PETpla.net Insider 07 / 2017

BOTTLE MAKING 11 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 07/17 www.petpla.net New generation of bases for CDS bottles Lower pressure for a more profitable production The blowing of CSD beverage bottles is increasingly challenging in terms of speed and energy consump- tion, especially for blow moulding tool manufacturers. From the milestone of 28bar of blowing pressure achieved in 2008, the energy efficiency of the blow mould and the high physical per- formance of the bottle have been the driver for the engineering team of the Argentinian company Moldintec. The development of the technology applied in these high efficiency moulds was monitored closely by Paulo Villas, Regional Technical Director at Coca- Cola Brazil BU and Orlando Diz, Indus- trial Director at Coca-Cola Reginald Lee SA (Relesa). Relesa has tested and implemented in its bottling plant in Buenos Aires the successive genera- tions of Moldintec’s bases to optimise its bottle manufacturing. The recently introduced BaseMax was industrially tested and applied earlier this year during the regional launch of several new bottle shapes and sizes, includ- ing the company’s new asymmetric bottles. Low pressure, stable container The capability of the mould to have sharper geometry in the container while blowing pressure decreases enhances the physical performance of the petaloid even after lightweight- ing. It is claimed to improve reliability of the bottle, making it more stable and attractive in the market. Benefits include the capability of lightweighting up to 10% thanks to a better stretch- ing of the base material. The advanced geometry of the BaseMax petaloid is said to be repeat- able although at extremely low pres- sures. Test runs have shown 100% repeatability of the standing and heel area, even with final blowing pressure of 15bar. It turns into a more stable container and less susceptible to falling on the line, the shelf of the supermar- ket or the consumer’s home. BaseMax prevents unwanted rocking if the shape of the bottle body is slim, complex or asymmetrical. It also minimises the possibility of falling when being trans- ported between equipment, reduces expensive stoppages and improves the operational efficiency. The reduction of the final blowing pressure translates into multiple sav- ings: lower energy consumption, less maintenance, reduction of the carbon footprint, and more environmental friendliness. Moldintec states that the solution is easy to implement and to retrofit, fully compatible with new and existing moulds, even if they were manufactured by other tooling suppli- ers. The improved energy consump- tion might contribute to a possible ROI in less than a year. Redesigned multibrand blowing mould platform Moldintec will be announcing more developments in the upcoming months, particularly in the materials and manufacturing processes of their moulds. These developments are expected to increase the design free- dom of Moldintec’s engineers. Brands will appear exactly as intended by use of laser machining technology allowing sharper edges and unlimited decoration design freedom, says the company. Thus the development is providing bottlers within highly com- petitive market opportunities to dif- ferentiate their products and increase their market share with PET. Moldintec’s multi-brand platform concept provides flexible and versatile production to implement quick mould changeovers between machines from different manufacturers. The design approach is not only about optimising the blowing pro- cess as a source of savings for the bottle manufacturer, the total cost of ownership (TCO) is being constantly reviewed, while maintaining a high standard of mould quality and reli- ability. www.moldintec.com.ar bottle making Bottle base realised with BaseMax at a final blowing pressure of 15bar BaseMax is a patented solution for ultra-low blowing pressure of petaloid CSD bottle bases. This new generation combines advanced geometric design with thermodynamic mould engi- neering that allows blowing processes at very low pressures, 15 to 20 bar, and a 100% copying rate of the shape even at high speed depending on the specific process conditions. BaseMax full mould