Can new lamps actually squeeze more life out of an old Contiform S?
If you’re running an older Krones Contiform S, you know the struggle. You’re chasing target cycle times, but the machine just isn’t keeping up. You start seeing those annoying “cold spots” on the preforms, and suddenly your wall thickness is all over the place. It’s frustrating. The quickest way to get that capacity back? Swap out those tired, degraded lamps for some high-spec infrared replacements. The deal with heat density Here is the thing about the heating oven: it relies on short-wave infrared to get deep into the PET. But as lamps age, they don’t put out the same kind of heat they used to. We build our replacements to hit the exact voltage and wattage the original machine asked for. Why? Because if you try to “cheat” by throwing in a higher wattage tube to force more heat, you’ll probably just burn the surface of your preforms. It’s a balancing act between how much heat you’re throwing and how fast that conveyor is moving. Quartz and the “little things” We use high-purity quartz glass. It lasts longer and doesn’t burn out nearly as fast. Then there are the connectors—usually R7s or SK15. They might seem like a small detail, but a loose fit is a nightmare. It creates resistance, which leads to arcing, and before you know it, you’ve got melted sockets. Plus, we’ve coated the quartz to bounce the heat back toward the preform instead of letting it soak into the oven walls. Less waste, more heat where it actually matters. A quick heads-up before you swap These are drop-in replacements. No need to rewire anything or call in a specialist for a total overhaul. It’s pretty straightforward. But wait—there is one catch. When your lamps start working efficiently again, your oven’s ventilation has to keep up. If your cooling fans are clogged with dust or just plain dying, the oven is going to get too hot inside. That’s how you end up with crystallized PET. So, do yourself a favor: check your airflow first. Once that’s sorted, new tubes mean fewer rejects and a lot more bottles hitting the pallet every hour.