Plasma process benefits beer bottling

In a world premiere at NPE 2000, Sidel presented an operating line that includes its Actis 20 barrier treatment machine along with an SBO 8 Series2 blow-molder.

What does that really mean, then? Well, the Actis treatment involves the insertion of a food-safe gas, acetylene, into the bottle. The gas is then broken down to its plasma state to create an internal amorphous carbon layer. Placed inside the bottle, this deposit protects the liquid against gas exchanges and migrations of all types.

The Actis process gives PET bottles unrivaled barrier properties (oxygen barrier up to 30 times greater and a CO2 barrier that is up to 7 times better than a non-treated single layer PET bottle) and paves the way for PET to conquer the sensitive liquid market, particularly beer.

The in-line configuration presented at NPE reveals the commercial application possibilities of Actis. At the stand, 50 cl PET bottles blown on the SBO 8 were transferred by a Rafale air conveyor for treatment directly in-line on the ACTIS 20, a rotary machine equipped with 20 stations, at a rate of 10,000 bottles per hour.

Actis is the first commercial application of cold plasma for PET packaging. The system is designed for maximum productivity with short treatment times (about 3 seconds), and continuously operating rotary kinematics.

The reliability of these kinematics has long been established with Sidel's SBO blow molders. With a single bottle treated per cavity, and individual process control, production quality and traceability are guaranteed.

Thanks to a limited number of built-in components, the machine's reduced inertia allows it to be seamlessly incorporated into the bottling line. Finally, it offers easy implementation and maintenance given that the system boasts simple and fully accessible mechanics and operates at average vacuum levels (10-1 mbar).

In Europe, Actis bottles have been approved as food-safe since April 1999 by the TNO. In the United States, the Actis treatment received a letter in February from the Keller & Heckman firm stating its favorable opinion of the process. The FDA is now reviewing the file with a final decision expected in mid-2000.

The Wellman and PTI companies have approved the recyclability of Actis bottles for fiber applications and even to re-produce bottles for the food industry.

France's number one brewing company, Kronenbourg, has ordered an ACTIS 20 system, as have several merchant bottle suppliers including Hokkai Can in Japan, Logoplaste in Portugal, Alpla Werke in Austria, and Plastipak in the USA.

More information at www.sidel.com