Sidel Produces DeepGrip the First PET Bottle with a Deep Blowmolded Grip

Ideal for water and oil, the DeepGrip large-format PET bottle has a deep grip that makes it easier to use. With no external handle, this grip is blow-molded using the punching-conforming technology.

22 Nov 2010 --- Elegant and triangular in shape, the three-liter DeepGrip is the first PET bottle with a deep blow-molded grip, requiring no external handle. It is produced using Sidel’s punching-conforming technology (patent pending). Developed in partnership with PTI-Europe, this technology makes it possible to manufacture single-material packages in large, functional formats: it includes a deep grip to give consumers an ergonomic handle, making it ideal for the bottling of water or oil.

A single-material package
Trying to make bottles with deep grips using traditional blow molding technologies has a number of technical limitations. For example, to be deep enough, the grip has to be outside the inscribed diameter of the preform. This requires offsetting the grip area and increases blow molding complexity for a grip that, in the end, does not provide the desired ergonomics. How then can we make it easier to handle large-format PET bottles? The DeepGrip bottle has a deep grip area that is obtained by punching-conforming. This simple production process does not require an additional step to insert the handle. There is no more need to purchase or inject handles, and the efficiency losses due to handle infeed or transfer can be eliminated. Further benefits of this single-material bottle include new shape possibilities and the need for just one recycling stream.

Punching-conforming: Inline production
The DeepGrip bottle is produced on a single machine, at a speed of 800 bottles per hour and per mold. This inline process means that there is no need for an intermediate conveyor between the blow molding and conforming functions. This keeps efficiency high and machine footprint low. First, the bottle is blow-molded in a standard mold using a traditional process, where the reversed cavity of the future grip is preformed, creating two “ears”. It is then conveyed by its neck with grips for transfer to the conforming mold. There, the two “ears” are pressed against each other to obtain the deep grip through punching. The pistons turn the material over and form the grip, while simultaneous blowing at a pressure of less than 20 bar inside the bottle prevents any deformation. Available on SBO Compact 2XXL blow molders, this machine configuration can also be used for the blow molding of traditional bottles.