Sidel introduces high-resistance bottle base for still nitrogen-dosed products in 100% rPET bottles

ITALY – Global packaging leader Sidel has upgraded its StarLITE-R Nitro range of bottle bases for still nitrogen-dosed products in 100% recycled PET (rPET) bottles.

This innovation enhances the durability and resistance of bottles, which is essential for maintaining integrity throughout the supply chain.

Nitrogen dosing, which adds a small quantity of liquid nitrogen to beverages and food products, increases internal bottle pressure, aiding resistance.

This is particularly beneficial for still beverages and food products. Sidel’s “wave” bottle base design offers a modern alternative to traditional petaloid shapes, accommodating various bottle sizes from 0.2 to 2.5 litres.

The StarLITE-R Nitro bottle base is distinguished by its optimized mould geometry and a venting system for shaping.

Leveraging Sidel’s patented mould technology, the design includes 8 to 10 waves that can withstand high internal pressures of 0.5 to 0.8 bar, even with lightweight bottles.

The solution has successfully passed resilience and quality tests, including drop tests, without base breakage, a crucial feature for rPET bottles that are prone to breakages.

The new Nitro base is not just about design and resistance. It also features a stable standing surface and can withstand storage temperatures up to 38 degrees Celsius.

It supports production speeds up to 2,700 bottles per hour for single-serve formats and 2,500 bottles per hour for multi-serve bottles.

The bottle base is compatible with Sidel’s blowers (Series 2, Universal, and EvoBLOW) and can be retrofitted onto existing production lines and moulds, making it a versatile and practical solution for a wide range of applications.

“As an original equipment manufacturer with over forty years of blowing expertise, Sidel has channeled this experience into the design of this new bottle base,” said Laurent Naveau, Sidel’s packaging innovator leader.

Earlier this year, Sidel launched IntelliADJUST™, its latest quality control technology for PET bottles.

This smart bottle blowing control system offers high performance and ease of use, ensuring consistent high-quality production of PET bottles, including those with recycled PET content.

IntelliADJUST™ is a Sidel-patented solution that guarantees consistent quality and high efficiency.

It operates within a ‘closed loop’ system using interferometric sensor technology to ensure perfect material distribution and high production uniformity.

It maintains consistent bottle quality across variable production conditions, such as preform storage, workshop temperature, and relative humidity.

The system enables in-line, autonomous bottle control and real-time digitized process adjustments, significantly reducing the impact of changing production conditions and PET resin specificities on bottle quality.

Combined with Sidel’s Evo-ON software suite, it offers comprehensive data aggregation and dynamic analytics for 24/7 real-time analysis, creating a truly smart line system.

“This easy-to-use blowing solution maximizes the number of marketable bottles by ensuring consistently high quality,” said Stéphane Menard, Product Manager for Blowing Care at Sidel.

“IntelliADJUST™ offsets production line variations by using algorithms to identify thickness deviations and automatically adjust heating and blowing parameters, ensuring consistent quality without interruptions.”

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