Getting Your Sidel SBO 20 Series 1 Heating Right
Let’s be honest: nobody likes it when a blow molding line goes down because of a burnt-out lamp. You don’t want to spend your afternoon tearing half the machine apart just to swap a part. That’s why we built our replacement lamps for the Sidel SBO 20 Series 1 to be simple. They’re basically “plug and play.” They fit the footprint of almost every blowing machine out there, so you can get back to work without the headache. The Power Stuff The SBO 20 needs short-wave infrared to get those PET preforms soft and ready, and it needs to happen fast. We’ve dialed in the wattage and voltage so the heat hits exactly where it should—just like the original parts. But here is a pro tip: if you’re running a 400V system, you need a lamp that can actually handle that load. If it can’t, the filament is going to pop way too soon. Also, keep an eye on your cooling blowers. If they’re clogged with dust, the housing will overheat and kill your new tube. Keep them clean, and your lamps will last much longer. Built to Last We use heavy-wall quartz glass because the constant heating and cooling is brutal on equipment. To keep things compact without losing heat, we use halogen-filled filaments. And the best part? No rewiring. We use standard R7s or Sk15 bases. You just pull the old, dead tube out and slide the new one in. It’s that easy. How it Actually Performs These lamps are tuned to the specific way PET plastic absorbs heat. Instead of wasting energy, the heat goes straight into the plastic. This means you get a consistent finish on every bottle—no weird thin spots or weak points. We also obsess over the measurements. If a lamp is even slightly off, it rattles in the reflector or creates “hot spots” that ruin your product. We made sure our dimensions mirror the SBO 20 exactly. It fits tight, stays put, and does the job.