6.4 Grams for 0.5-l PET Bottle
Consumers Opt For SPF: SixPointFour
At Brau Beviale 2008, KHS Corpoplast presented a 0.5-l PET bottle for non-carbonated water, which had been stretch blow molded from a preform weighing just 6.5 grams. The past few months have seen further developments regarding this PET bottle at the Bottles & Shapes™ Center in Hamburg. Improved preform design, revised geometry, defined ribbing and numerous test runs with various process parameters have all resulted in both optimization of bottle features and another reduction in bottle weight. SixPointFour is the name of probably the most lightweight of all 0.5-l PET bottles, weighing in at only 6.4 grams. This bottle not only conserves resources; it also complies with all requirements for filling, labeling, palletizing and conveying. For example, the HotFill+ system developed by KHS Corpoplast provides the bottle with the internal pressure required for stability by adding a small amount of nitrogen to the headspace of the bottle immediately after filling. Tests with consumers confirm that this super-lightweight finds impressive acceptance: Against the background of a materials saving of approx. 50% compared with a conventional 0.5-l PET bottle, correspondingly less to recycle, and associated environmental awareness, approx. 70% of those questioned would choose the SixPointFour bottle. SixPointFour is ready for the market and, among others, offers emerging markets an interesting perspective. However, with improved functionality, above all when opening, also end users in saturated consumer markets are showing themselves to be very open-minded about this environmentally friendly bottle – probably the most lightweight of all 0.5-l PET bottles, weighing in at 6.4 grams.
