KHS shows coating process for PET bottles at BrauBeviale

At BrauBeviale 2024, the KHS Group will be presenting the latest generation of its unique InnoPET Plasmax technology. The coating process for PET bottles coats the inside of plastic bottles with a wafer-thin layer of glass. Available as a stand-alone machine or block solution with a stretch blow molding or additional filling unit, it combines highly effective product protection with 100% unmixed recyclability. The InnoPET Plasmax coating provides effective protection against oxygen ingress and CO2 loss. This preserves the taste and extends the shelf life - similar to a glass bottle, but with the lower weight and greater robustness of a plastic bottle.

PET bottle coating at higher speed

Thanks to the further developed machine generation, which replaces the previous 20Q and 20L series, the InnoPET Plasmax 80ES version can now coat PET bottles at a speed of up to 48,000 bottles per hour. The very first Plasmax machine of the latest generation is located at the German mineral water bottler Vilsa (as reported by Oberfläche-Online). The process improvements implemented by the KHS experts are responsible for the increase in output. Within the FreshSafe-PET TriBlock system, for example, the infeed and outfeed of the coating machine has been brought to the same height as the stretch blow molder and filler. This eliminates the need for the lifting wheel, which previously had to transport the containers 30 centimetres upwards to the coating module. Bottle handling has also been simplified and made even more robust - all in preparation for even higher speeds, as Philipp Langhammer, Product Manager Barrier Technology at KHS, promises. "With our foray into higher performance classes we want to reach the large bottlers of carbonated soft drinks in particular, who need to protect their beverages from CO2 loss, especially in smaller bottles," says Langhammer. "After all, the smaller the container volume, the larger the surface area. And the risk of carbon dioxide diffusing out or oxygen diffusing in through the plastic wall increases accordingly."