Page 9 - Plastics News December 2016

FROM THE E1D0 ITOR's PEN
INDIA 2017
International Plastics Exhibition & Conference

Where the future of plastic is...
JAN 2017
19 20 21 22 23 MUMBAI. INDIA

The New Starlite for PET
The new StarLite Nitro version, launched by Sidel, with PET bottle base especially for beverage
manufacturers using nitrogen dosing which seems to be quite impressive. The new non-petaloid
StarLite Nitro base utilises a unique shape that significantly increases base resistance and stability. The

new base design can simultaneously increase PET bottle rigidity by enhancing resistance to the internal

pressure created by nitrogen dosing, even in harsh conditions, while lowering package weight and energy

consumption apart from packaging design differentiation without compromising on the safety of the

product. For instance, a 0.5 litre PET?bottle with a StarLite Nitro base weighing 1.8 grams can

resist an internal pressure of up to 1 bar depending on the design of both the preform and the

bottle, and the grade of the PET resin used.

As Sidel claims the new 'Nitro' version decreases the amount of raw material needed to create the
finished PET bottles and moreover the optimum strength-to-weight ratio is achieved by reducing
the thickness of the bottle's wall. The bottles require less energy within the blowing process,
are lighter in weight and therefore can cost less to produce. So this would be perhaps ideal to
those beverage producers' who are looking for ways to lower their total cost of ownership (TCO)
to stay ahead in a competitive market yet achieve even greater sustainability.

The new StarLite Nitro base is an flexible solution that enables the same PET bottle design to Ajay Desai
be used for beverages produced with or even without nitrogen dosing and works with regular,
ultra clean and aseptic filling.

The new base is available for bottles ranging in size from 0.2 litre to 2.0 litres and can be adapted for all
generations of Sidel blowing machines, whatever the production output, including the latest Sidel Matrix.
They are ideal for conveying - from filling to the labelling and packing stages - optimising production uptime
and keeping stoppages to an absolute minimum. Additionally, bottles produced with the new base will be
more resistant to extreme temperatures. In conditions of up to 50°C storage, bottles can withstand up to
25 days without deformation and have the potential to last even longer. They can also demonstrate a 50%
decrease in base rollout under frozen conditions.

Also it helps manufacturer with Tangible cost reductions and sustainable production as the potential for
lightweighting of the new solution offers substantial cost savings as well. For instance, a reduction of just
1 gram in a 0.5 litre PET bottle produced at 2,200 bottles per hour can result in savings of Euros 396,000
per year, based on 5,000 hours of annual production. Following the same calculation process, a reduction
of just 1.8 grams in a 1.5 litre bottle can lead to savings of Euros 713,000 per year.

Having a wider range of parameter settings - or 'process window' - yet still achieving the desired blown result,
the new base is also easier to blow than existing bases. Introduction of the base can mean a reduction in
the need for air pressure of up to 25%. For a 0.5 or 1.0 litre bottle for example, only 18 to 20 bars of air
pressure are needed for blowing, compared to the 25 bars needed for traditional bases. This in itself can
lead to additional energy savings of up to Euros 90,000 every year.

One could say that Sidel has taken a leaf further from StarLite base,that had was recognised as the 'Best
Environmental Sustainability Initiative' at the 2013 Global Bottled Water Awards.

Hope our friends in the industry are able to take the advantage at the fullest.

Wishing all our readers Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!!

Hon.Editor
Ajay Desai

9 • December 2016 • Plastics News