PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2019

BOTTLE MAKING 16 PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 05/19 www.petpla.net Co-injection for absolute flexibility Get connected Kortec (now Milacron Co-injection) is a leading supplier of co-injection solutions to the plastics and especially packag- ing Industries. The company’s systems are used to produce high-barrier multi-layer containers featuring three-layer con- struction that optimises clarity and strength while maximising the shelf-life of the end-use products. PETplanet talked to Mr Oliver Lindenberg, President Mold-Masters Americas, Ms Cheryl Sayer, Director of Engineering about their systems and future developments in the plastic packaging industry. PETplanet: When and why was Kortec or Co-Injection Milacron founded? What was the decisive point of this system to market? Milacron: After almost 20 years of developing technology for plas- tic packaging by Kortec, Milacron decided to acquire this compelling technology and technologically driven company (first system shipped in 1999) to complete our offering to the injection world and pursue a growing and wide range of opportunities. PETplanet: How has this brand developed under the Milacron umbrella since its inception? Milacron: We have integrated Kortec under Mold-Masters, as co- injection is the knowledge of the melt distribution of the different melt layers (process) and the molding process, which is the core competency of Mold- Masters. Mold-Masters has over 50 years of knowledge and expertise with our hot runner and controller history to drive this technology to the next level, enter new markets and enable our customers to differentiate and be prepared for the future. PETplanet: Where do you see particularly lucrative future markets for this system? Milacron: The market driv- ers are part cost reduction, product differentiation, sustainability and increased shelf life and the percent- age of injected scrap material, which can be added to reduce virgin plastic consumption. The main markets as of today are single serve coffee capsules, where we are the market leader, as well as in pet food contain- ers with approximately 30-40B units, and general canned food, like soups, veggies with 80+ bill units, with our Klear Can co-injection solution as well as the beverage closure market. PETplanet: Where and how is the co-injection system used? Milacron: Co-injection is the simultaneous injection of two materi- als. Material A is the skin and Materials B is the core, where the core B is fully encapsulated by the skin A. Because they are injected simultaneously so there is no cycle time penalty. Co- injection is used typically to introduce a barrier, for example, to block transmis- sion of CO 2 , O 2 , light. But it can also be used for introducing a high-volume low-cost core (PCR), mechanical advantages (injecting a core material of a different durometer) for a sealing application, and for the aesthetics for on the shelf differentiation. PETplanet: What are the key benefits of the system? (Especially for PET applications) Milacron: Milacron’s Kortec tech- nology is the industry leader in barrier distribution and control. The system delivers excellent leading-edge control and barrier core weight control from shot to shot, run to run. It is world class due to its barrier distribution capabilities. A monolayer machine can easily run as co-injection process with Kortec Connect. This enables the machine to be used for multiple purposes, one day it can be used for co-injection mold- ing, the next day it can be used for monolayer moulding. Because Kortec Connect enables customers to make better use of their existing assets; it is the most cost competitive entry to co- injection on the market! PETplanet: How much weight is gained by the co-injection process e.g. saved in comparison to other multilayer preforms? Milacron: Weight is not gained, in fact, since for example in a PET barrier application, the core material has 10 times better permeation rates than PET, the part is typically light- weighted with the introduction of a barrier layer. The Kortec Connect system (MM-co-injection hot runner + controller + auxiliary injection unit) enables customers to upgrade their existing injection machine (all major brands) from mono-layer to multi-layer (co-injection). This helps to minimise the investment costs for the moulder and enables them to re-use existing equip- ment for a new purpose. by Heike Fischer