MOULD MAKING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 14 Designing PET bottles and blow moulds to improve the shelf-life through the fi lling process XpBottle, dynamic bottle’s capacity CO2 retention becomes the top of the list when lightweighting a bottle. It has widely challenged the use of existing blow moulds with lighter preforms, PCR PET, and resins. From this new point of view, the filling process, in combination with the blow mould design, could help to achieve a lightweight bottle and a long shelf-life. In summary, both counterpressure and foaming are important factors to consider in the volumetric filling of carbonated beverages to ensure consistent quality and a pleasant consumer experience. As mentioned earlier, foaming can occur if the counterpressure is too low, adversely affecting the process. However, if it is too high, it can cause deformation problems or even the explosion of the PET container while the drink is being filled. Bottle lightweighting brings significant economic benefits but also a reduction in the physical performance of the containers, including the capacity to preserve the product until consumption. For example, the structural resistance is decreased by reducing the thickness of the walls, producing containers that are difficult for the consumer to handle once opened. The same occurs with the container’s ability to retain CO2 in the product. A correctly carbonated drink that has lost carbon dioxide gas when it reaches the consumer results in a poor consumption experience. Taking the filling process into account The research by Moldintec’s R&D+I team found that the bottle`s CO2 retention could be improved by taking the filling process into account in the container design, calculation formula and mould engineering. They created a dynamically variable bottle between the blowing machine and MOULD MAKING Counterpressure and foaming are two critical factors that must be considered in the volumetric filling of carbonated beverages, as they can affect the quality and stability of the final product. Without going into specific technical details, there are different types of filling machines. They generally work by measuring the drink volume that should be filled in each container. This is achieved using sensors that measure the amount of liquid that enters the container and stop filling once the desired amount is reached. Counterpressure is the pressure exerted on the container while filling the carbonated drink. It is important to maintain an adequate counterpressure to avoid loss of carbonation and thus minimise foam formation. Counterpressure is adjusted by regulating the filling speed and pressure in the beverage storage tank. If the counterpressure is too low, a more significant amount of foam may be generated in the container, which can affect the quality of the final product. Foaming is another essential factor in the filling of carbonated beverages. It refers to the formation of gas bubbles in the container during filling, which can cause stability problems in the final product. Excessive foam formation can result in a lower quality. Maintaining adequate counterpressure and regulating filling speed is vital to avoid foaming. In addition, specific filling techniques can be used to minimise foam formation, such as filling in multiple stages or using special nozzles.
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