Sidel introduces new high production speed 100% rPET lightweight bottle base for still products
StarLite-R STILL is a new bottle base that employs Sidel’s patented technology to ensure 100% recycled PET (rPET) integration, lightweighting, and high-speed production for water, juices, milk, and edible oil from 0.25l up to 2.5l.
Mikael Derrien, Manager Packaging Innovations at Sidel, explains that mainstream food and beverage manufacturers aim to lower production costs through lightweighting, reduced blowing pressures, and lower energy consumption, all while minimising their carbon footprint in response to regulatory pressures and consumer demand. While existing bottle bases on the market support lightweight designs and high production speeds, Derrien points out that they are typically designed for virgin PET bottles. “Sidel’s StarLite-R STILL is the only solution on the market specifically developed to address recycled PET that achieves the high performance necessary in this competitive market space.”
Balancing production speed, material type, and bottle weight presents a complex challenge for manufacturers in maintaining high performance; the new bottle base is claimed to overcome these with precise bottle base shaping and efficient material distribution. In addition, the solution requires a low blowing pressure, enhancing its sustainability credentials, says Sidel.
Its design can be retrofitted onto existing production lines.
Patented design and technology
The bottle base features Sidel’s patented technology which includes smooth material stretching and precise distribution; optimised venting for easy shaping; and an efficient base cooling circuit ideal for rPET which is likely to be processed at higher temperatures.
The new design has been developed to ensure the base does not deform or break, crucial for maintaining the bottle’s integrity during production, conveying, storage, transportation, and use.
The mould base’s rounded-edge design makes it easier to shape during blow moulding, which increases the bottle base resistance to defects such as bursts during the blowing process, says Sidel. This feature is particularly important for lightweight bottles, which are more prone to such issues due to the use of thinner material.
With a high base clearance, the structural design is claimed to prevent deformation, ensuring functionality and stability even in high-temperature conditions.
The bottle base has been designed to perform reliably during high-speed production, thanks to an efficient cooling. This cooling process prevents deformation and defects, maintaining consistent quality at rapid manufacturing speeds.
The bottle production process can use up to 20% less blowing pressure due to improved mould venting of the mould base. The carefully designed grooves and venting holes in the mould are claimed to ensure that air escapes efficiently, allowing the bottle base to take its desired shape even at lower pressures. This reduces energy consumption and production costs while maintaining quality.
Improved sustainability and costs for still drinks and edible oils
By switching from virgin PET to 100% rPET thanks to StarLite-R STILL, manufacturers can benefit from a reduction in 2,400t/a of CO2 equivalent, according to Sidel calculations. The bottle base can also be blown at lower pressure, only requiring 16 bars – a reduction of up to 20% on standard air blowing operations, translating to a further saving of 51t/a of CO2 equivalent and to 205,000€/a saved.
The bottle base is also compatible with a wide range of weights, including very lightweight bottles as low as 7g for 500ml format.
Versatility
Sidel’s latest bottle base is compatible with round, square-round and rectangular shaped bottles as well as suitable for single or multi-serve sizes from 0.25l up to 2.5l. It can also be used with transparent or white PET.
It supports single-serve production rates of up to 2,700 bph per mould and multi-serve rates of up to 2,400 bph per mould. The StarLite-R STILL can also be used with virgin PET as well as rPET and be produced utilising Sidel’s EvoBlow, Universal, and Series 2 blow moulders.
