PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2012

BOTTLE MAKING 24 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 09/12 www.petpla.net Coloured PET bottles on standard SBM machines Multi-component bottles Inotech Kunststofftechnik GmbH has developed a new technology to produce multi-component preforms which can be used for the production of bottles on standard SBM (Stretch Blow Moulding) machines. It ena- bles individual colour and material combinations to be realised without any sepa- rate assembly steps. The security pigments (Securalic pigments) used for the multi-colour applications are based on a protected technology by Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany. From multi-coloured to demanding haptic applications Colourful PET bottles are only one of the possible applications. It is also possible to create multi-resin parts and assemblies for functionality such as transparent areas for windows and filling levels. A second material can stabilise the later bottle or haptic ele- ments made of TPE can be incorpo- rated. Another example is the much- discussed milk bottle: a black colour can protect the milk against UV light while another colour can be used as a design element. To solve func- tional problems without any additional assembly stage and to cover critical areas with another material open up a whole new world of possibilities. How is the preform produced? Multi-component moulding is a multi-stage moulding process that produces preforms with two or more integrated materials/components. In the first stage the resin A is shot into the injection mould. Then the mould, or part of the mould, is rotated in the machine. Resin B is then used in the second shot. The injection moulding machine needs to have two or more plastication/injection units (one unit for each different resin or colour). The machine’s multiple screws are usually arranged in a vertical position (90°). How are the preforms blown? These preforms can then further processed like standard preforms with standard IR or NIR heating systems. Minor adjustments have to be done on the process depending on the pre- form design, colour and shape. Some specific designs may only be pos- sible to heat on a microwave system such as the Krones new FlexWave. The company actually has two patent applications to produce blown multi- components containers. One appli-