Sidel has recently unveiled EvoBLOW Laser at drinktec 2025 exhibition, setting a new era for laser oven technology in PET bottling.
EvoBLOW Laser sets a new benchmark, redefining lightweighting for PET and recycled PET (rPET), and raising the bar in efficiency, quality, ease and sustainability.
Pietro Cassani, Sidel President and CEO said, “Sidel has led the way in blowing technology for over 45 years. At drinktec, we now unveil the world’s first industrialised laser-powered solution, which is a game-changer. Our pioneering commercial PET blower in 1980 revolutionised packaging. Now EvoBLOW Laser will reshape the industry again, setting a new standard for line efficiency and opening new lightweighting possibilities.”
For decades, halogen technology served the global market for PET packaging. It has seen significant advances and widespread success, but without a viable alternative – until now. The EvoBLOW Laser arrives at a pivotal moment as producers are under mounting pressure to reduce costs, enhance sustainability, and embrace agile operations.
One advantage of laser-based technology is its inherent precision. This accuracy enables both lighter and stronger containers – a paradox solved. While in traditional halogen solutions, preforms are heated in broad zones, the EvoBLOW Laser utilises up to 36 heating lines, compared to 8 zones in a comparable halogen solution. This provides a new level of control over the material’s thickness all along the container, to achieve record-breaking results.
This mastery of PET distribution enables lightweighting even for premium bottles, thanks to the creation of invisible ‘power rings’, or small rings of thicker material invisible to the consumer. These rings make the bottle feel and act stronger, while using less material overall. They replace conventional ‘geometrical ribs’, offering greater design freedom.
Lightweighting also becomes possible in previously inaccessible areas such as just beneath the bottle’s neck.
Halogen solutions are sensitive to environmental conditions and necessitate frequent and complex adjustments to achieve desired results. In contrast, laser technology is unaffected by its surroundings, ensuring total and consistent quality with unprecedented ease. It requires only one process setting per heating line (intensity). This stability guarantees that every preform, from the very first to the last, receives the precise thermal profile needed, consistently delivering the desired result regardless of ambient temperature changes.
While halogen solutions require time to warm up or cool down, the laser-powered cold oven is always ready, eliminating downtime at every stop and start, with no ‘stand-by’ mode required to keep the oven warm. Maintenance is also easier due to the absence of ventilation fans and filters, and the longevity of laser diodes.
Line efficiency is also improved thanks to live speed modulation, where the blower can automatically and temporarily adjust its speed in real-time to meet changing conditions or circumstances on the line.
The EvoBLOW Laser also makes it easy to blow a wider range of formats and shapes from the same preform, simplifying logistics.
This new innovation supports an increased use of rPET since it is less sensitive to material variations. Furthermore, when adjustments are needed to adapt to varied rPET properties, they are immediate. The EvoBLOW Laser enables faster heating and a higher achievable preform temperature, which supports optimal stretching.
