PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2019

BOTTLE MAKING 15 PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 03/19 www.petpla.net as well, are produced in-house, thus avoiding unnecessary journeys and reducing CO 2 emissions. So for a sustainable, efficient pro- duction operation, too, a partner like Krones was the choice. Two 16-part Contiform S machines produce a large bandwidth of bottles for prod- ucts like washing-up liquid, household cleaning agents and detergents in sizes ranging from 100ml to 2 l. They are labelled on Krones Contiroll and Kosme Flexa labellers, and filled on Kosme weighing-cell fillers. The dry end additionally features Krones pal- letisers, the Robobox and the Pres- sant Uni. The most recent machine being used for container production, how- ever, commissioned in 2017, features Krones’ ProShape technology: a Con- tiform 3 Pro with twelve cavities and a rating of up to 2,300 bottles per cavity and hour. Creating design eye-catchers with ProShape “With eye-catching bottle shapes, you can ensure consumers notice your product – since it’s the first impression that counts. In order to achieve this, we opted for an oval design of our containers,” explains Dr Wolfgang Gross, Managing Direc- tor of Fit GmbH. But it’s precisely this visual aspect that constitutes a challenge for standard machines, since the evenly heated preforms are not evenly shaped during the blow- moulding process: the long sides of the bottles, which are the first to come into contact with the compressed air, have a relatively high wall thickness. In parallel, this is reduced at the short sides of the bottle, since less material is available. To ensure that on these short sides the material thickness still suf- fices, a heavier preform can be used. But since this runs counter to the thrust for sustainability, and in addition a large proportion of the packaging costs depends directly on the pre- form’s weight, a different solution was needed. “With the ProShape module for selective preform temperature con- trol, Krones has come up with a really persuasive proposition. The mate- rial is selectively distributed, either to create a uniform wall thickness, or to strengthen certain areas of the bottle. This enables eye-catching designs to be created, as well as facilitating the lightweighting of oval containers as part of the thrust for sustainability,” to quote Dr Wolfgang Gross. The ProShape module is inte- grated into the Contiform between a standard linear oven and a stand- ard blowing wheel. Using aluminium moulds specially temperature-con- trolled to suit the requirements of the subsequent bottle, the requisite tem- perature profile is applied to the pre- form. This ensures that the preform is appropriately conditioned, after which it is passed to the mould following pre- cise orientation. Selectively optimised material distribution is achieved during subsequent stretch blow-moulding of the bottle. For preform orientation, optical sensor technology is used that can detect orientation marks at the neck finish of highly disparate pre- forms. Once the orientation mark has been detected, the requisite angle is computed and the preform individually oriented accordingly in the treatment starwheel by means of servo-technol- ogy. This means, for example, that the preform can before conditioning be turned so as to ensure that later on the screw-cap always sits in the same position on the bottle. ProShape enables bottles featur- ing a prominent round-oval contour and a sophisticated wall thickness distribution to be flexibly produced with maximised efficiency, economi- cal energy consumption levels and at low costs. In addition, the defined wall thicknesses in all container segments ensure optimal haptics and functional- ity, e.g. for the right rebound resilience when the bottle is squeezed. Hand in hand to create the perfect bottle In terms of bottle design, too, Krones supported company. Bottle, neck finish and closure were opti- mised, and customised to suit the application and the client’s stipula- tions. “Collaboration in the field of bottle development is excellent. Krones is able to offer comprehensive expertise for packaging development from a single source. This includes the well-versed design team, the tech- nical competence and the experience gained in installing production lines. Combined with our innovative vigour and the equally great technical skills of my staff, solutions were created hand in hand that are truly impres- sive,” says an enthusiastic Dr Gross. www.krones.com Continuous expansion of the product portfolio:  1997: Fit launches the first 3-phase tabs on the market.  1999: the traditional Fit washing- up liquid 500ml is given a fresh design and a new PET bottle.  2000: Fit purchases from the US Company Procter & Gamble the well-known brands Rei, Rei in the Tube and Sanso.  2015: the product portfolio is expanded with the acquisition of the Gard brand.  2016: acquisition of the Fenjal body care brand. Besides Fit, the company’s brands include Kuschel- weich, Sunil, Rei (in the tube), Sanso and the hair care brand Gard, plus the body care brand Fenjal.