Extrusion International 1-2024

33 Extrusion International 1/2024 on the high right bank of the Dnipro, one of the major transboundary riv- ers of Europe. It has gone through a stormy path from a small craft pro- duction to an enterprise equipped with high-tech equipment. Thus, the term Cherkaske comes from the name of Ukrainian city Cherkasy, where the brewery company located. Year 2010 became a new mile- stone in the development of the Cherkaske beer brand. The first batch of Kvitochka brand mineral water was produced at that time. The name of the brand Kvitochka is a diminutive of the Ukrainian word kvitka, which means flower. The range of products began to ex- pand gradually and reached up to 160 types. It was complemented by sweet carbonated water with fruit flavors, invigorating energy drinks and refreshing lemonades. Sweet with tart notes, natural and tonic - their taste has been familiar to us since childhood. What a plea- sure we get, quenching our thirst with a chilled drink from an ergo- nomic PET bottle. The latter became the connecting link between the Cherkasy Brewery Company and PET Technologies. PET bottles manufacturing At the beginning of 2023, a bev- erage and beer manufacturer from the Cherkasy city purchased an in- novative automatic blow molding machine APF-Max 8. A few months later, the equipment was integrated into the filling line and put into op - eration in series. Currently, it produces 4 formats of PET bottles from 500 ml to 2 li- ters with an improved design. PET Technologies was fully involved in its design, as the technological com- ponent is extremely important! Beer and lemonades are highly carbonated drinks. The design of the bottles, which Cherkasy brewery company usedbefore, didnot always withstand it. During long-term stor- age, the container was deformed, despite its relatively high weight. Thus, PET Technologies with over 20 years of experience in the field had to take into account a number of customer’s priorities related to design: • Reduce the weight alongside with adding decorative elements; • Increase resistance to internal pressure; • Achieve optimal distribution of material on a narrow neck of the bottle. The following solution was found. Cherkasy brewery company re- ceived an improved set of 500 ml bottles, 1500 ml and 2000 ml, where soft drinks are filled in. Spikelets are the main decorative element on the upper part of the bottle. The shape of 1000 ml bottle for beer became more technological. This results were achieved: • The updated bottle withstands internal pressure by 15-20% more than the old one; • The weight is reduced by 1-5 grams; depending on the de- sign, 30 tons less PET material will be used; • The configuration of the bottom part developed by PET Technolo- gies is implemented: it reduces the weight and withstands higher inter- nal pressure; • The optimal material distribu- tion is achieved due to the NIR heat- ing system, which the automatic blowing machine APF-Max 8 is equipped with. Design advantages of the automatic blow molding machine APF-Max 8 A quick change of 8-cavity blow- ing molds on the machine, despite its large size, allows the Cherkassy Brew- ery company to manufacture a wide range of containers with minimal equipment downtime. Only 20 min- utes are enough to switch from a 500ml bottle to a 2000ml bottle. If it is necessary to switch from the PCO1881 bottle neck finish stan - dard to another one in the future, it will be enough to stop the produc- tion line for 2 hours as maximum.