Consumers may choose packaged alternatives for personal, health-related, or sensory reasons. Whether it’s high nitrate levels or extensive chlorination: The composition of tap water varies by region – and many consumers prefer water of a different quality than what comes out of their taps.
Large PET containers for an ecologically sensible solution
For households that want to cover their basic requirement entirely or to a great extent with packaged drinking water, large-volume PET containers constitute a sensible option. Not only for practical but also for ecological reasons because large containers mean less packaging material per litre.
So it is not surprising that water and oil containers with a volume of more than three litres account for one per cent of all plastic bottles worldwide (as of this writing). They are made predominantly of polycarbonate (PC), HDPE and PET. In view of its material properties, chief and foremost its low weight, the latter is the obvious option for non-returnable containers.
Contiform 3 BigBottle for containers holding up to eight litres
In order to supply this growing market with the requisite technology, the Krones Group has expanded its product portfolio: The new Contiform 3 BigBottle produces containers with a volume of up to eight litres, achieving a respectable output into the bargain. It features ten to 14 cavities and can produce approximately 10,000 to 16,800 containers per hour. It is also able to handle smaller formats from a volume of two litres upwards.
As far as container dimensions are concerned, a net height of max. 380 millimetres and a diameter of up to 190 millimetres are possible. Preform dimensions are max. 170 millimetres for net length, max. 23 millimetres for neck finish height and max. 53 millimetres for neck ring height.
Bottlers, who want to operate their large-container production in the lower speed range, will find the requisite technology at Kosme as before. The Krones subsidiary’s machines feature four, six or eight cavities and produce containers with a volume of up the eleven litres. Linear machines for containers holding up to 30 litres round off the portfolio. As a large-container machine in the higher output range, the Contiform 3 BigBottle closes a gap in the group’s portfolio. Something the stretch blow-moulders from both Krones and Kosme have in common is that they are ideally suited for handling recycled PET and can be block-synchronised with other machines. The first Contiform 3 BigBottle, too, did not leave the Krones plant as a stand-alone machine: It was delivered to China as part of a blow-moulder/filler block.
