PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2020

BOTTLE MAKING 50 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 06/20 www.petpla.net The Covid-19 emergency is likely to generate increased demand for personal hygiene and safety products, according to Sipa Small is beautiful Sipa expects the popularity of its ECS SP single-stage injection-stretch-blow moulding (ISBM) units will increase in the coming months as converters invest in equipment to manu- facture small PET bottles that can be fi tted with spray or dosing units for sanitising liquids. “The Covid-19 emergency is changing the way we live. When we emerge on the other side of the crisis, some things will return to the way they were but some things won’t. Gener- ally, we hope we will learn from the experience and be better prepared for the future and for other crises, as yet unknown but as inevitable as the sunrise,” Sipa says. One of the issues that has been thrown into stark prominence is the importance of personal hygiene. Across the world, in all countries, whether they have been affected by the coronavirus or not, right at the top of the agenda is the injunction to “Wash your hands”. That message is likely to persist, well beyond the time when the emergency has passed. While regular washing with soap and water is the best way of preventing virus infection, that isn’t always pos- sible. It is increasingly common for people to have a small liquid hand sanitizer handy, in a pocket or a hand- bag. Demand for smaller packaging As a result, Sipa expects the popularity of its ECS SP single- stage injection-stretch-blow mould- ing (ISBM) units will increase in the coming months, as converters invest in equipment to manufacture small PET bottles that can be fi tted with spray or dosing units for sanitising liquids. The ECS range can be used to produce bottles as small as 10ml, which can be used for pharmaceuti- cals, cosmetics, food, liquor and non- food products. Sipa has been involved with the design, development and production of ISBM systems for over 30 years. Its ECS equipment is capable of making a wide range of packaging, from miniature bottles through to large containers. The company says that they are popular with customers because costs associ- ated with some elements of two-stage processing disappear – speci fi cally, related to preform handling, storage, cooling and reheating. Flexible range of production Sipa’s range includes two models of four-station (injection, condition- ing, blowing, discharge) ECS SP units speci fi cally designed for small contain- ers: ECS SP80 and ECS SP25 (the numbers refer to injection clamp force in tonnes). They are optimised for produc- tion of containers as small as 10ml but large tie-bar spacing enables the ECS SP80 to produce containers up to 12.5l in volume. ECS SP machines have compact footprints and are claimed to be energy ef fi cient. They are designed to enable fast and straightforward changeovers between different product con fi gura- tions; assembling and disassembling the neck-ring plate can be carried out by one person. The machines also handle preforms so as to enable mould- ing of neck and shoulder designs in ways impossible with two-step tech- nology. The integrated production of preforms and bottles helps to eliminate scratches on fi nished products. Blow air pressure of up to 40bar can be used to produce sophisticated and complex bottle shapes. The ECS SP80 and SP25 can produce hot- fi llable PET con- tainers that withstand fi lling tempera- tures up to 90°C. Energy ef fi ciency These ECS models are equipped use hybrid drives. They use hydraulics where large forces are required, such as in applying high clamp forces during preform production, for example. Fast, precise and energy-ef fi cient move- ments, such as opening and closing of the blowing unit, plasticising screw and index rotation, are carried out by servo- electrics. This combination helps the machines to be more energy ef fi cient and thus have a smaller carbon foot- print than comparable equipment.