PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2013

BOTTLE MAKING 53 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 09/13 www.petpla.net Amcor developed Powerblock 3.0 container, a lightweight 64oz hot fill PET bottle Pillars of power Amcor Rigid Plastics has developed a lightweight 64oz hot fill PET bottle for juices and teas and slashed 9g, or 13.2%, from the typical 68g PET bottle. The hot fill container also boasts a 38mm lightweight finish which saves material compared to the standard 43mm finish for 64oz PET bottles. Amcor‘s Innovation Group, con- sisting of a cross-functional design team of 20-year packaging veterans, developed Powerblock 3.0 technology to provide a lightweight and strong hot-fill stock PET bottle with superior filling and stacking performance. Multiple utility and design patents are pending for this novel container. One patent covers an optimised conical base pushup with special diameter and height ratios and relationships. Another patent covers a round or rectangular base with strap-like features that are added to create a footed-style base. Packaging details The segmented standing surface consists of four standing one-inch col- umns, which are lightweight, strong, and rigid. Together, these technolo- gies work synergistically to unlock material normally trapped in the base area. This allows for better mate- rial distribution in the container body, resulting in a lighter weight container without sacrificing performance. Angles, ratios, and other bottle geom- etry are optimised to obtain a bal- anced response to vacuum, pressure, and top load forces. Powerblock 3.0 provides multiple fill contact points and flat sides for added stability; optimised footprint (width and depth) for improved pallet pattern and corrugate savings; and secure consumer handling with three intuitive areas for single-hand pour- ing. Virtual modelling A number of virtual modelling tech- niques were utilised to effectively pre- dict key performance parameters like quantified hot-fill characteristics and warehouse stack performance. While the new hot-fill container is initially targeted for 64oz hot fill containers, Amcor expects to adapt the technol- ogy to other hot-fill bottles. Amcor has completed all develop- ment and the stock bottle is already commercially available in several locations across the U.S. www.amcor.com