drinktec 2013 showcases all the trends in PET manufacture and bottle design
Around the world PET is the preferred form of packaging for the beverage industry. And its popularity is increasing. Compared to other types of beverage container, PET containers are subject to particularly dynamic innovation processes. All those involved in this market try to keep their eco footprint as small as possible. One of the ways of doing this is to reduce the weight of the bottles. Low weight and shatter-resistance are key arguments. All the trends in PET manufacture and bottle design will be on show at PETpoint, the PET segment within drinktec 2013, which takes place from September 16 to 20, 2013, at the Messe München exhibition center.
The enormous quantity of PET bottles produced each year (in 2010 worldwide around 500 billion) highlights the importance of increasing energy and resource efficiency in bottle manufacture. A key factor is the weight of the PET bottles – up to 70 percent of the costs of a bottle are accounted for by the materials, preform manufacture and bottle production each account for only around 15 percent. For every 100 million PET bottles produced, roughly 100 tonnes of material could be saved by reducing the weight of each bottle by just one gram.
In the process of heating preforms and in the use of compressed air, there is untapped potential for saving energy, and the new generation of stretch blow molders is achieving impressive reductions in energy consumption. drinktec 2013 will be showcasing the latest results of the manufacturers’ R&D efforts, the focus being on optimizing strength, faster processing, heat-tolerance and cleanliness.
PETpoint: the sector´s forum for PET technology
«As one of the leading suppliers of production systems for the manufacture of PET preforms and closures, we at Netstal and KraussMaffei see drinktec as the most important trade show in terms of our customers in the beverage industry,» explains Markus DalPian, Head of Business Units PET, CAP and PAC at Netstal-Maschinen AG, Switzerland. His opinion is well founded, as PETpoint, the PET exhibition segment (mainly in Hall B3) at drinktec, is PET technology´s No. 1 forum. Here, it´s all about PET: bottlers, preform manufacturers, blow molder manufacturers, converters and container designers all come here to take a close look at today´s and tomorrow´s technology. Marketing professionals gather valuable creative input here.
Integrated system approach – turnkey solutions According to Markus DalPian, developments in the market are focusing ever more on the overall view of packaging production and ways to optimize the entire value-added chain: «This means even closer integration and a more efficient grouping of the stages in the process. Production and process efficiency are the key concerns that we are hearing from our customers. These requirements can no longer be met by injection molding machines alone.
What´s needed is a more comprehensive system approach, taking into account the entire value chain as well as the requirements of the end product. Part of the answer lies in turnkey system solutions tuned precisely to the needs of the user and optimized machine technology to help reduce the overall weight of packaging. Further efforts are concentrating on reducing processing costs through the use of efficient energy systems which incur very low costs on operation and maintenance.»
Multilayer – The difference is in the coating
At drinktec 2013, visitors can look forward to some very interesting new ideas and solutions from the manufacturers in this area. Coatings can exclude any impairment of product taste and they give a long shelf life. Optimizing the characteristics of these barrier coatings is one of the biggest challenges in opening up new markets. Today all kinds of PET bottles – multilayer, blend or no blend – have established themselves as suitable packaging for a wide range of beverage types. Investigations confirm the outstanding protection this packaging gives to the products against prevent oxygen ingress and light
transmission, including with particularly sensitive fruit juices.
Functional flyweights
The main trend in PET continues to be weight reduction. This is not new, but there is still much potential here to be exploited. For the manufacturer, this brings savings in costs. All while achieving the desired properties of gas tightness, shape retention and safety. With sensitive beverages, one interesting possibility, as well as the more cost-intensive aseptic filling, is hot filling in bottles without a panel design, using nitrogen. This alternative to conventional hot filling enables the use of ever lighter PET bottles.
What are the prospects for PEN?
PEN is regarded as the more mature variant of PET. It is more heat-tolerant and UV-resistant and has better barrier properties, it is suitable for hot filling and its long-term flexural strength is lower. Yet the raw material prices are still much higher, which is a major drawback so far. Mass production and other technological advances could pave the way for its use in the beverage industry.
All the latest developments in this field will be discussed at drinktec 2013.
Virtually limitless design scope It takes less than two seconds on average for a consumer to decide to buy or not to buy. Bottle design therefore has to attract the shoppers´ attention and convince them in the shortest possible time. On supermarket shelves PET has been a great success with consumers, but in the premium and catering sector, PET tends to play a lesser role. The design of the bottles offers great potential in the drive to create high-value packaging that looks and feels good, and which is in line with the macro trend towards individualization. Because packaging today is also an image-carrier. However, even the most beautiful bottle has to be suitable for the requirements of the production process. The innovative material PET offers an excellent creative playground for design and manufacture. In the PETpoint section at drinktec 2013, marketing experts and designers have an optimum ideas platform and discussion hub for all things PET.
Further information: http://www.drinktec.com
About drinktec
drinktec is the «World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Beverage and Liquid Food Industry». It is the most important trade fair for the sector. Manufacturers and suppliers from all over the world – global companies and SMEs alike – meet up here with all sizes of producers and retailers of beverages and liquid food products.
Within the sector drinktec is regarded as the number one platform for launching new products on the world market. At this event manufacturers present the latest technology for processing, filling, packaging and marketing all kinds of beverages and liquid food – raw materials and logistics solutions included. The themes of beverages marketing and packaging design round off the portfolio.
drinktec 2013, which takes place at the Messe München exhibition center in Munich, from September 16 to 20, 2013, is expected to attract over 1,400 exhibitors from over 70 countries and approximately 60,000 visitors from more than 170 countries.
drinktec Press Office