Getting the Heat Right on Your Krones Contiform Lines
If you’re running Krones Contiform machines, you know the struggle. You need your PET preforms to soften up perfectly—not a second too slow, and definitely not scorched. It’s a delicate balance. That’s why we built our softening lamps to be simple, drop-in replacements. You just swap out the OEM parts for ours. No fuss, no redesigning your line, and a lot less money leaving your maintenance budget.
How the heat actually works
We use shortwave infrared (SWIR). In plain English? We pack the energy into a narrow spectrum that PET just drinks up. It’s fast. Really fast. Your preform hits that glass transition temperature in a matter of seconds. To make sure the lamps don’t warp or buckle under all that intense heat, we use high-purity quartz glass. It’s tough, and it lasts.
Fitting them into your setup
You won’t have to mess around with the wiring. We’ve matched the original Krones footprint exactly. Whether you need R7s or Sk15 connectors, they’ll plug right into your existing power rails. Depending on what your molds need, we’ve got different wattage and voltage options—including those 400V high-output versions for when you really need to push the heat. Plus, we add a special coating to the quartz. This keeps the radiation focused right where it belongs—on the preform wall—instead of leaking heat into the machine frame and wasting energy.
A few things to keep in mind
Here’s the deal: high-wattage tubes are great for speeding up your cycles, but they do put more stress on your electrical contacts. If you decide to push the wattage higher than what the OEM originally suggested, just make sure your cooling blowers are clean and humming along. If they’re clogged, those lamp ends will burn out way faster than they should. At the end of the day, you’re getting the same thermal penetration and the same brightness as the brand-name lamps. You just aren’t paying that “big brand” premium for the privilege. Your bottles look great, and your spare parts budget actually stays manageable.