PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2018

PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 07+08/18 www.petpla.net 41 TRADE SHOW REVIEW Colour & effects for PET bottles Penn Color’s specialist Penneffex design team, which was established in Q4 2017, brings together employ- ees from North America, Europe and Asia, who have combined to influence the company with packaging ideas and design trends from around the world. Penneffex is currently focused on developing colour & effect con- cepts for both mono- and multi-layer PET bottles and is adding HDPE extrusion blow moulding prototyping capabilities, which will further extend its concept, design and development expertise and resources. At NPE, the Penneffex team demonstrated a range of bicolour, thermochromic and phosphorescent PET bottles, specifically aimed at and designed for the beverage market. Overcoming challenges The presentation demonstrated how Penn Color’s specialists have overcome three main challenges associated with special effects pig- ments in PET bottles, which are:  Special effect pigments can degrade at the high process tem- peratures required for PET, causing the bottle to lose its eye-catching effect.  They are not always approved for food contact. This has tended to limit applications to non-food con- tact applications like Homecare and Personal Care.  Special effect pigments are gener- ally expensive, which makes them potentially prohibitive for mass- market applications. The Penneffex team overcame these challenges by designing a pro- prietary special effect compound, to be used in the mid-layer of a multi- layer PET bottle. The multi-layer hot-runner was able to process the Penneffex compound in the mid-layer at lower tempera- tures than the inner and outer layers. This served to significantly reduce the impact of thermal degradation and allowed the special effects to maintain their full effect in the finished bottle. Within the structure of the bottle, an inner layer of food grade PET can effectively create a functional barrier between the mid-layer and the food or beverage content. The Penneffex compounds were specifically tailored to be dosed in high concentrations and in minute amounts, in the preform’s mid-layer. Even in these minute amounts, the pigments can achieve their targeted special effect, which helps to deliver a meaningful reduction in the total pro- duction cost of the finished bottle. Successful collaboration and future developments The bottles demonstrated at NPE were developed in collaboration with Husky Injection Molding Systems and designed and engineered by PET Engineering. Penneffex intends to pro- ceed with a series of launches of new colours and effects developed specifi- cally for the packaging market. Penn Color is establishing a new Research & Design Center, which is scheduled for completion in Q4 2018. It will be located in Hatfield, PA, USA, which is 30 miles from Philadelphia, PA, and 90 miles from New York City, NY. The new Center will showcase Penneffex concepts. Penn Color is actively encouraging converters, brand owners, package designers and equip- ment manufacturers to visit the center and to continue to push technical limits in the possibilities and applications of packaging colours and effects. www.penncolor.com www.petengineering.com www.husky.co At NPE 2018 Penn Color’s Penneffex design team, in association with Husky Injection Molding Systems and PET Engineering, demonstrated a range of its new colour and finish effects, created using advanced techniques and technology. Room temperature Frozen