9.4.

2014

| Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

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Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

Nowadays, the containers made from PET are extraordinarily successful on packaging market, especially for food and technical liquids. The popularity of PET stems from its low weight, high strength, economical efficiency and wide range of possible exterior of PET containers. This article reviews the principal defects that can be encountered during production of PET bottles, their causes and remedies.

Nacre or marble tint.

The defect is caused by overstretching or cold stretching. When the defect is limited by single area, the cause of it is overstretching. When the defect is spread over entire surface of a bottle, the cause of it is cold stretching.

Remedies: In case of overstretching increase heating in other areas; in case of cold stretching increase heating setting, increase heating percentage in areas or switch on additional lamps.

Dim bottle.
The semitransparent appearance of the bottle is explained by too intense heating. Attention! Don't confuse this type of defect with nacre tint: their causes are exactly contrary. The defect can be found in all bottles and appears as distinctive cloudy white tint on the bottle external surface. After blowing, such bottle will quickly lose its mechanical strength.

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| Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

Causes: The preform was heated up to temperature that exceeds the chilling point (125C); improper blow-off of the preform external surface; too long time for stabilization during leaving the furnace because of lowered rated speed of the machine. Remedies: Decrease heating by the one of the following methods: lower setting or area heating percentage, decrease number of working lamps or intensify furnace ventilation; adjust heating profile in order to lower the preform temperature below the critical temperature value.

Bottom fold around the stretching rod.

The defect appears on the bottom part where not stretched material remains. This can be a fold on the bottom projections, a cavity around gate runner, increased thickness of the material. The defect takes a form of a cavity in the place where the rod touches preform bottom.

Causes: Large quantity of material left on the bottom after the blowing; too high temperature around the gate runner; too much material in the fold area; insufficient preblowing pressure, delayed pre-blowing; old preform, stress: when high pressure is applied, cracking of the bottles often occurs in the fold area; during stretching process, the material is wound on the stretching rod resulting in the places with material shortage (thin areas) or excess (thick areas). Remedies: Check preform quality using polarized light lamp; decrease heating power in the areas adjacent to the gate runner where the fold is located; increase pre-blowing pressure, start the pre-blowing earlier, increase flowrate, check heating profile and improve material distribution.

Effect of bottom lens.

The excess of material is localized only around the gate runner.

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| Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

Causes: Insufficient heating of the preform bottom; delayed pre-blowing; too low pre-blowing pressure; too low pre-blowing flowrate. Remedies: Intensify heating in this particular area or decrease heating power in one or more areas of wide part of the bottom; start the pre-blowing earlier, increase preblowing pressure, increase pre-blowing flowrate..

Effect of neck lens.

The excess of material under the neck forms a lens.

Causes: Cold areas on preform body; delayed pre-blowing; too high pre-blowing pressure; rod touching the preform. Remedies: increase heating percentage in the area under the neck; delay the pre-blowing; decrease pre-blowing pressure; decrease pre-blowing flowrate; check that stretching rod fits the preform.

Gate runner offset.

The defect is characterized by the gate runner offset relative to mould axis, dim areas appearing on feet opposite the offset. The gate runner offset can lead to cracking in thinnest areas of the bottle bottom.

Causes: preform located not co-axially with the mould or too big preform eccentricity; poor cooling of one half of the preform; overheated preform bottom; pre-blowing air stretches the preform quicker than the rod; too high pre-blowing pressure or too early pre-blowing; too big distance between the stretching rod and the mould; bent rod; not even movement of the rod (problem related to diffuser). Remedies: decrease heating percentage; check possible presence of distinct crystallinity in preform; check bending; check mould cooling circuit; adjust a gap between the rod and the bottle bottom; decrease pre-blowing pressure; delay the pre-blowing; check rod and guide; check alignment of preform, mould and nozzle.

Compressed neck.
The fold is formed under the neck or on the shoulders.

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| Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

Causes: Preform is overstretched lengthwise prior to start of pre-blowing; delayed pre-blowing; too low pressure or no pressure; only internal diameter of the preform decreases under the influence of stretching rod and the rod touches the preform wall; the material quickly cools down, resulting in a ring formed in that place. Remedies: If the defect is observed at all stations, start the pre-blowing earlier or increase pre-blowing pressure; increase total percentage of heating to rise temperature of the preform body; if the defect is left at one station only, check supply of pre-blowing air, interchange the station valves when necessary; increase flowrate of pre-blowing air.

Ring (waist) on body.

The defect that is similar to the compressed neck but located on a bottle body. Initially, this defect appears as material bulge (ring), in the worst case as reduced diameter in the area where the rod touches the wall.

Causes: Too low pre-blowing pressure or no pressure; delayed pre-blowing; insufficient heating in the area near the defect. Remedies: If the defect exists at one station, increase pre-blowing flowrate; check the pre-blowing valve; if the defect exists at all stations, increase pre-blowing pressure or start pre-blowing earlier; increase heating power in one or more cold areas.

Dimness in the feet area.

So-called "white foot" appears because of cold preform stretching or overstretching, as well as when there are not enough material in this area or gate runner is offset. When the bottom is of petaloid type, the material in the foot corners does not reach completely the corners of the mould recess. The wall is not enough thick in the foot area, the bottoms are less strong at wide angles. The material can become dim and the gate runner can become offset in the foot area. Stability is lost, bottle height and volume are lower.

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| Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

Causes: Not adjusted heating in the bottle body area; too early pre-blowing; too big flowrate of pre-blowing air; too big blowing pressure preventing the material from reaching the corners in the mould bottom. Remedies: If all feet are dim and gate runner is offset, increase heating power in this particular area or start blowing earlier; if one or two feet of the bottle are dim and gate runner is offset, start pre-blowing later or decrease pre-blowing pressure.

Neck curvature.
If neck has deviated from the bottle axis, this means that it was too intense heating in that area.

Causes: Too intense heating in first areas; wrong adjustment of cooling bars; improper circulation of water in the cooling bar; insufficient ventilation. Remedies: Decrease heating power in that area; adjust the cooling bars in height and depth; check bar cooling; check furnace ventilation and adjust if necessary.

Excessive material in shoulder area.

The material remains in shoulder area. The material is stretched partially, stretching not completed. The problem is encountered most often during blowing of large containers, appears, as a rule, at one station and then spreads over other stations. The produced bottom is lightweight, resulting in poor stability since center of gravity is shifted towards the shoulders.

Causes:Too early start of pre-blowing or too high pressure, that disturb normal conditions for the stretching; wrong adjustment of the cooling bars (mounted too high); preforms are put on incorrectly.

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| Analysis of principal defects encountered in production of PET bottles

Remedies: Delay start of pre-blowing or decrease pressure; adjust heating profile: decrease heating power for the body and bottom and increase it for the neck; if the problem exists at one station, decrease flowrate of pre-blowing air; check preform putting on.

Volume loss during filling.

Lowering of filling level is observed in the bottles with carbonated drinks. Geometry of the bottle (height, diameter) undergoes changes.

Causes:When filled bottle is exposed to high temperatures, pressure inside the bottle rises and it deforms; insufficient biaxial orientation; insufficient attraction between molecular chains; blowing of overheated preform. Remedies: Adjust heating profile to decrease total temperature of the preform. This will allow optimizing of bottle mechanical characteristics by means of biaxial orientation improvement.

Overweighted bottom.
Weight of the bottom exceeds value prescribed by specifications. Small distance under arch, small weight of body and shoulders.

Causes: Wrong adjustment of the heating profile, improper distribution of material, which is often accompanied by overstretching of shoulders or body; pre-blowing starts too late; low pressure. Remedies: Adjust heating profile, cool shoulders and body, increase heating power on spherical part of the preform bottom; if the problem exists at all stations, start preblowing earlier, increase pressure; if the problem exists not at all stations, increase pre-blowing flowrate, check pre-blowing valve.

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