PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2015

PRODUCTS 41 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 06/15 www.petpla.net Greiner takes a single step forward Greiner Packaging’s new Kavoblow technology is designed for the single- step manufacture of packaging in a wide range of material, including PET and PP, with non-round and off-center mouths as well as individual colours. The more common method is the two-step process, in which preforms are cooled and stored after the injection procedure, to be reheated and inflated subsequently. Greiner Packaging asserts that the two-step process can give rise to damage, such as ‘stroke marks’, and is one of the pioneers of the one-step method. In this, the preforms are inflated immediately after the injection process while still warm. It has been collaborat- ing since 2009 with Mould & Matic, part of the Haidlmair Group, on refining the method and making it more efficient. The result of the collaboration is a completely new machine called “Kavoblow”. The range of mouth diameters extends from very small, for applica- tions such as liquor, to very large wide-neck containers for the food industry, for example. Greiner’s Kavo division maintains that the one-step method offers improved effi- ciency and lower production costs, compared with exist- ing machine concepts. Pre- forms are line-produced in multiple rows, which means that several production pieces can be made within a shorter period, the company asserts. Kavoblow technology is aimed particularly at the 5 - 20 million units segment and combines the claimed characteristics of quality and efficiency of the one-step production process with levels of efficiency previ- ously associated with two-step systems. To date, Kavoblow products have been found primarily in the ketchup, honey, marma- lade, sauce, mouth rinse, and household cleaner markets, but Greiner says that custom- ers from the chemical, cos- metic, and healthcare indus- tries, are expressing interest in packaging concepts based on Kavoblow technology. www.greiner-gpi.com