Advances in PET packaging promise lighter bottles and lower costs
KHS featured various new developments related to PET at drinktec 2025: The company presented the premium LITE PET bottle with Husky, the InnoPET FreshSafe QuadBlock monobloc line and low-labour AutoReel label storage.
Photo top: By blocking four machines, the InnoPET FreshSafe QuadBlock takes up less space. The streamlined container conveying segments are designed to boost line availability. (Photo: Rüdiger Sternal)
InnoPET FreshSafe QuadBlock monobloc line
The InnoPET FreshSafe QuadBlock monobloc production line is claimed to offer improved energy efficiency, a smaller production footprint, lower maintenance costs and improved recyclability and sustainability.
The FreshSafe QuadBlock integrates several core manufacturing processes into a single, monobloc machine that combines stretch blow moulding, labelling, filling, and barrier coating and thus streamlines the production process and boosts overall efficiency, as well as reducing the risk of cross-contamination.
The machine incorporates Inno-PET Plasmax barrier technology, which applies a thin glass layer inside the PET bottles, protecting the contents from oxygen ingress and carbon dioxide loss. This barrier coating extends the shelf life of carbonated beverages, which is particularly helpful for products that require long-term storage. The coated bottles remain fully recyclable, so they can be reprocessed and reused, which is an increasingly important factor in today’s environmentally conscious market.
No blower unit
The system labels the bottles when they are dry, which eliminates the need for a blower unit and consequently cuts energy consumption. This design also reduces the number of conveyor drives by 60%, which helps to improve sustainability and availability. The streamlined container conveying segments and end-to-end neck handling further boost efficiency and space-saving capabilities, making it an attractive option for production environments with spatial constraints.
The system’s modules operate in common mode, which enables simplified handling and less human labour. Although the FreshSafe QuadBlock is a single unit, its modular design and construction enables the modules to be serviced independently, which means that parallel maintenance can be undertaken without halting production.
The FreshSafe QuadBlock delivers finished PET bottles that are coated, labelled, filled and capped, ready for packing and palletizing. The system’s ability to produce lightweight PET bottles with optimum stability allows for material savings and thus reducing the overall cost of production. The seamless integration with downstream packers and palletisers is designed to ensure a smooth, efficient, end-to-end production chain.
Ultra light rPET bottle
The Premium LITE bottle, developed in collaboration with Husky Technologies, is claimed to offer significant material savings but without compromising quality or bottle integrity. The 250 ml bottle weighs just 6.2 g, is made from 100% rPET and is designed for high-speed production lines. It offers cost savings and sustainability without compromising quality. Despite their reduced weight, the bottles maintain high stability and product safety, making them suitable for various shapes and sizes.
The use of rPET in the production of the Premium LITE bottle helps to reduce the demand for virgin plastic and promotes the recycling of existing plastic materials, in alignment with the principles of a circular economy. The collaboration between KHS and Husky Technologies has achieved savings of 1-2 g material per bottle, offering substantial cost savings without compromising functionality or aesthetics.
KHS says that its InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow moulder is specifically designed to deliver maximum bottle quality at low energy consumption in high-speed systems. The technology provides precise control over the bottle’s wall thickness, which is essential for process stability with large batches of ultralight PET bottles and is key to maintaining structural integrity and meeting the demands of filling lines, logistics, and end consumers.
Low labour label store
Also presented at drinktec 2025 was KHS’ Innoket AutoReel, which addresses the challenges of frequent label reel changes that can require manual intervention and restocking as often as every 15 minutes in high speed beverage and liquid food packaging operations. The compact label reel storage system designed to provide up to eight hours of roll-fed labelling, without operator intervention. Its ergonomically-designed drawer system allows individual reel refills during ongoing operations, without interrupting production. The active drawer remains locked, for safety.
It is suitable for all standard roll-fed labels and can be flexibly integrated into existing KHS Innoket Neo RF or InnoPET TriBlock lines. Its compact design makes it suitable for space-limited production environments.
KHS asserts that the developments and new technologies integrated into the FreshSafe QuadBlock, Premium Lite PET bottle and InnoPET Blomax Series V stretch blow moulder, and the low-intervention Innoket AutoReel, offer improvements in efficiency, sustainability and product quality to the PET bottle manufacturing industry.