Krones yesterday announced the release of what it is calling the world's lightest of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container in its class.
"With a weight of 8.8 g for a 500-ml bottle, Krones has set new standards for the world's lightest PET container in the 0.5-l class," the company claimed.
With oil prices hovering at a record of $100 a barrel the price of plastic packaging has rocketed to new levels over the past year.
Downgauging is all the rage in the industry, with companies attempting to make ever thinner containers while maintaining look and strength.
Krones said its ultra-light PET container is designed to meet environmental goals and cut costs by through a weight reduction of 28 to 45 per cent compared to the usual PET containers on the market.
"Every tenth of a gram less per bottle means enormous material and cost savings over the course of a year, economises on natural resources, and lightens the budget," the company stated.
Standard PET can be used as the preform material in making the bottle. Krones said it succeeded in using standard PET for the new container, instead of having to use more expensive special materials to maintain strength.
The 0.5-l container is a conventional bottle. Krones was able to cut down on material mainly in the mouthpiece area.
Instead of the customary weight of about 3.5 g, the mouthpiece now comes in at 1.959g.
Weight savings were boosted by very largely dispensing with the neck ring. A wall thickness of 0.1 mm, downsized by about 20 to 30 per cent also contributes towards weight reduction.
The filled bottle still holds a top-load of 33 kg, a crucial criterion for good palletising stability, Krones stated.
"The bottle is not a laboratory prototype, but meets all the preconditions for passing through the entire value creation chain to final palletising and storage, before being delivered to the market," Krones staed.
Krones has already booked an order for a similarly structured, neck-ring-reduced 0.6-l bottle, including a complete line, the company stated. |
