PET bottle design: merging creativity and technology
A PET bottle is a means of communication. It provides information about the liquid: its ingredients and origin, trademark and brand values, promotes the product and attracts our attention. It can vary in terms of shape, colour, volume, structure, weight, physical properties. PET Technologies’ recent project is a case. The task was to develop a premium bottle that highlights environmental awareness. It includes design of the container, cap and label. The preform is 100 rPET.
It is a transparent Boston round shape bottle with a black cap. Sharp edges, as if glacier peaks, decorate the lower part. Doesn’t it resemble a bottle emerging from dense ice high in the mountains? The bottle design with minimalist label reflects the natural origin of water, its freshness that merges with elegance and sophistication. The water springs from the purest otherworldly glaciers high in the mountains of China. It is said that the water helps to clear the mind, expand consciousness and sharpen perception.
Everything above is about aesthetics. What about technology?
The bottle design was developed keeping in mind the characteristics of the PET stretch blow moulding process in general and the parameters of the customer’s SBM machine in particular. PET Technologies also took into consideration the restrictions of the existing filling line and market trends. The shapes of the bottle are streamlined enough to reach perfect material distribution. The neck finish is well-known in the market. Thus, a wide range of caps is also available. A number of different suppliers guarantee the continuous operation of the bottling plant thus eliminating downtime.
Stages in the project implementation by PET Technologies:
- to carry out market research and to visualise the design by artist;
- to develop a technical drawing, keeping in mind the characteristics of the PET stretch blow moulding process;
- to make prototyping and produce samples of bottles;
- to carry out laboratory tests and check the physical properties of the bottle;
- to send samples to the customer for bottle trials on the filling line and test the market with target audience;
- to manufacture set of moulds for the rotary blow moulding machine.
Bottle design is not always about something totally new. Sometimes it is enough to implement minor modifications and create a totally new look. Bottle weight reduction is one of the common trends. To achieve it, one can switch to a smaller neck finish, modify the base, make bottle walls thinner, and improve bottle geometry for better material distribution. Often the customer is scarcely aware of these improvements which make the bottles more environmentally friendly and reduce operational costs. Changes in the bottle design led to the conversion of the whole filling line to the new standard. PET Technologies manufactures change parts and installs them on the equipment of all European brands, providing a turnkey solution. Steve Jobs said: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” PET Technologies shares this vision of developing an attractive design that meets all the required characteristics and existing restrictions.
