Page 33 - Plastics News February 2022

FEATURE

Specification Drives All Phases of Bottle and gives manufacturers the ability to the optimal design for a customer
Development avoid costly mistakes and delays during is understanding how the design
the later stages of the development impacts the manufacturing process
Establishing and reviewing a development process. (what will work and what won’t
specification with the customer is critical
to the outcome of the final product. The Five Phases of Bottle Development work) and how design elements
For example, a recent project for a Once the initial development specification may impact structural performance.
multi-serve bottle included side grips has been established, the engineering By focusing first on blow molding
for the consumer to grab and use the team begins working through each technologies, designers have the
bottle. The specification discussion phase of development. These include ability to incorporate certain
eventually led to how the bottle would shape development, engineering design, design elements into a bottle
be oriented on the pallet when delivered prototyping, validation and execution. that is manufacturable, while still
to the customer. The orientation of the satisfying the desired aesthetics for
grips was critical to maintain alignment A number of tools and technologies the customer.
with the customer’s filling and labeling are used during the five phases of 2 Applying Digital Modeling and
equipment. development—including establishing Simulation in the Engineering
both knowns and unknowns—to ensure
This aspect of specification was key both optimization of the product/ Design Phase:
to ensuring the packaging company’s process and transformation of the After package shape has been
production line was capable of providing development specification to a production established, engineers begin virtually
the proper orientation for the front and specification. When complete, the testing the bottle’s performance
back panels. Knowing these requirements specification serves as the road map against the expectations set in the
early in the development process rather throughout the development process specification, including design,
than during a filling-line trial saved added and is the common link between the dimensional and functional
time and labor costs that would have various phases. requirements. Design and simulation
been incurred during production. engineers complete several iterative
1 Shape Development Captures
Another instance involved a design Customer Requirements: design loops to optimize the shape
for a hot-fill package. Because it was and material distribution to achieve
hot-fill, the bottle design required Designers then use that road map the desired performance.
design elements (vacuum panels). The to inform shape development. During the engineering and
traditional approach is to optimize There are a variety of customer simulation phase, the team uses finite-
vacuum-panel design by focusing only specifications that contribute element analysis to enhance shape
on the post-hot-fill performance of to shape development. These and material distribution and identify
the package, when the product cools specifications can include elevating the limits for dimensional aspects
and contracts, creating a vacuum in the brand identity at point of purchase, of specification. Recent advances
container. However, it is possible to go increasing sustainability and reducing in blow molding technology give
too far and create a condition where the logistical costs with a package that packaging companies the freedom
vacuum panels bulge. This could create is lighter and/or smaller without to control at a much finer precision
a situation where the bottles cannot reducing fill weight. Using digital and resolution. This allows engineers
be handled properly on the customer’s modeling, designers can take all to remove additional material from a
filling line. requirements from the development
specification and create a virtual package that was previously required
In this case, early specification alignment 3D model of the product that can to accommodate machine variability.
with customer requirements provided be tested under various conditions. After modeling and simulation
greater insight into the product’s full It can also uncover why a specific are complete, engineers begin
life cycle, helping designers identify design may be sensitive to material developing a prototype for testing.
performance requirements that were distribution.
unique to the package and the filling Each packaging company may Prototyping: Prototyping includes
process. Having access to this knowledge have a different approach to shape building a prototype mold and
drives simulation and shape optimization development. The key to achieving producing functional bottle samples
that can be physically tested to

32 PLASTICS NEWS FEBRUARY 2022 33 PLASTICS NEWS FEBRUARY 2022