Sidel launches StarLite Nitro PET bottle base
The company claims the base increases bottle rigidity by resisting internal pressure created by nitrogen dosing, and lower package weight.
Extension of Sidel StarLite
Vincent Le Guen, VP, Packaging & Tooling, Sidel, said in conditions of up to 50°C storage, the bottles can withstand up to 25 days without deformation and longer.
They also have a 50% decrease in base rollout in frozen conditions.
“This is a particular benefit, for example, in production at high altitude with distribution then at sea level or applications subject to very high temperatures,” he added.
“The new base is available for bottles ranging in size from 0.2 litre to 2.0 litres. It can be adapted for all generations of Sidel blowing machines, whatever the production output, including the latest Sidel Matrix blowers.”
The StarLite Nitro base can be incorporated into most existing bottle designs by Sidel’s engineering team and retrofitted onto existing production lines and molds.
The StarLite Nitro base is an extension of the StarLite base, introduced in 2013 for the production of still and carbonated beverages bottled in PET, recognized as the 'Best Environmental Sustainability Initiative' at the 2013 Global Bottled Water Awards.
Le Guen added, just like its predecessors in the Sidel StarLite range, the ‘Nitro’ version decreases the amount of raw material needed to create the finished PET bottles.
Cost less to produce
“The strength-to-weight ratio is achieved by reducing the thickness of the bottle’s wall. The resulting bottles require less energy within the blowing process, are lighter in weight and cost less to produce,” he said.
For example, a reduction of 1 gram in a 0.5 litre PET bottle produced at 2,200 bottles per hour can result in savings of €396,000 per year, based on 5,000 hours of annual production.
"This addresses beverage producers’ needs, who are looking for ways to lower their total cost of ownership (TCO) to stay ahead in a competitive market yet still achieve sustainability,” added Le Guen.
He said the design is similar to the base of a bottle usually used for still beverage production, which avoids confusion with bottles which have a mini-petaloid base on the supermarket shelves, traditionally associated with carbonated soft drinks.
