PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2017

PREFORM PRODUCTION 15 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 06/17 the standard only applies to the thread and not the closure. “On a lightweight version we can reduce the weight per thread with cap to 4.4g,” states Wiese. The 1.4g of material saved per bottle quickly make themselves felt to bot- tlers of CSDs. Those who buy in their PET preforms – and this is the major- ity of beverage bottlers – pay for them by weight and not per piece. Thus the more bottles produced each year, the lower the costs per container. The savings potential for still beverages is similarly large: on the lightest stand- ard variant to date, what is known as the 26/22, the thread weighs just 0.95g, plus a further 0.7g for the closure. This amounts to less than a third of the PCO 1881 neck with cap. The development of new savings potential and espe- cially the implementation thereof is an elaborate pro- cess where only a handful of manufacturers have the necessary expertise. At KHS this knowledge is pooled in its Bottles & Shapes pro- gram and through this made available to the customer. Focus on individual systems If a certain bottler wishes to further reduce the weight of his or her PET bottles and if the thread has been earmarked as a possible savings potential, the Ham- burg experts of the systems supplier then scrutinise the demands the bottler makes of his or her bottles. The key questions here are: what internal and external pres- sure is exerted on the bottle? Which media are bottled? What does the customer expect regarding bottle han- dling? Based on these factors various performance specifi- cations are drawn up which greatly reduce the number of possible selectable formats in advance. Together with the client the best possible solution is then chosen. In addition, the resulting devel- oped bottle must ultimately be able to be processed on the plant equipment. A smaller neck ring is only beneficial if the filling system can also grip it, permitting the container to be safely guided along the production line. If the thread is reduced and less material used, it then needs less heat in the stretch blow moulding process so that it does not become deformed. The filled bottle would otherwise not close properly further down the line. KHS systems therefore make use of a special construction which ensures that in the stretch blow moulder heater no rays of heat from the infrared heater reach the preform above the neck ring. On newer systems users profit both from an opti- mised near infrared heater and an air recycling system (AirbackPlus), enabling only around 65% of the energy required to date to blow the PET bottles having to be used for the same production quantities. In combination with optimised containers, systems like these make for distinctly more sustainable and efficient production. www.khs.com repi.com A COLOUR IDENT I TY LIQUID COLOURS AND ADDITIVES FOR PACKAGING DRINKTEC 11-15 September 2017 - Munich, Germany Hall 4 Stand 500