12 March 2015
Greater Efficiency and Flexibility for Less
Greiner Packaging is setting new standards in plastic packaging production with its innovative Kavoblow technology
Injection stretch blow molding is one of the most common methods in the plastics industry for manufacturing hollow parts. There are two different manufacturing approaches: In the 1-step method, the preforms are inflated immediately after the injection process while still warm, while in the 2-step method, the preforms are cooled and stored after the injection procedure. Afterwards, they are reheated and inflated in a second production process. This method is used exclusively for PET and is quite frequently used in the beverage industry, for example.
Greiner Packaging is among the pioneers of the 1-step method. Together with Mould & Matic, part of the HAIDLMAIR GROUP, they have been working since 2009 on refining the method and making it more efficient. The result of the collaboration is a completely new machine called "Kavoblow". "High flexibility coupled with maximum productivity are the major advantages of the new method. Kavoblow allows for the manufacture of packaging with non-round and off-center mouths as well as individual colors in many kinds of material such as PET, PP, and more. The range of mouth diameters extends from very small, for example for liquor, to very large wide-neck containers for the food industry, for example," explains Günter Ausserwöger, Head of Division Kavo.
Greatly improved efficiency and lower production costs compared with existing machine concepts are significant advantages of the technology: Preforms are line-produced in multiple rows with Kavoblow. Several production pieces can therefore be made within a shorter period of time. Kavoblow technology is aimed particularly at the 5 - 20 million units segment and combines the high quality of a 1-step production process with the efficiency previously reserved for 2-step systems.
So far, Kavoblow products are found primarily in the ketchup, honey, marmalade, sauce, mouth rinse, and household cleaner markets. But more and more customers from other sectors, such as the chemical, cosmetic, and healthcare industries, are conveying interest in packaging concepts based on this flexible and efficient technology. "With Kavoblow, we offer the optimal technology for fulfilling individual market needs while at the same time ensuring high productivity. Customer-specific special editions can be produced in a cost-effective manner. We guarantee the highest quality with the 1-step method -- the stroke marks that occur during storage in the 2-step method have become a thing of the past," Ausserwöger concludes.
