Plastic Bottle Manufacturing Process.01
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ScribdTranslationsBottle manufacturing process
plastic
Manufacturing process of plastic bottles
The plastic bottle is a container widely used in the marketing of liquids in products such as dairy
products, beverages or household cleaners. Two of its most notable advantages compared to
glass or metal are its low price and its great versatility of shapes.
The plastic is molded so that the bottle acquires the shape necessary for the function for which
it is intended. Some incorporate side handles to facilitate pouring the liquid. Others improve
their ergonomics by narrowing at the front or with lateral recesses to be able to grip them
comfortably. Bottles with perimeter or transverse rings improve their mechanical resistance to
stacking. The narrow and wide ones improve their visibility on the shelf by having a larger
surface facing .
The screw cap , also made of plastic, is the most common closure for plastic bottles. Its design
can increase its functionalities by acting as a spray diffuser, liquid dispenser, dosage measure or
handle, in this case, for example, for heavy bottles .
Plastic bottles are made up of the following parts:
Mouth . The Capsule that surrounds the mouth of the bottle was made with tin or copper but
today they are made of plastic for economy.
neck It is the protrusion of the neck of the bottle. In it is the ring.
Neck . The narrow part that precedes the body of the bottle is called the neck.
Body. It is the part of the bottle that stores the liquid that fills it and the label is located on it (in
front)
The manufacturing process of plastic bottles is as follows:
1- First the material is chosen.
The materials used for the blowing process belong to the thermoplastic family. This is because
the material needs to have viscous behavior and can deform when it reaches a certain
temperature.
These materials are chosen for their physical properties, cost and depending on the
environment in which they will be used. In any case, the most used worldwide are:
High density polyethylene. HDPE is the most widespread resin for bottle manufacturing. This
material is inexpensive, impact resistant, and provides a
good moisture barrier.
Low density polyethylene . The composition of LDPE is 23
HDPE
similar to HDPE. It is less rigid and, generally, less chemically
resistant but more translucent. It is also significantly
cheaper than HDPE. LDPE is mainly used for beverages.
Polyethylene terephthalate . Polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) is commonly used for carbonated drinks and water polyethylene
low density
bottles.
(PET bottles are the most efficient in this sector).
Polyvinylchloride . PVC is naturally clear, has great
resistance to oils and very low oxygen transmission. It
provides an excellent barrier to most gases and its drop
impact resistance is also very good. It is also commonly used
for shampoos and cosmetic products.
Polypropylene . Polypropylene (PP) is primarily used for jars
and closures and provides rigid packaging with an excellent
moisture barrier. One of the greatest advantages of
polypropylene is its stability at high temperatures, up to
200°F. Polypropylene offers potential for steam sterilization.
PP's compatibility with high temperatures explains its use for hot
products such as syrup. PP has excellent chemical resistance but
has poor impact resistance in cold temperatures.
2. Molding:
Plastic sheets are molded using different processes so that the bottle acquires the shape
necessary for the desired function.
This shape can be obtained through different processes:
1. Blow injection . First, the material is injected into a mold as a preform. Subsequently, this
is transferred to the final mold and blown with compressed air. When it cools, the
container is removed by removing the mold.
2. Injection-blow-stretch . The first step is the conditioning of a preform. Then, it is
introduced into the mold and proceeds to the sequential blowing and stretching phase.
Wait for it to cool and proceed to remove the mold.
3. Extrusion-blow molding.
1- an extruded tubular sleeve called parison is blown
2- puncture the upper part of the parison and seal it in the lower part around a metal
blowing pass, as the two halves of the mold come together.
3-subsequently it is blown so that it adopts the shape of the mold cavity and
simultaneously the plastic is cooled as it sticks to the walls of the mold.
4- Subsequently, the air inside the piece is vented and expelled when the mold is
opened.
4. Coextrusion and blow molding : This process is the same as extrusion, with the only
difference being that it is used when the desired packaging will use more than one type and
layers of plastic. The extruded parison includes all the necessary layers that enter the mold
in the form of a tube to create the final product. This process is very effective when creating
complicated packaging, which has different requirements for its interior and exterior.
3. Customization:
Once the containers are ready, it is time to customize them so that they meet the users'
requirements. At this point, cardboard labels, shrink or plastic labels, IML or printing in different
processes such as screen printing and pad printing are added, which will give different colors or
any other extra element necessary for your product to stand out.
Recycling
In addition to the processes mentioned above, the manufacturing process of plastic bottles
through recycling could also be included.
Well, plastic bottles are mostly recyclable. Many countries have a selective garbage collection
system that allows bottles and other plastic containers to be recycled.
Different steps are followed when recycling bottles:
1. Separation of different materials using optical or shape recognition procedures
2. Plastic granulation through industrial processes
3. Cleaning to eliminate contaminating components such as paper, food, dust.
-Example
As an example, we have the process that Coca-Cola uses to manufacture its plastic bottles
through recycling.
STEP 1: The PET bottles that have already been used are collected, transported to the PACKING
plants and sent to the washing lines, where they are subjected to a rigorous review process,
classified according to the color of the plastic and remove the labels and covers. Subsequently,
these containers are transformed into PET flakes.
STEP 2: The PET flakes are cleaned and dried in a process called Polyethylene and Polypropylene
washing.
STEP 3: These PET flakes are sent to the extrusion process, which turns them into small pieces
called pellets, which are tiny portions of the plastic.
STEP 4: The pellets are subjected to a polymerization process, in which these pieces are
decontaminated and the recycled resin called PET PCR is obtained, which will be used to
manufacture other bottles.
STEP 5: A meticulous quality control process is carried out in order to take care of every detail in
the preparation of the packaging, under the standards of ISO 9001 and FSSC 22000.
STEP 6: The recycled PET PCR resin is melted together with the virgin resin and this mixture is
injected into the preforms of the containers. (using 30% recycled resin in its packaging)
STEP 7: These PET preforms are sent to the bottling plants where the bottles are blown.
STEP 8: The bottles undergo a rigorous verification before being filled with your favorite drink.
STEP 9: The bottles are distributed again in stores and kiosks for marketing
Bibliography
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botella_de_pl%C3%A1stico
- https://plastiflan.com.ec/como-se-crea-un-envase-de-plastico/
- https://josemiguelcanario.wordpress.com/2018/05/16/conozca-el-
plastic-bottle-manufacturing-process/
- https://www.coca-coladebolivia.com.bo/historias/medio-ambiente-
asi-se-fabrican-todas-las-botellas-pet-de-nuestro-portafolio
