Poduction lines for still beverages utilising nitrogen dosing can now also take advantage of the sidel starlite™ pet bottle base with the launch of the sidel starlite nitro version.
7 December 2016
07/12/2016
The new base ensures bottle resistance and stability,even under extremely high temperature conditions, while alsoproviding benefits in terms of both lightweighting and energysaving.
The new non-petaloid StarLite Nitro base utilises a unique shapethat significantly increases base resistance and stability. Thismeans the new base design can simultaneously increase PET bottlerigidity by enhancing resistance to the internal pressure createdby nitrogen dosing, even in harsh conditions, while loweringpackage weight and energy consumption. It also offers packagingdesign differentiation and optimised aesthetics, importantlywithout compromising product safety. The StarLite Nitro base takesall the benefits of the StarLite base, introduced in 2013 for theproduction of still and carbonated beverages bottled in PET, whichhas been recognised as the 'Best Environmental SustainabilityInitiative' at the 2013 Global Bottled Water Awards.
No compromise between bottle quality andstrength
The Sidel StarLite Nitro base ensures improved PETbottle quality without compromising strength and increasesstability throughout the entire supply chain. It enables producersto increase bottle resistance to deformation in any productionenvironment. "The large and stable surface upon which the bottlestands, combined with other structural elements within the bottledesign, enables the formed PET bottle to better withstand theinternal pressure caused by the addition of nitrogen and improvesbottle stability during conveying, depending on the wall thicknessof the base," says Vincent Le Guen, Vice President, Packaging &Tooling at Sidel. This is a particular benefit, for example,in production at high altitude with distribution then at sea levelor applications subject to very high temperatures. Developed andtested by Sidel's packaging experts with numerous computersimulations, this new base has also been subjected to real-world,physical testing to ensure optimal performance through the supplychain.
Reduced bottle weight and blowing pressure
Just like its predecessors in the Sidel StarLiterange, the new 'Nitro' version decreases the amount of raw materialneeded to create the finished PET bottles. The optimumstrength-to-weight ratio is achieved by reducing the thickness ofthe bottle's wall. The resulting bottles require less energy withinthe blowing process, are lighter in weight and therefore can costless to produce. "This solution addresses beverage producers'needs, who are looking for ways to lower their total cost ofownership (TCO) to stay ahead in a competitive market yet stillachieve even greater sustainability. The new Sidel StarLite Nitrobase also ensures packaging integrity and creates an end-productwhich is packaged in a way that grabs consumers' attention",continues Le Guen. For instance, a 0.5 litre PET bottle with aStarLite Nitro base weighing 1.8 grams can resist an internalpressure of up to 1 bar depending on the design of both the preformand the bottle, and the grade of the PET resin used.
Attractive and flexible PET bottle
The new StarLite Nitro base is an attractive,flexible solution from Sidel that enables the same PET bottledesign to be used for beverages produced with or even withoutnitrogen dosing. It works with regular, ultra clean and asepticfilling. With a design similar to the base of bottles usually usedfor still beverage production, it avoids confusion with bottleswith a mini-petaloid base on the supermarket shelves, traditionallyassociated with carbonated soft drinks by consumers. The new baseis available for bottles ranging in size from 0.2 litre to 2.0litres. It can be adapted for all generations of Sidel blowingmachines, whatever the production output, including the latestSidel Matrix™ blowers. The StarLite Nitro base can easily beincorporated into most existing bottle designs by Sidel's packagingengineering team and retrofitted onto existing production lines andmoulds, using Sidel's enhanced StarLite mould bases and the companyportfolio of line conversion services.
Improved supply chain performance
With this increased stability and resistance, bottles featuringthe StarLite Nitro base perform better throughout the whole supplychain, even in harsh conditions. They are ideal for conveying -from filling to the labelling and packing stages - optimisingproduction uptime and keeping stoppages to an absolute minimum.Additionally, bottles produced with the new base will be moreresistant to extreme temperatures. In conditions of up to 50°Cstorage, bottles can withstand up to 25 days without deformationand have the potential to last even longer. They can alsodemonstrate a 50% decrease in base rollout under frozenconditions.
Tangible cost reductions and sustainableproduction
The potential for lightweighting of the new Sidel StarLite Nitrobase offers substantial cost savings too. For instance, a reductionof just 1 gram in a 0.5 litre PET bottle produced at 2,200 bottlesper hour can result in savings of Euros 396,000 per year, based on5,000 hours of annual production. Following the same calculationprocess, a reduction of just 1.8 grams in a 1.5 litre bottle canlead to savings of Euros 713,000[1] per year. Having a wider range of parametersettings - or 'process window' - yet still achieving the desiredblown result, the new base is also easier to blow than existingbases. Introduction of the base can mean a reduction in theneed for air pressure of up to 25%. For a 0.5 or 1.0 litre bottlefor example, only 18 to 20 bars of air pressure are needed forblowing, compared to the 25 bars needed for traditional bases. Thisin itself can lead to additional energy savings of up to Euros90,000[2] every year.
