PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2017

BOTTLE MAKING 33 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 05/17 custom phase, where it is further developed with specific attention to graphics, aesthetics, practicality, cost and ergonomics. Only when the client gives approval will the project then advance to the final phase: creating the mould that will bring the physical prototype of the new container to life. Moulds and testing A great design on its own is not enough to make a great looking bottle. Something that will offer shelf appeal and attract consumers also depends on the accuracy and precision with which the moulds used to produce it are made. In order to ensure that customers will receive the highest quality containers, SMI has created a department dedicated to the production of special aluminium and steel alloy moulds, suitable for use in its own stretch-blow mould- ers, as well as those of other manufacturers. The quality of the moulds is assured by employing an FMS line, consisting of 12 CNC machining centres. These are technologically advanced, fully automated, unmanned machine tools that run nonstop, 24/7, following computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programs. Research and develop- ment are constantly in the foreground at SMI. Its labs are able to deploy a range of resources for testing new technologies and applications, especially in the stretch-blow moulding of preforms made of PET and other materials. Its sophisticated equipment allows sophisticated and highly accurate testing of the customer’s preforms: thick- ness, for example, is meas- ured by cameras linked to parameterisation comparison software; polarised light equip- ment analyses polymer homo- geneity. SMI’s prototyping facility is equipped to provide rapid quality sampling. The creation of a “pilot” container gives shape to the design, providing a physical product for testing and inspection. The SMI laboratories check its mechanical, physical, and functional characteris- tics and determine whether these are consistent with the customer’s expec- tations. SMI’s range of up-to-date testing equipment includes the AGR International PPT3000 tester, which tests the quality of the bottles created by the SMI R&D Centre and ensures that they meet pressure resistance and volume expansion specifications. With its modern CAD centre, equipped with the latest generation of design tools, SMI is able to design and decorate a large variety of PET bottle and containers shapes, both simple and complex, with functional and custom designs. www.smigroup.it We do more. The factory of the future starts now drinktec 2017 Munich, 11 – 15 September Hall B6