Plastic Technologies Inc. of Holland, Ohio, has developed a hand-held temperature probe for PET preforms used to produce stretch blow molded bottles.

The PreTemp probe measures the preform’s interior temperature — instead of traditional methods that only measure external temperature. The probe also can be used to identify process changes during routine operation and troubleshoot heat-related issues.

Users can adjust heating lamps to more effectively drive heat through the preform wall, improving the final output.

It’s a big innovation, said Ron Puvak, PTI’s director of marketing and new business development.

“Typically, an educated guess is made regarding the interior temperature, which makes it difficult to effectively control the heat that is driven through the preform well,” he said. “This has a profound impact on the manufacturing process, including poor thickness distribution, less than optimum bottle performance and wasted energy.”

Tel. 419-725-5613, email r.puvak@plastictechnologies.com