduction

In our daily lives, the ubiquitous presence of PET plastic bottles is undeniable—from morning mineral water and afternoon beverages to cosmetic and pharmaceutical containers. Each bottle begins its journey with a critical step: preform injection molding. In this seemingly niche yet highly technologically demanding field, Foray stands as one of China's few enterprises dedicated to high-speed PET preform injection molding systems. With a masterful blend of speed and precision, the company epitomizes the perfect balance of efficiency and quality in preform production.

I. High-Speed Injection Molding: A Key Breakthrough in the Efficiency Revolution
      

Walking into Foray’s production workshop, skilled workers are busy installing and debugging each section of the injection molding machines. At the factory testing station, a new direct-pressure high-speed injection molding machine is operating smoothly, producing over 100 preforms every 8 seconds as they drop from the ejection handler onto the conveyor belt—a astonishing speed! Compared to traditional equipment, the production efficiency of high-speed injection molding machines has increased by more than 30%.

Traditional injection molding machines follow a conventional process cycle: clamping → injection → cooling → plasticizing → mold opening → ejection. In contrast, Foray’s high-speed injection molding machine utilizes three-axis synchronization technology to simplify the process to: clamping → injection (with simultaneous plasticizing) → cooling → mold opening → ejection. While it may seem like just one step (plasticizing) has been removed, this reduces the cycle time by several seconds or even over ten seconds (plasticizing time ranges from a few seconds to tens of seconds depending on preform size). Additionally, Foray has incorporated advanced functions such as pre-opening pressure release and pre-injection before clamping into the machine’s operational logic, further shortening the cycle time and significantly increasing preform output per unit of time.

Performance Comparison: High-Speed Injection Molding Machines vs. Traditional Injection Molding Machines:

II. High Speed Without Compromise: The Precision Behind High-Quality Preforms
 

Increased speed does not come at the expense of quality. In fact, high-speed injection molding machines excel in both precision and stability.

The head of R&D at Foray once shared the philosophy behind their technological innovation: "We insist on treating customer benefits as the driving force and source of our technological innovation. High-speed equipment places higher demands on mold opening and closing. While ensuring high-speed operation, we optimize the rigidity of the machine platen to guarantee long-term reliability of the mold."

Equipped with advanced CNC systems, high-speed injection molding machines can monitor and adjust the injection process in real time, achieving precise control over temperature, pressure, speed, and position to ensure consistent quality in every preform. In contrast, traditional injection molding machines use simpler control systems that cannot provide the same level of monitoring and adjustment.

When it comes to the critical stage of demolding, Foray demonstrates profound technical expertise. "As is well known, high-speed equipment requires extremely short cycle times. Since the preforms are still at a high temperature when ejected, we redesigned the runner and structure to allow the robotic handler to operate smoothly at high speeds without obstruction, enabling rapid cooling and shaping," the head of R&D added.This precision control capability enables Foray to produce high-cavity, high-precision PET molds with up to 144 cavities. The higher the number of cavities, the greater the technical challenge—especially in managing the flow behavior of the plastic within the mold, which is crucial to product quality.

III. Economic Efficiency: Foray's Path of Differentiated Innovation
 

While pursuing high speed, Foray has keenly identified a new market demand—enterprises with moderate production volumes but higher requirements for speed, energy consumption, and cost control.“Our current maximum output has reached 144 cavities. In the short term, we will not focus on further expanding this output. Instead, we are prioritizing the needs of more medium-sized enterprises,” the Head of R&D explained. “The ProPET series we are now developing has a production cycle faster than common high-speed machines, yet with significantly lower investment costs.”

In 2023, Foray launched the ProPET series of direct-pressure full-servo machines, which feature four core advantages:

A three/four-station external cooling system that shortens the production cycle. The CoolPik plate, equipped with a upgraded three-axis robotic hand, achieves a take-out speed of up to 5000 mm/s.

A high-response servo proportional valve ensures fast and stable operation with a repeat accuracy of 0.2 mm.

A two-stage injection system enables independent continuous plasticizing with stable melt quality (AA value ≤ 8 ppm).

Integration of an SPC (Statistical Process Control) process monitoring system for enhanced process management and quality traceability.

Partic noteworthy is its energy-saving performance. The ProPET series “adopts new technologies to reduce energy consumption. For example, the hydraulic system uses servo motor pumps, which consume zero energy when idle, truly achieving zero waste.” Compared to conventional injection molding machines, Foray's high-speed models reduce total energy consumption by 20–30%, significantly lowering operational costs for customers.

IV. Intelligent Future: Foray Precision's Innovation Blueprint
 

As a technology-driven enterprise, Foray always focuses on the future. Adhering to the product development philosophy of "producing one generation, developing one generation, researching one generation, and reserving one generation," the company continuously pushes the boundaries of technology. At its intelligent manufacturing base in Longquanyi District, Chengdu, Foray is developing a new generation of smart production lines. These lines will integrate data from various business processes, gradually reducing human involvement to achieve transparency, automation, and precision in information transmission during manufacturing. This will drive the upgrade from small-scale flexible manufacturing to grid-based large-scale flexible rapid batch production.

In terms of patent innovation, Foray applied for a patent for a "High-Speed PET Injection Molding System" in 2023. This system is equipped with an innovative PET particle screening mechanism that effectively separates particles of different sizes, preventing small PET particles from affecting product performance and further enhancing preform quality. Foray is also committed to "connecting the entire preform production system, including injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment, through a centralized control system." This simplifies operations, improves production efficiency, and reserves sufficient interfaces and expansion space for future intelligent development, aligning with the trends of Industry 4.0.

Epilogue: The Craftsmanship Behind Speed
 

When we twist open a bottle of beverage, we rarely think about the technological sophistication behind the small plastic container in our hands. From a PET raw material pellet to a perfectly formed preform, and finally to the finished packaging container, this process embodies Foray Precision's relentless pursuit of speed, precision, and efficiency. As a rising force in China's intelligent manufacturing sector, Foray demonstrates through innovation that even in seemingly traditional fields like injection molding, Chinese technology can carve out a unique path. By balancing speed and quality while continuously pushing technological boundaries, the company offers "Chinese solutions" to the global beverage packaging industry.

Whether it is the 144-cavity high-speed production system, cost-effective solutions for mid-sized enterprises, or the smart production lines under development, Foray always adheres to one belief: to make manufacturing smarter, industry more energy-efficient, and life more eco-friendly. In an era where bottled packaging is ubiquitous, Foray's technology quietly contributes its wisdom and strength to the daily lives of billions of consumers—a world in every bottle, and craftsmanship in every preform.