PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2011

PET products 28 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 06/11 www.petpla.net Tailor-made barrier bottles PET-Verpackungen GmbH, of Grossbreitenbach, Germany, offers tailor-made barrier PET preforms. Most of the company’s range of preforms is available as mono or multilayer, with a choice of weights and neck finishes available. Customers can choose from a wide portfolio of barrier materials that are suitable for beer, juices, CSD, and other oxygen-sensitive products. The latest addition to the range is the750ml Karamalz a multilayer PET bottle with passive barrier. PET-Verpack- ungen have been manufacturing PET bottles for eight years and says that multilayer bottles are very suitable for tailoring the barrier element to customers’ specific requirements and to incorporate new materials. www.pet-verpackungen.de Multilayer inspection system Intravis Vision Systems of Germany have released a Barrier- Watcher Inspection System that is able to inspect EVOH (ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer) barrier layers for defects. EVOH creates a barrier to oxygen and carbon dioxide in food containers and is used as plastic packaging for food, medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic goods. Barrier- Watcher detects insufficient layer thickness by comparing monitored products to a reference object. The special EVOH cameras compare relative thicknesses and can detect small holes in the layers. Each module can have up to eight cameras and can inspect up to eight items per second. There are currently two versions of the BarrierWatcher: a laboratory system with manual handling or as an inline system integrated with an injection moulding machine. Typical parts inspected are multilayer preforms, tubes, cups or barrier closures. Intravis says that the technology is now being used by leading multi-national food and pack- aging companies. www.intravis.com Barrier PET BottleS Bericap brings beer in PET bottles to India As an oxygen-sensitive product, beer has presented particular chal- lenges on oxygen transmission to PET bottles and their closures. In order to address these concerns, plastic closure manufacturer Bericap has devel- oped a closure in ‘crown cork’ design, specifically for the beer market. Its DoubleSeal SuperShorty Crown O2S closure looks very similar to the traditional beer crown cork and was the first 28mm closure fitting for the PCO 1881 neck. The company equipped the closure with an oxygen scavenger, which absorbs oxygen in the bot- tle’s headspace and is claimed to ensure quality during the beer’s shelf life. The system was first introduced to China in 2009; the company has been considering the Indian market for some time and a local brewer has now introduced one-litre PET bottles for beer, which use the Bericap closure to maintain beverage quality, even in hot climates. The first bottles are now available on the Indian market. www.bericap.com Barrier PET BottleS Barrier PET BottleS