Advances in stretch blow moulding

Recent developments in stretch blow moulding technology are giving packaging manufacturers the advantages of production efficiency and premium product quality.  

Sacmi has launched a stretch-blow moulding and bottling solution through COMBO. The solution presents some of the best features: compact, highly efficient and guaranteed sanitisation and non-contamination of the pack.
Another development is the launching of a new multilayer PP/EVOH/PP jar by Total and RPC Promens Consumer Corby using injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) technology. The technology enables enhanced transparency and gloss for high barrier food applications.  

Integrated solution for maximum efficiency
An integrated stretch-blow moulding and bottling solution that combines maximum output efficiency with top quality while offering absolute guarantees on pack safety and product integrity. This is the COMBO solution offered by Sacmi, which brings together – in a single plant engineering proposal – the rotary stretch-blow moulders of the stretch blow forming (SBF) series and the latest range of AWS filling solutions which stand out on account of their compactness, efficiency and fully guaranteed product sanitisation and non-contamination of the pack.

 
The COMBO stretch-blow moulding and filling solution from Sacmi


The COMBO stretch-blow moulding and filling solution from Sacmi, sold to Saudi company MEMCO (Middle East Factory for Machines), was demonstrated for the first time during the Gulfood Manufacturing 2015.  The solution brings about smooth rationalisation of production line management and an absolute guarantee of product and pack quality/cleanliness and hygiene

Supplied to MEMCO, Saudi Arabia’s leading manufacturer and supplier of turn key solutions for the beverage industry, Sacmi’s COMBO combines the innovative SBF stretch-blow moulder and the new range of fillers in one, single, highly efficient compact solution, guaranteeing a fully ultra-clean process.

Machines at the very peak of their category – capable of producing up to 80,000 bottles an hour in the standard half-litre format – Sacmi rotary stretch-blow formers feature the innovative 1B=2b system: this allows each machine in the range to be equipped with a 1-cavity mould for large bottles (up to 3 litres) or a 2-cavity mould for smaller ones (up to 0.75 litres), thus ensuring extremely simple, fast size changeovers and letting manufacturers make full use of the capacity of both the machine and any downstream filling line.

All fillers in the fully renewed range, such as the Series A (electromechanical fillers particularly recommended for non-carbonated drinks, water, fruit juices, yogurts etc.), the Series V (isobaric filling technology, ideal for carbonated soft drinks and also available from Sacmi in an electro-pneumatic version) and the Series E (electronic volumetric filler for carbonated and non-carbonated drinks) can, in fact, be installed in COMBO together with the stretch-blow moulder. The two machines are electronically synchronised and require no manual synchronisation. The compactness of the filler and outstanding levels of efficiency make it an ideal solution for reducing and optimising the number of workers needed to manage a single bottling line while guaranteeing excellent cleanliness, hygiene and non-contamination of contents and pack.

Controlled via a single operator interface, the COMBO solution showcased at Gulfood is advantageous for manufacturers looking to combine maximum human resource efficiency with elimination of product contamination risks, all due to the innovative Sacmi process that allows total isolation of the bottle from the surrounding environment (a source of oxidation and potential contamination), from stretch-blow moulding to filling and application of the cap. Sacmi can also provide the same SBF with an “ultra-clean” package consisting of a sterile blowing air system and an excess-pressure turret zone.  

Long-term food storage assured  
Total and RPC Promens Consumer Corby have launched a new multilayer PP/EVOH/PP jar using ISBM (Injection Stretch Blow Moulding) technology that offers even greater transparency and gloss for high barrier food applications.

The combination of the Total solution and RPC Promens Corby’s expertise in technical plastic packaging solutions has resulted in the creation of polypropylene jars with ultimate clarity and gloss. This technology opens up opportunities in the retail sector, in particular markets such as cook-in sauces, instant coffee, ready meals, fruits and baby foods, producing packs that deliver high clarity for a premium on-shelf image along with the practical, convenience and safety benefits of plastic.

Total and RPC Promens Consumer Corby launched a multilayer jar with greater transparency and gloss.

Equally important, the substantially lighter weight of the plastic jars will help retailers and brand owners meet sustainability targets in terms of packaging and carbon emission reductions.

RPC Promens Corby has called on Total’s know-how and skills in polymer development using a unique metallocene-based PP specially developed for ISBM technology. This provides improved aesthetics together with ultra-low extractables, reducing by far the overall migration, especially at high temperature conditions.

Together with the development of a special new manufacturing process, this has allowed RPC Promens Corby to produce multilayer containers that maintain their highly-effective oxygen barrier for long ambient shelf life, while delivering excellent clarity. The containers are thermally stable to temperatures in excess of 100°C for pasteurisation and sterilisation. A number of popular retail jar sizes are being developed with additional sizes planned for the future. Caps, also supplied by RPC, are manufactured in polypropylene leading to a mono material pack, which facilitates recycling.

RPC Promens Corby’s investment into the latest this technology opens up opportunities in the retail sector, in particular for long-term food storage where convenience and safety are of utmost importance.  Equally important, the substantially lighter weight of the plastic jars will help retailers and brand owners meet sustainability targets in terms of packaging and carbon emission reductions.