EvoBlow Laser Sidel’s newest machine can transform preforms into a wide range of shapes to produce containers from PET and recycled PET (rPET).
What’s new? The EvoBlow Laser, launched in September at Drinktec in Munich. It features lasers for heating, rather than the halogen lamps that are used by conventional machines, with up to 36 heating lines, compared with eight heating zones used by other machines.
Benefits The production of more sustainable packaging, and efficiency, consistent quality and ease of use. The EvoBlow Laser’s design, with lasers that can very precisely target particular areas, opens up new lightweighting possibilities, even in areas that previously couldn’t be lightweighted, such as just underneath the neck of containers. Use of the technology enables production of lighter, yet stronger, packaging with small rings of thicker material invisible to the consumer. Due to lasers’ ability to penetrate and heat inside the preform, the technology produces optimal stretching. Also, because there are no ventilation fans, filters, lamps or reflectors, and fewer spindles and greasing points, the EvoBlow design simplifies maintenance.
Sidel Inc., Norcross, Ga., 678-221-3000, www.sidel.com
Vital Statistics
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Potential reduction in preform waste |
50 percent |
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Potential part weight reduction |
10 percent |
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Maximum amount of recycled PET that can be used |
Up to 100 percent |
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Sample part weights |
1.5-liter bottle |
0.5-liter bottle |
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16 grams |
4.8 grams |
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About the Author
Karen Hanna
Senior Staff Reporter
Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.