On a Contiform S line, the heating tunnel is where the whole cycle gets its rhythm. Underheat the preforms, and you’ll see weak shoulders, blown seams, and scrap piling up. Overheat them, and you get crystallization and ambering. As the lamps age, output drifts and temperature uniformity falls apart. The fallout isn’t just bad bottles—it’s unplanned downtime while you chase setpoints. What matters under the hood We built the Contiform S replacement lamp to match the machine’s heating geometry and electrical envelope. The emitter is a short-wave infrared halogen lamp in a quartz envelope, chosen for fast response and stable output during the preform soak window. It’s spec’d to the OEM voltage and power draw so the heating curve stays repeatable across cavities. The base uses an R7s connector, and the overall length matches the original, so it drops straight into the existing reflectors and mounts without any fuss. We control spectral output and filament position to keep the energy profile consistent, so you get the same heat distribution you expect from the factory setup. Why it holds up in stretch blow molding Timing is everything in stretch blow molding. The lamp’s fast start-up brings the tunnel back to temperature quickly after a short stop, which cuts warm-up waste. Tighter temperature control improves bottle weight consistency and lowers burst failures on sensitive designs. In practice, plants running this lamp see fewer lamp-related alarms and more stable line speeds. Energy use trends lower, too, because the reflector alignment and output match the original system—no efficiency loss from mismatched emitters. A few shop-floor notes Installation is straightforward, but alignment is not optional. A lamp that isn’t seated right, or a reflector that’s worn, changes the heating pattern and can create hot spots. Always handle the quartz envelope by the base, not the glass, and make sure the orientation matches the arrow on the holder. Also, match the lamp to the exact Contiform S heating module; using a generic length or connector will shift the focus and degrade heating uniformity. Plan replacements during scheduled maintenance windows to avoid temperature swings that stress the preforms.