Press release for plastics trade show K 2013
KHS focuses on Bottles & Shapes program at trade show and presents
lightweight thread as new feature
KHS' vision is to be first choice in technology and service, a goal the company will
once again be underlining at the K 2013 trade show for plastics and rubber. During
the event in Düsseldorf, Germany, KHS Corpoplast and KHS Plasmax will be
presenting innovative PET bottle design solutions in the field of PET expertise.
The focus will be on the Bottles & Shapes program, a unique service and
consultancy portfolio for the design and development of plastic bottles that KHS
Corpoplast has been continuously perfecting for the last 35 years. Over the past ten
years alone the company has created around 7,000 high-quality bottles using the
Bottles & Shapes program, many of them lightweight, which have set new standards
on the market. For instance, 0.5-liter PET bottles which weigh just 10.9 grams can
currently be produced for carbonated water. The present minimum weight for
unpressurized 0.5-liter bottles for still water is a mere 8.7 grams.
For the first time at K 2013 the company will be showing its newest innovation: a
'streamlined' bottle thread. The objectives behind this latest development were not
just to reduce weight but also to ensure that the bottle can be transported by an air
conveyor, the option can be retrofitted into existing lines and the performance of the
stretch blow molder is maintained. In addition, the setup must be able to continue to
use the caps applied in the past. All of these criteria have been met. To date, classic
threads for carbonated beverages weighed 3.7 grams. The new development now
permits an extra 1.1 grams of material to be saved in this area which at a line output
of 48,000 bottles per hour results in a cost saving of approximately €385,000 per
annum. KHS Corpoplast will be exhibiting its 'lightweight' thread at its trade show
booth alongside many innovative bottles newly designed in the Bottles & Shapes
program. At the time of writing the PET experts at KHS are working on reducing the
thread weight of PET bottles for still beverages.
One extremely important aspect of lightweight PET manufacture is that production
has a high process stability. KHS Corpoplast stretch blow molders in the InnoPET
Blomax Series IV are exemplary in this respect. The servomotor-controlled stretching
process ensures that the stretching motion can be flexibly adapted to suit varying
speeds in the filler area, for example. Other major advantages of the InnoPET
Blomax Series IV are the high production capacity of up to 2,250 PET bottles per
hour and blow station, optimized preform handling, much lower energy consumption
thanks to the newly developed heater area and a reduction in the amount of
compressed air used. New machine modules, such as the Feedflow preform infeed,
permit safe handling of lightweight preforms at high speeds.
One key topic is the saving in compressed air, with KHS Corpoplast again setting
standards with its new Airback Plus development. This system allows about 40% of
the compressed air consumed in the stretch blow molding process to be reused in
the blow wheel. The previous statistic was just 10%. Other benefits of Airback Plus
are that less energy and a smaller volume of high-pressure air are required for the
stretch blow molding process than was previously the case. The compressor can
therefore be smaller which cuts investment and running costs and reduces the
maintenance effort. The Airback Plus option can also be retrofitted into InnoPET
Blomax Series IV stretch blow molders and into those of the previous generation, the
InnoPET Blomax Series III.
Another point of great interest at K 2013 will be InnoPET Plasmax barrier technology
for PET bottles now in use worldwide and the new Plasmax+ process. The chief
advantage of covering the inside of PET bottles with a Plasmax coating is that
maximum product protection is a given over a very long period for bottled beverages
such as beer, juice and wine and liquid foods like ketchup and mayonnaise. A waferthin layer of SiOx (pure glass) ensures this protection, preventing the exchange of
carbon dioxide, oxygen or flavorings, for instance, between the product and
packaging as well as the environment. In particular beverages and liquid foods that
have a very high pH are given further improved, long-term protection with the
recently developed Plasmax+ process. Plasmax+ also has a better barrier effect
where the bottle material is subject to very high mechanical stress from a high
internal pressure. The new Plasmax+ technology can be integrated into most existing
InnoPET Plasmax machines.
Hall 13, Booth A75
Caption:
To date, classic threads for carbonated beverages weighed 3.7 grams. With the new
development an extra 1.1 grams of material for the thread and unstretched area can
now be saved.
KHS GmbH
Juchostrasse 20
44143 Dortmund, Germany
Phone: +49 231 569 1718
Fax: +49 231 569 1226
Email: matthias.damm
@khs.com
For editorial inquires, contact:
Friederike Arndt
An der Marienkapelle 11
53179 Bonn, Germany
Phone: +49 228 956 2820
Fax: +49 228 956 2821
Email: friederike.arndt@arndtpressebuero.de