Blow moulder targets clear-pack efficiency

12-Mar-2009 - Last updated on 12-Mar-2009 at 13:14 GMT

A supplier of blow moulding equipment for beverage and personal care packaging claims it has made significant advancements in cost and energy efficient production of clear bottle packaging.

Kautex Maschinenbau says the recently revised design of its KCC 10 D blow moulder, which will be unveiled to the public at the Chinaplas exhibition in May, can meet requirements for non-cloudy packs at reduced operational costs.

A spokesperson for the company says that in terms of the filler’s applications for beverages, clear polypropylene (PP) packaging handled by the machine was limited to non-carbonated, short-life products.

However, the company claims that bottles using the material can provide improved optical appearance for products, offering an appealing texture and more striking, embossed effects.

In aiming to improve efficiency in the PP filling process, the group says it has made a number of changes to the design of its existing blow mould technology by adjusting flow channels within the product’s head along with other process parameters.

Amended parameters resulting from KCC 10 D’s ‘facelift’ include specifically amending potential clamp force to 12 tonnes from 10 tonnes previously, according to the manufacturer This is an increase of 20 kN, says the company.

Software relating to the group’s BlowCommand machine controls has also been modified, while the company claims that the development also makes use of more energy efficient AC drives for extrusion.

Aside from energy efficiency, Kautex Maschinenbau suggests that further development may be possible to allow use of alternative materials to meet certain resins to target sustainable criteria for packaging.

“We are watching the development on the resin market, especially [with a view] to the bioplastics that are becoming available and competitive now,” stated the spokesperson.

While earlier work on using alternative plastics has been made in applications such as shampoo bottles, the company claimed its machinery was capable of processing various resins in filling.