Technology: from pellet to bottle
Short articles for technologists and buyers: how a preform is built, how PET behaves, how blowing works, how to store a batch and how to trace a defect.
The material path
Six stages PET goes through. Click a stage to open its article.
- PET pelletsBottle-grade raw material in pellet form.
- DryingBefore moulding the pellets are dried: moisture in the melt weakens PET.
- Preform mouldingThe melt is injected into a mould at 270-290 °C, giving a preform with a finished neck.
- StoragePreforms wait for blowing in boxes, in a dry room out of the sun.
- Heating and blowingThe body is heated to 95-110 °C, stretched by a rod and blown with air.
- Bottle checkIf a bottle comes out faulty, the cause is found in heating, blowing or the preform.
Articles
Fig. 1Preform anatomya 3D cutaway and what each part doesFig. 2PET under heatan interactive thermometer and propertiesFig. 3From preform to bottlea 3D blowing animation and settingsFig. 4Storage and preparationreceiving, storage and winter routineFig. 5Bottle defects and causesan interactive cause finderFig. 6Glossary30 terms in plain wordsFig. 7Starting a bottling linesix steps from bottle to orderFig. 8Preform pricesweight, resin, colour, batch, delivery
A technical question?
Describe the task: the drink, the bottle and what happens on the line. We will suggest a suitable preform.
