Cost-efficient option for PET hotfill application

Krones AG, Neutraubling said its NitroHotfill system facilitates easier in-house production of hotfill containers thereby giving bottlers greater independence and flexibility.

Nitrogen injection​

The German firm said its in-house expertise in bottle design and stretch blow-moulding technology has enabled a concept familiar from other applications to be extended to the PET hotfill process.

A Krones spokesman told FoodProductionDaily.com: “Process control is based on the newly developed Relax-Cooling (RC) concept, where the installation of a nitrogen injection dosing feature just before the capper creates a positive pressure of 1.5 to 2 bar inside the bottle. The positive bottle pressure compensates for the shrinkage in product volume downstream of the re-cooler, thus preventing any bottle deformation due to under-pressure.”​

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Material and air consumption reductions​

This means the panel design previous required to compensate for the vacuum pressure with hot-filled products is no longer needed. The process can be utilised for the bottle production process in the Contiform H, which enables aluminium moulds to be used and reduces the machine’s air consumption dramatically, said the company.

Direct benefits in PET bottle manufacturing can be seen through enhanced performance in the stretch blow-moulding process, increased output from the line as a whole, and reduced air-blow consumption, it added.

“Depending on the preform and bottle material being used, and the differing as-is parameters like filling temperature, bottle shape, and stipulations for bottle design and closure, material savings of up to 30 per cent can be achieved," said a Krones statement.