PET Preform Mould — 1 to 96 Cavity, Hot Runner, Made in China
A PET preform mould is a multi-cavity injection mould (typically 1–96 cavities) used to produce PET bottle preforms for water, CSD, edible oil and cosmetic bottles. Topworks builds PET preform moulds in Huangyan, China — with European-style design, ASSAB S136 steel, pin-valve hot runner, and over 2.5 million shot life. Fast delivery, free DFM, one-stop tooling support.
PET preform mould — multi-cavity tooling for PET bottle preforms
What Is a PET Preform Mould?
A PET preform mould is a high-precision injection mould used to manufacture PET preforms — the test-tube-shaped intermediate product that is later stretch-blow-moulded into PET bottles for mineral water, carbonated soft drinks (CSD), cooking oil, juice, pharmaceutical and cosmetic packaging. A typical PET preform mould carries 1 to 96 cavities, runs on a hot runner system (often with pin-valve gating), and is engineered for cycle times under 10 seconds with multi-million-shot durability.
Topworks is a dedicated PET preform mould manufacturer based in Huangyan, China. We provide fast delivery, free DFM analysis and one-stop tooling support — from cavity layout and Moldflow simulation, through ASSAB S136 steel machining, to mould trial video and overseas installation. With this approach, ordering a PET preform mould from China becomes far less risky than relying on a generic injection tooling supplier.
PET Preform Mould Factory Videos
With more than a decade of focused experience in plastic injection mould manufacturing in China, Topworks Plastic Mould has built deep know-how in PET preform tooling — from cavity layout and hot runner selection to steel hardening, polishing and trial validation. This experience is what allows us to deliver PET preform moulds that are accurate, repeatable and competitively priced.
Topworks commits to manufacturing each PET preform mould on time, dimensionally accurate, and at a competitive price — and to backing every mould with documented mould trial, recorded process parameters and full after-sale support.
If you are sourcing PET preform tooling for a new bottle line — whether 8-cavity for a niche oil bottle or 72-cavity for high-volume mineral water — contact our team to discuss cavity count, neck finish, preform weight and target cycle time. We aim to be your one-stop partner for getting PET preforms onto the market quickly and without hassle.
Every PET preform mould we build is customised to the customer’s specific preform geometry, neck finish, weight, machine platen size and tonnage requirement. Topworks’ tooling engineers specialise in PET preform tooling specifically — not “any injection mould” — which gives us an advantage when matching cavity count, gate type and cooling design to a particular bottle program.
Beyond the PET preform mould itself, we can also produce the PET preform and even the finished bottle in-house, so customers can validate the whole chain — mould → preform → bottle — at one location before shipping the tooling.
What Our Customers Say
“I’m glad to inform you that all plastic parts are perfect!!! We are delighted, and therefore there are good chances to continue our relationship for any coming new project.”
CRISTIANO
Italy
“Steven is a very detail-oriented project manager and engineer who can solve problems creatively and also provides excellent service. It was a pleasure working with him.”
DAVID
U.S.A.
Topworks PET Preform Mould — Key Features
Every Topworks PET preform mould is engineered around four pillars: long mould life, dimensional stability, fast cycle time, and predictable preform quality. The specifications below apply to standard PCO neck finish projects and can be adjusted on request.
PET Preform Mould Price — 3 Configuration Tiers
PET preform mould price is driven mainly by the hot runner / gating system. The same cavity count and steel grade can land in three very different price bands depending on which runner system you choose.
High-Price Tier
Pneumatic valve / shut-off nozzle system. Best gate quality, no stringing, lowest cycle time. Recommended for high-cavity production moulds and premium beverage programs.
Mid-Price Tier
Short hot runner system. Balanced cost and performance — good gate quality and reasonable cycle time. The most common choice for medium-volume PET preform projects.
Entry-Price Tier
Long hot runner system. Lower upfront mould cost, slightly longer cycle and more gate trim work. Suitable for trial moulds, lower-volume runs or budget-constrained projects.
PET Preform Mould Design Highlights
A production-ready PET preform mould must combine functional strength, manufacturing economy and predictable preform quality. That means choosing the right steel grade, the right cooling layout and the right hot runner configuration before steel is cut — not after the first trial fails. The five design elements below are where Topworks invests the most engineering hours on every project.
🔵 Cooling Channel Layout
A purpose-designed water-cooling channel set-up combined with precision finishing reduces overall cycle time. Each cooling line is processed to minimise scaling and blockage over the mould’s life.
🟢 Off-Centre Core Correction
Topworks’ off-centre correction technique can hold preform wall-thickness variation to under 0.006 mm. The mechanism does not compromise mould life and stays effective across millions of shots.
🟠 Pin-Valve Hot Runner
A pin-valve hot runner system shortens cycle time, reduces gate-trim labour and lowers energy consumption — especially valuable on high-cavity PET preform tooling.
🔵 Coil Heating & Cooling
A dual heating-and-cooling architecture keeps nozzles at a stable temperature for the full cycle. Heating bands are imported from Germany to ensure consistent thermal performance.
🟢 Bi-Axis Self-Locking Alignment
Our PET preform mould uses bi-axis insert alignment with a self-locking mechanism, in line with current global tooling practice — protecting cavities and cores from off-centre wear.
Spare Parts & After-Sale Service
Topworks is a dedicated PET mould, preform mould and PET bottle mould manufacturer based in Huangyan, China.
Each PET preform mould undergoes a strict mould trial before shipment. A preform mould trial video is sent to the customer for confirmation, together with a full set of recorded process parameters tied to that mould’s unique serial number.
Every mould is delivered with a complimentary set of spare parts to keep production running. Our service team provides remote technical support on request, and we can also send engineers overseas for on-site installation, commissioning and operator training.
PET Preform Neck Finish & Weight Range
The two tables below summarise the neck finishes and preform weight ranges we tool most frequently — split by application (beverage vs. cooking oil). If your project sits between these standard sizes, we can quote a custom neck finish on request.
| Neck Size | Preform Weight Range |
|---|---|
| 26 mm | 13 g · 16 g · 18 g |
| PCO 28 mm | 11 g · 15 g · 17 g · 18 g · 20 g · 21 g · 24 g · 25 g · 26 g · 27 g · 28 g · 32 g · 35 g · 40 g · 43 g · 45 g · 48 g · 52 g · 56 g |
| 25/30 mm | 14 g · 15 g · 16 g · 18 g · 20 g · 23 g · 25 g · 32 g · 34 g · 38 g · 43 g |
| 38 mm | 28 g · 30 g · 35 g · 45 g · 48 g · 50 g · 60 g · 65 g · 68 g · 72 g · 87 g |
| Neck Size | Preform Weight Range |
|---|---|
| 32 mm | 20 g · 30 g · 35 g · 40 g · 47 g · 50 g · 55 g · 60 g · 70 g · 80 g |
| 37 mm | 48 g · 60 g · 65 g · 70 g · 73 g · 85 g |
| 46 mm | 55 g · 60 g · 65 g · 70 g · 75 g · 80 g · 84 g · 90 g · 95 g · 100 g · 103 g · 105 g · 110 g · 115 g · 130 g · 140 g |
| 72 mm | 140 g · 175 g · 238 g · 255 g · 290 g · 300 g |
PET Injection Moulding Processing Guide
PET (polyethylene terephthalate, also called polyester) is the dominant material for bottle preforms. PET-GF — bottle-grade PET — is the most widely used variant for preform injection. In the molten state PET has good flow, but its viscosity is more sensitive to pressure than to temperature, so process tuning is mainly done through pressure and shot speed.
The 8-step workflow below is the standard sequence we recommend to customers running PET preform moulds from Topworks. Treat it as a starting point — final parameters always depend on your specific preform geometry, resin grade and machine.
Resin Handling
PET is hygroscopic — its molecules attract moisture. Wet pellets cause molecular-weight drop, brittleness and yellow tint. Store PET in sealed, dry conditions and feed only properly dried material.
Drying
Dry at 150 °C for more than 4 hours, or 170 °C for 3–4 hours. Regrind ratio should stay below 25 % and must be fully dried before re-use. Target final moisture < 0.02 %.
Injection Machine
Use a machine with multi-zone barrel control and low plasticising friction. Shot weight should not exceed 2/3 of the machine’s rated injection volume to keep residence time under control.
Mould & Gate Design
PET preform moulds normally run with a hot runner. Fit ~12 mm insulation plates between mould and platen. Vent depth should stay under 0.03 mm to prevent flash — see our PET mould overview for layout details.
Melt Temperature
Standard PET: 270–295 °C (air-shot check). PET-GF: 290–315 °C. Avoid sustained operation above 300 °C — degradation accelerates sharply.
Injection Speed
Inject fast enough to fill before premature solidification — typically complete within 4 seconds. Too fast produces high shear and brittle preforms; balance speed with melt and mould temperature.
Backpressure
Keep backpressure as low as possible (typically under 100 bar) to limit screw wear and shear-induced degradation while still ensuring melt homogeneity.
Residence Time
Minimise melt residence time to protect molecular weight. If the machine sits idle for more than 15 minutes, purge the barrel with PE before resuming PET production.
Note: Recycled PET can be added only in limited ratios — excess regrind often causes opaque or hazy preforms. If mould or melt temperature is off, preforms can also turn opaque; low mould temperature combined with too-fast cooling typically produces poor transparency.
PET Preform Moulding Troubleshooting — Defect Guide
The table below lists the most common defects we see on PET preform mould trials and high-volume production — each with likely root causes and field-tested fixes. Use it as a starting point during mould commissioning or production troubleshooting.
| Defect | Likely Causes | Recommended Fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom whitening of PET preform | Hot runner nozzle temperature too low; melt temperature too low | Improve nozzle insulation; raise nozzle temperature; raise melt temperature; increase injection speed; lower packing pressure; reduce cooling water flow |
| Opaque preform body | Insufficient drying; poor plasticising; wall too thick / poor cooling; foreign material contamination | Dry ≥ 4 hrs at 165 °C, moisture < 0.02 %; raise melt temperature; increase screw rpm; improve cooling; reduce wall thickness |
| Preform turns from clear to opaque during run | Ejection temperature too high | Improve cooling; extend cooling time; adjust injection profile |
| Haze on one side of preform | Holding pressure too high; eccentric gate | Reduce hold pressure; correct gate / cavity alignment in mould |
| Silver streaking or yellowing | Material decomposition (overheat / over-shear) | Lower drying temperature, extend drying time; adjust injection speed; lower melt and nozzle temperature |
| Voids inside preform | Insufficient drying | Improve drying; raise melt temperature; lower screw rpm |
| Ring marks on inner wall | Condensation on core / cavity | Improve workshop humidity control; raise cooling water temperature above dew point; drain mould |
| Breakage at gate | Hot runner nozzle misaligned with gate; undercut at gate; gate too hot | Repair mould alignment; extend cooling; increase injection speed or extend injection time; improve gate insulation |
| Short fill or weld line on neck | Poor venting; eccentric gate position | Enlarge venting; clean screw-neck threads; reduce injection speed; correct gate position |
| Uneven wall thickness | Mould quality issue; injection pressure too high; eccentric core | Correct gate orifice; repair mould; raise melt temperature; lower injection pressure; use adjustable core / cavity inserts |
| Surface dent / sink | Melt temperature too high; injection time too short; hold time too short; injection too fast; insufficient cooling | Lower melt temperature; extend injection time; raise holding pressure; reduce injection speed; raise cooling water pressure |
| Nozzle drool | Poor insulation; insufficient cooling; excess pressure on melt; hold pressure too low | Improve cooling; clean screw; secure gate insulation; raise hold pressure |
| Preform bends after ejection | Eccentric gate orifice; uneven cooling | Repair mould; lower hold pressure; raise injection speed; extend cooling time; clean cooling lines; raise cooling water pressure |
| Preform bends after blow-mould heating | Eccentric core; eccentric temperature-adjust orifice; uneven density | Repair mould; adjust temperature-control base; lower temperature on bend area |
| Local whitening on preform | Insufficient heating temperature before blow-moulding | Raise heating temperature; even out the temperature profile along the preform |
| Insufficient stretching during blow-moulding | Air pressure too low; heating temperature too low; injection-stage defect | Raise air pressure and air volume; raise preform temperature; verify preform — soften test with 100 °C water |
| Bottom crack of bottle | Preform bottom temperature too high or too low; severe material degradation | Adjust preform temperature profile; replace material; improve drying |
| Preform / bottle eccentricity | Blowing started too early; air pressure too high; blow pin misaligned; severe preform eccentricity; blow pin too slow; gap between blow pin and bottom > 1.5 mm | Delay blowing; lower air pressure; align installation; check preform; tune air cylinder; set gap ≤ 1.5 mm; lower bottom-section heating temperature |
| Insufficient vertical extension of body | Heating too high; local cold slug; insufficient air pressure / volume; poor venting of blow mould; blow mould temperature too high; preform wall too thin | Check and adjust each corresponding cause listed |
PET Preform Mould FAQ
What cavity counts do you support?
Topworks builds PET preform moulds from 1 to 96 cavities. The right cavity count depends on your annual bottle volume, available machine tonnage and target cycle time — we help size this during the DFM stage.
Hot runner or pin-valve system?
Almost every PET preform mould runs on a hot runner. Pin-valve (valve gate) systems are preferred for high-cavity, high-volume programs because they shorten cycle time, eliminate gate strings and reduce trimming labour.
How long is the mould life?
A Topworks PET preform mould is engineered for more than 2.5 million shots while still holding stable preform quality — provided the mould is run within recommended process windows and maintained on schedule.
What is the typical lead time?
Lead time depends on cavity count, neck finish and hot runner configuration. Smaller moulds (1–8 cavities) can ship faster; high-cavity production moulds take longer. Contact us with your specs for a project-specific schedule.
What steel is used for the cavity and core?
Standard build uses ASSAB S136 or DIN 1.2316 for cavity, core insert and slide insert — both deliver high hardness, mirror-polish capability and corrosion resistance suitable for long-run PET production.
Do you provide spare parts and overseas support?
Yes. Every PET preform mould ships with a complimentary set of spare parts. Our service team provides remote technical support, and we can dispatch engineers overseas for installation, commissioning and operator training.
Get a Fast Quote for Your PET Preform Mould
Send us your cavity count (1–96), neck finish (e.g. PCO28), target preform weight range, and hot runner / valve-gate preference. You’ll get back a tooling strategy, lead time and formal quotation — usually within one working day.
