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My closing statement read: "There is only one real effective and incentive method to encourage environmentally sound collecting of beverage one-way containers and it is deposit in combination with High-Tech R&D resulted Reverse Vending Machines!"

In a period of market restriction like the one that is investing 2009, companies of all the world are developing every possible idea oriented to costs reduction.

The packaging producers, besides fighting for a constant reduction of the dimensions of the packing, are pursuing every possible solution in order to lighten the weight. If it is considered that the wrapping affects up to 30% of final sales price, it turns out unavoidable to tend for a packing rationalization that involves benefits in macroscopic terms for the companies and, at the same time to a lower environmental impact.

The waste disposal is in fact a big environmental problem everywhere, as in the industrialized nations as, if not principally, in underdeveloped nations that are often subjected to illegal imports of waste to high sanitary and environmental impact.
In the last thirty Years the affluent Society was greatly oriented to consumers’ “mono-use” goods.

In consequence, too often, every kind of waste should be disposed together with the domestic litter and the major part, at least in Italy, are disposed in garbage dumps, which are now almost full.

Waste represents a large loss of resources and raw materials that could be recovered, recycled or appointed to other uses; it implies that the rationalization of the same represents a variable to which producers and consumers will have to be gradually become more and more sensitive.

In this setting PET Engineering is one of the pioneers of these tendencies in course, introducing technological solutions to the forefront which are perfectly adapted to the market expectations. In 2007 PET Engineering already proposed a Monodose Bottle of the weight of 9 g for 100 ml. and this Year, besides the realization of “Bottle Fly”, the bottle of only 6,6 g. for 500 ml., the R&D department of PET Engineering is focused like never before in the development of lighter but at the same time ergonomic container and of their design. The reduction of also a single gram in weight of a packing involves, on a large scale, remarkable savings of raw material, energetic savings in the blowing process and a reduction of the emissions of CO2.

To develop an industrializable ultra light container represents a challenge in all of the steps of the project’s realization: from the planning of the container (that must however guarantee the physical standards), to the palletization.

The most critical steps are concentrated on the study of the bottle: it has to respect the ergonomic grip of traditional containers in the market, should be easily transferred and used on standard filling lines and grant acceptable top load values enabling the palletization on stocks, requiring the least invasive modification of the existing filling lines.

PET Engineering’s Studies focalize on the planning of innovative containers by a structural point of view, starting from a new concept applied to the neck finish, patented as “Swerve Neck”, able to considerably reduce the material strength in the support ledge area without any loss in mechanical performances. Obviously the Company has been also concentrated on the light weighting of the existing and commercialized containers.

In the last Years, the R&D studies have been oriented to pursue the perfect formulation for light weighting, concentrating on the entire shape of the container, trying to realize ultra light containers able to grant a determinate rigidity on the grip as for empty bottle as in the filling step. The studies have been furthermore focalized on the light weighing of standard neck finishes available in the market with exciting results. The industrial tests fulfilled demonstrated the tangible possibility to use the Swerve concept on the existing filling lines.

The first target hidden behind the incessant study of the Technological Centre of San Vendemiano is to offer a complete solution to the customers pointed to the extreme cost reduction of the production costs by minimum additional investments and in the total respect of the existing lines. “Minimum investments for a great economic benefit” :these are the key words that push PET Engineering to work more and more in the extreme reduction of the weights.

The studies undertaken were primarily focused on the size with grate commercial impact, the 500 ml, but R&D area is working in order to extend the same concept on the sizes requested by the market and commercialized on the main distribution channels. Arranging in full of all necessary technological ability, the Company would pursue the target during this Year.

But … which are the opportunities of ultralight bottles? Certainly their application fields are focused on the packing of still beverage but it is not to prevent the development of lowered weight containers for CSD, remaining an adapted structure to support the CO2 pressure and a thread finish ad hoc, lighter than the standards of the market and functional at the same time. This is one of the future steps in which PET Engineering will invest own resources.

Different limits are met in the development of Hot fill containers. In this matter it is possible to evolve lower weight containers but there are limits due to the physical behaviour of the bottle.

With a fill temperature of 82-95°C it is above the glass transition temperature of PET (that is 75°C); the container needs appropriate treatments in order to avoid the withdrawal of the walls.

The crystallinity must be brought to values over 30% in stress conditions, in this situation the crystals must be maintained in such a dimension necessary to consent the light diffusion and to avoid the pearleasence effect.

Another difficult in lightweighting of this kind of containers is the fact the Hot Fill process needs a neck heavier than other containers, just because it has to support the filling in highs temperatures.

It is therefore necessary to give a strong structure to the bottle with the insert of panels which are able to consent the settlement of the walls on temperature. It is possible to treat panel free containers, by inserting different expedients on the base of the bottle, but we cannot at all talk of them as ultralight containers.

PET Engineering - Contacts

P.E.T. Engineering S.r.l.

Via Celtica, 26/28, Z.I. Ungheresca SUD 31020 San Vendemiano (TV) Italy
Tel.                +39 0438 403069         - Fax +39 0438 408420

info@petengineering.com