PREFORM PRODUCTION PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 05/22 www.petpla.net 30 Recent developments in PET preforms and bottles Preforms for the Indian market Packaging technologies have evolved to make industrial processes more efficient and production faster, more environmentally sustainable and of consistently higher quality. In the Asia Pacific region, PET containers are not only widely used for drinking water, carbonated soft drinks (CSD) or fruit juices but also for edible oils, ghee, vanaspati (hydrogenated vegetable fat), alcohol, pharmaceuticals, detergent powders, personal care products, and more. Chemco Plastics Industries Pvt Ltd, one of India’s leading manufacturers of PET preforms, supplies a wide range of products to established FMCG brands. The Asia Pacific region, already the largest market by revenue, is seeing the world’s fastest growth in demand for PET preforms, forecast at over 6% CAGR between 2016 and 2026. China is the primary market and expected to be the largest market for PET preforms in the Asia Pacific, followed by India - a fast-growing market - and Japan where PET is also wellestablished. Consumption of CSD, liquor, personal care, food products, and other items has increased as the youthful population grows across the region and disposable income increases. Health and lifestyle trends have boosted the popularity of juices and non-carbonated drinks. Preform design Several factors are involved in delivering required bottle characteristics such as overall shape, neck finish and mechanical and barrier properties. A lesser bottle thickness will deliver material savings and make the finished container lighter but mechanical strength will be reduced and the choice of shapes may be limited. The bottle neck can also be made lighter and customised and preforms can be designed to incorporate special characteristics, such as large size, stackability, asymmetric shapes, or suitability for hot-fill. Chemco manufactures PET preforms with neck diameters of 28mm, 29/25mm, 30mm and 48mm and weights ranging from 10 g to 270 g for packaged drinking water, 12.3 g to 48 g for carbonated soft drinks with a neck diameter of 22mm and 28mm, and other products. Preform manufacturing Machine and mould technical characteristics determine production speed, product quality, power consumption, process costs and maintenance intervals. PET preforms are generally manufactured by a threestep process. Drying: Hopper drying is the most common method of extracting humidity from PET. Even drying is achieved by continuous conveyance by autoloaders. Dehumidifiers use a closed-loop system that provides consistently good surface finish and physical properties. Melting: Temperatures within the injection cavity vary by as much as 8-10 °C, from 270-275 °C at the front and 280-285 °C at the back, depending on mould design. Cooling and moulding: Cooling is usually by water, circulated at about 5 bar. This pressure has to be consistently maintained, to avoid breakage or deformities. Automated grippers deposit cooled preforms onto conveyor belts that take them for packaging for external delivery, or for reheating if they are to be blow-moulded immediately. Preform inspection Chemco’s laboratory tests each production batch. Every preform undergoes inline visual/optical checking for holes, scratches, chips and cracks, as well as internal and external dimensions. They are packed in corrugated fibreboard boxes. Sustainability Chemco has responded positively to the drive for improved sustainability, including reduced material consumption, increased use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET and a stronger network for collection of plastic waste. The company’s in-house recycling facilities allow it to monitor and control the quality of input materials. Advanced machinery and an on-site laboratory ensure that recycled materials are safe and can be used for food packaging applications. While bottle designs are largely determined by customers, Chemco is able to introduce recycled content without affecting quality, to minimise damage in transit, and enable retailers and end-users to reduce environmental impacts by using less protective packaging. www.chemcogroup.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY0MjI=