Diversified product offering. Quality and Expertise.


Universal Plastics, a blow molding supplier,  offers custom extrusion blow molding for medical, waste management, automotive, safety equipment, lawn and garden, recreational equipment and large capacity potable water bottles. Our 120,000 sq. ft facility has blow molding machines ranging in size from 1.5 lbs. to 30 lbs. with part size capabilities ranging from 18 grams to 40 pounds and part dimensions as large as 36” by 66”. We have multiple shuttle machines with continuous extrusion capabilities as well as an expertise in numerous materials including HDPE, PP, PC, and PETG. As a complement to our blow molding capabilities, we also offer injection molding services with 2 machines in the 225 ton range. Our wide range of machine size capabilities make us one of the most versatile custom blow molding facilities in the industry. To discuss how Universal Plastics can meet your custom blow molding needs, please contact us.

Blow Molding Capabilities at Universal Plastics:


Universal Plastics uses state-of-the-art equipment and technology to produce complete products from concept to sale with unparalleled quality, accuracy and repeatability. As a blow molding company, we  offer custom extrusion blow molding expertise, building on the strength of our people, and their dedication to service and quality, our blow molding facility encompasses 120,000 sq. ft. including specific areas dedicated to manufacturing, assembly, warehousing, and shipping. We have the experience and expertise to handle unique and demanding projects, and offer a seamless integration of the outsourced blow molding needs of our customers. Our mold and machine shop capabilities provide customers with a seamless and efficient process from concept to production capability.

We mold, finish and assemble a wide range of parts on 18 machine cells and continue to strategically add to our capabilities with new equipment as our customer needs grow and vary. To facilitate the installation and removal of molds weighing up to 10,000 lbs., we designed and implemented a fully remote-controlled, dedicated, 5 ton overhead crane system.

Universal stays ahead of the curve in order to bring new technologies to the markets that we serve and those that we seek to serve. We work closely with customers and technical partners to find the best technologies for goals and challenges facing our dynamic market place. Universal Plastics is one of the largest blow molding companies in the United States

Applications:


Today we serve a wide range of markets including medical, waste management, automotive, safety equipment, lawn and garden, structural systems, recreational equipment, furniture and large capacity potable water bottles. Universal Plastics is registered with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to contract manufacture medical sharps collectors and ISO 9001:2015 certified.

Examples of parts we have made include: blow molded medical containers, food containers, pollution control components, wheels, planters, automotive components, industrial cases, water bottles, lawn and garden care, playground equipment, leisure products, furniture components, agricultural tanks, anti-terrorism barriers, storage units, and trash container components.

In-House Engineers and Secondary Services:

Our technical staff has extensive experience helping our customers to design and customize components that satisfy the most challenging requirements. We develop customized, sophisticated post molding fixtures that allow us to perform several value added operations which can include complete assembly and packaging of systems. We are ready to assist you with your next custom extrusion blow molding project. Contact Us today.

Custom Blow Molding Capabilities at Universal Plastics:

Universal Plastics is a custom plastic products manufacturer with expertise in a range of processes, including custom blow molding, thermoforming, and injection molding (gas assist and structural foam) for the medical, aerospace, transportation and general industrial markets. We pride ourselves on our ability to offer unbiased, process-agnostic advice and multiple production processes for high mix / low volumes, low mix / high volumes and the breadth in between. All the manufacturing sites within the Universal Plastics family share a long history of providing their customers with high quality, large, complex molded parts and are known for outstanding customer service and engineering support. Each has dedicated staff, operating facilities and processes.

Universal Plastics can meet your end-to-end plastics manufacturing needs – we offer in-house tooling, design & engineering services and a full complement of secondary/finishing services including complex assemblies, high gloss painting (Class A automotive finish), RFI/EMI shielding, drape forming, warehousing, etc. Universal Plastics is ISO9001: 2015 registered. Universal Plastics prides itself on working collaboratively with our customers to improve our business processes, skills and technology to continue to deliver innovative custom plastic product solutions that work at globally competitive pricing. We work with a long-standing and diverse set of customers, from fortune 500 companies, to smaller OEMs to start-ups, in a wide range of industries. Our customers have placed their trust in us to deliver the right product at the right price, the first time. For more information and to discuss how Universal Plastics can put our expertise to work for you, please contact us today.

 

Why Choose Custom Blow Molding?

The benefits of blow molding, whether you choose extrusion blow molding, injection blow molding, or stretch blow molding, offer a number of benefits over other plastic manufacturing methods. Blow molding is:

  • Reasonably affordable
  • Faster cycle times
  • Well suited to the fabrication of hollow plastic parts
  • Ability to offer high volume production
  • Used for molding complex parts

 

How Do Our Blow Molding Machines Work?

Our highly specialized blow molding process allows us to offer a wide range of custom products across hundreds of different industries including automotive manufacturing, storage, transportation, healthcare and more. This process takes a few seconds per product, and our blow molding machines are capable of producing thousands of  units per hour.

Step 1 – Plastic is melted and made into a preform or parison using injection molding

Step 2 – The preform or parison is clamped into a mold, where the mold’s shape will determine the ultimate shape of the blow molded plastic.

Step 3 – Air pressure is introduced, causing the parison to swell and take the shape of the cavity.

Step 4 – The end product is cooled, either with water, conduction or evaporation.

Step 5 – After the plastic has cooled and hardened, the mold is released and the product ejected.

 

What Materials Can You Use in Blow Molding?

Thermoplastic resins are used in the blow molding process, including:

  • HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): Excellent impact and chemical resistance. Good cold temperature properties. Dimensionally not as stable as other materials.
  • PP (Polypropylene): Excellent chemical resistance. Rigid, with very good impact strength. Good at higher temperatures. But dimensionally not as stable as other materials, similar to HDPE.
  • PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol): Clear, with excellent impact strength. Forms well.
  • PC (Polycarbonate): Very high impact strength. Clear. High temperature resistance.

Learn more about Blow Molding Materials Here.

 

Moving Beyond Plastics into a Sustainable Future

The plastic bottle was one of the first products to be fabricated when the blog molding machine was designed in 1939 and, within 60 years, the US was producing over ten billion plastic bottles for soft drinks every year. But as times have changed, and the pressure to create renewable, earth-friendly products has increased, manufacturers are shifting their focus to sustainable, recycled blow molding products.