EP-ZQ40 IBM Machine — Replacement for Bloma IBM45

EP-ZQ40 covers the full Bloma IBM45-class pharmaceutical application range (30–500 ml PP and HDPE) with the additional headroom that the 260 g shot weight creates for heavier-wall pharmaceutical formats. Where IBM45-class at 180 g limits pharmaceutical HDPE tablet bottle production to 4 cavities at 40 g per bottle, EP-ZQ40 extends the same format to 6 cavities — a direct 50% output increase on the same cavity size investment. Closed injection-to-stripping cycle maintains pharmaceutical GMP cleanroom handling standards, ±0.05 mm neck thread tolerance ensures 100% cap-seal compliance.

The S136 SPI A1 mould option is the single feature that separates EP-ZQ40 from Bloma IBM45-class for Korean premium cosmetic dropper vial production. Eye serum vials (5–30 ml PCTG), nail oil dropper bottles and facial treatment essence vials at 8–9 cavities per cycle produce 8,000–9,600 bottles per hour on EP-ZQ40 with glass-look optical clarity that IBM45-class H13 tooling cannot match.

Korean daily chemical and personal care brands running 50–250 ml PP or PCTG spray and pump bottles on IBM45-class machines find EP-ZQ40's larger shot weight allows higher cavity counts for the same bottle format, lowering cost per bottle without changing the mould architecture. The smaller EP-ZQ40 machine footprint also allows two units side-by-side in factory bays where IBM45-class required single-machine installation.

Supplement capsule bottles, probiotic containers and herbal dropper vials (30–500 ml PP or HDPE) with Korea Ever-Power food-contact documentation package (Korean MFDS, FDA 21 CFR 177.1520, EU 10/2011) supplied at programme commencement for buyer's Korean and international product registration.

Q1: Will existing Bloma IBM45 mould tooling fit the EP-ZQ40?

Not without assessment. Bloma IBM45 platen is 450 × 390 mm versus EP-ZQ40 480 × 340 mm. Mandrel pitch, mould thickness (180 mm on EP-ZQ40) and bolt-hole patterns differ. Send Bloma IBM45 mould base drawings and Korea Ever-Power will advise on adaptation requirements or incompatibility within 5 working days at no cost.

Q2: How can EP-ZQ40 achieve 260 g shot weight when Bloma IBM45 uses the same 45 mm screw and only reaches 180 g?

At identical screw diameter, injection weight is determined by injection stroke length and barrel length (L/D ratio). Korea Ever-Power EP-ZQ40 uses a 22:1 L/D ratio with 120 mm injection stroke, achieving 260 g at 45 mm screw. Bloma IBM45-class at the same 45 mm screw achieves 180 g, indicating a shorter effective injection stroke or lower L/D specification. The 44 percent shot weight advantage EP-ZQ40 holds over IBM45-class at equal screw diameter reflects these internal dimensional differences in barrel design.

Q3: EP-ZQ40 has higher clamp force and larger shot weight than Bloma IBM45 — why is it physically smaller?

The answer is clamping architecture. Conventional IBM machines including Bloma IBM45-class use the main hydraulic clamping cylinder for both clamping force and mould open/close travel, requiring the machine frame to accommodate the full cylinder stroke travel clearance. Korea Ever-Power EP-ZQ40's European pressurised-clamping design uses a separate booster cylinder for clamping hold only — it does not travel during open/close. This allows the main machine frame to be significantly more compact without sacrificing clamping force. The booster cylinder also does not generate the heat and wear of a conventional open/close cylinder, contributing to the 10–20% energy reduction per cycle.

Q4: What is the EP-ZQ40 machine and mould lead time?

Machine: 45–60 working days from order confirmation and deposit. Mould tooling: 35–45 working days (H13 SPI B1) or 50–65 working days (S136 SPI A1). Machine and mould manufactured in parallel for simultaneous T1 trial commissioning before shipment.

Q5: Does the EP-ZQ40 1.7 m height actually make a practical difference for Korean factory installations?

Yes, significantly. Standard Korean pharmaceutical GMP cleanroom ceiling clearance is 2.4–2.7 m. Bloma IBM45-class at 2.55 m leaves only 0.15 m of overhead clearance in a 2.7 m cleanroom — insufficient for barrel heater element replacement, which requires approximately 0.5–0.8 m above the heating zone for service access. EP-ZQ40 at 1.7 m leaves 0.7–1.0 m overhead clearance for the same cleanroom, accommodating full maintenance access without ceiling modification. This difference also affects HVAC unidirectional airflow design: a lower machine profile reduces the protected zone height above the machine that must be maintained for GMP cleanroom ISO classification.

Q6: What PCTG optical quality does EP-ZQ40 deliver with S136 SPI A1 tooling?

0.8–1.6% ASTM D1003 integrating sphere haze at 0.5–0.6 mm body wall, verified on Korea Ever-Power ZQ40 T1 trials using PCTG Eastman TX1001 at 252 °C barrel and 20 °C blow mould cooling water. Bloma IBM45-class standard H13 tooling typically achieves 3–5% haze at comparable wall thickness — above the 2% threshold that Korean luxury K-beauty eye serum, nail oil and premium facial treatment dropper brands specify. The S136 SPI A1 option on EP-ZQ40 is what opens this category of Korean cosmetic packaging contracts.

Q7: What pharmaceutical GMP documentation does Korea Ever-Power supply?

Machine data sheet; factory acceptance test (FAT) report on buyer-specified resin and cavity format; CE certificate; ISO 9001:2015 certificate; PP resin CoA (Korean MFDS food container registration + KP plastic container standard test from KOLAS-accredited laboratory); PCTG Eastman TX1001 FDA 21 CFR 177.2490 letter + EU 10/2011 Declaration of Conformity. IQ/OQ documentation template available on request.

Q8: What on-site service does Korea Ever-Power provide after delivery?

One week on-site commissioning and operator training covering installation, first production start-up, HMI recipe management, mould changeover, daily preventive maintenance, and basic hydraulic and electrical troubleshooting. Korean-language operator manual and electrical schematic PDF included. 24/7 remote PLC diagnostic support via VPN for 90 days post-commissioning, 2-hour response SLA for software issues. Korea Ever-Power operates from Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do with spare parts inventory for rapid Korean dispatch.

Q9: How long does a full mould changeover take?

A complete cavity swap (injection cavity block, mandrel core rod set, blow cavity) takes approximately 60–90 minutes with a two-person crew. Pre-heating the replacement injection cavity on an adjacent temperature controller while current production runs reduces changeover to approximately 40–50 minutes. This changeover time is comparable to Bloma IBM45-class figures for the same tooling scope.

Q10: Which EP-ZQ model replaces Bloma IBM50, IBM85 and IBM135?

EP-ZQ60 (600 kN, screw 45/50 mm, max shot 383 g, platen 600 × 390 mm, 37 kW) replaces Bloma IBM50-class (500 kN, screw 50 mm, shot 240 g). EP-ZQ80 (800 kN, screw 55 mm, max shot 466 g, platen 800 × 400 mm, 55 kW) replaces Bloma IBM85-class (700 kN, screw 50 mm, shot 310/280 g). EP-ZQ110 (1,100 kN, screw 65 mm, max shot 540 g, platen 1100 × 460 mm, 80 kW) replaces Bloma IBM135-class (1,250 kN, screw 70 mm, shot 560 g). Dedicated pages in the IBM machine replacement guide.