KHS has set an impressive new benchmark by engineering one of the world’s lightest PET bottles for still beverages to date. Under the working title of Factor 101, in close cooperation with Canadian-based injection molding technology equipment and services provider Husky Technologies, a container has been produced that uses just 5.89g of material to hold 591ml of product. This is equivalent to the 20-ounce size common in the US.
Earlier at drinktec 2017, KHS presented its Factor 100 concept as a feasibility study that featured a PET bottle weighing approximately 5g with a capacity of 500ml. A number of optimizations have now been made to the further development of Factor 101.
Extremely robust lightweight
To increase stability, the shoulder design of Factor 101 has been modified and the bottle body reinforced with functional webbing. Fabian Osterhold, KHS Packaging Designer and his colleagues have developed a base with a pop-in effect. Here, the base pops inwards to a certain degree when a top load is applied, increasing the internal pressure and therefore the stability of the bottle.
Two hundred newtons is a common top load threshold in the industry; at 220 newtons, the Factor 101 exceeds this. In order to achieve this high value for a PET bottle used for still beverages, adapting just the container shape wasn’t enough. “The preform design also needed to be developed further,” said Osterhold. This is why KHS joined forces with the specialists at Husky. The company has a wealth of expertise as the world’s leading equipment supplier of PET preform injection molding systems and services for many years.
Challenging coordination
Technically speaking, the stretching factors from blank to bottle and the resulting preform dimensions were especially important here. The relation of length to wall thickness is particularly relevant to injection molding. In this context, KHS addressed the specifications and feasibilities of the stretch blow
molder and bottle design, while Husky made the necessary modifications to the preform. “The focus here was on the exact profiling of the preform made possible by KHS technology,” added Osterhold. “Focus lamps in the heater on our InnoPET Blomax Series V, for example, make for extremely precise temperature profiling directly under the bottle neck ring. This ensures that no material stays unstretched. In turn, this considerably reduces the amount of plastic used.”
30% less material
Compared to the standard lightweight PET container holding 500ml of still water that usually weighs 7g on the US market, the joint KHS/Husky product requires 30% less material. It can also be manufactured entirely from rPET.
However, bottle geometry is just one factor. “Line compatibility in the high-capacity range of up to 90,000 bottles per hour was a key challenge,” explained Osterhold. “The main issues here were conveying, labeling and the secondary packaging. In the shrink tunnel, for instance, special attention had to be paid to the bottle shoulder – and the bottle of course shouldn’t fall over during conveying.”
High-speed development
“Not only the weight but also the time in which the project was implemented are possibly record-breaking,” Osterhold stated. Thanks to the great teamwork between Husky and the many KHS departments involved in the development process, the project was successfully concluded in just 4 months
Great interest on the market
Factor 101 was first presented live by Husky at the NPE 2024 plastics trade show in Orlando, Florida, in May 2024. The extreme lightweight was met with great interest in the industry. The bottle in this form is of particular relevance to contract fillers who operate under great cost pressure. The prime target markets are the US, Middle East and South America.
The first projects are already in preparation.
For more information, click on: KHS Asia Pte Ltd
