Total HDPE HD 6081 (d = 0.960 g/cm3, M12 = 8 g/10 min), dedicated to still (non-carbonated) water application, has proved at Sumitomo Demag to be the best HDPE resin capable of achieving the fastest crystallization, thus reducing demolding time between shots while giving optimized mechanical parts.

The 96-cavity hot-runner mold was designed and built by Plastisud in Castelnaudary, France with U.S. manufacturing in Kentucky, specializing in high-volume precision molds for the packaging, closures and medical markets.

After an intensive development phase, Greiner Packaging has achieved a breakthrough in cooperation with injection molding machine maker Engel and mold maker Brink: Thin-walled cups made of recycled PET can now also be produced using injection molding technology. Suitable for filling lines, sealable and offering considerable carbon dioxide savings potential, the breakthrough opens new opportunities for packaging designed for a circular economy.

The lightweight packaging made of recycled material that can be readily recycled is a model of an optimally sustainable packaging from environmental and regulatory aspects.

In the future, it won’t only be PET bottles that will serve as resource for recycling and reuse as rPET, but PET and rPET plastic cups as well.

A Total spokesperson told PlasticsToday that Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and Plastisud had previously worked together during the K show, achieving 2.1 sec of cycle time, which was the fastest production until Chinaplas 2014, where Sumitomo (SHI) Demag set the new world record at 1.9 sec.

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

Multi-cavitation molds for running high-volume cap and closure production can be very fast systems. Now, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag together with its partners, Total and Plastisud, has set a new world record in the production of HDPE caps with tamper-evident band without post-molding operations, according to information from Total, headquartered in France, with more than 150 locations for specialty chemicals worldwide.

Sebastian Diensthuber, Greiner Packaging’s global product group manager, is thrilled by the innovation. "When developing the thin-walled, injection-molded cups made of PET, it was important for us to develop a solution that was not only innovative but also able to withstand our customers' industrial requirements. The cups we developed together with Brink and Engel are designed in such a way that a transition to the new generation of cups is possible, both in filling and sealing”.

This newest system can produce 190,000 caps per hour and 1.5 billion per year. The El-Exis SP 420-3000 packaging machine produces 1.3g HDPE screw caps on a 96-cavity hot runner mold (29/25 design) with a production cycle of only 1.9 seconds. This machine is equipped with a 25:1 L/D ratio barrier screw and has been designed with a special backflow barrier to improve reproducibility.

Greiner Packaging, Engel, and Brink combine forces to develop thin-walled injection-molded recycled PET (rPET) cups designed for a circular economy.

According to Arnaud Nomblot, business development manager of packaging at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, "Total's know-how in the field of materials for caps has greatly contributed to this success. The material provides a vital common goal of Sumitomo Demag, Total and partners was to achieve highest product quality with significantly reduced cycle times. The technical breakthrough was made possible thanks to the excellent flow characteristics of the HD6081 material. A cycle time of 1.9 second and perfect injection point quality are the result of optimum combined material, machine and mold performance."

The fast cycle time results on one hand, from the combination of optimized mold dynamics by Sumitomo Demag's unique independent hybrid clamp system and optimized injection and plasticizing performance. On the other hand, this achievement has been made possible through the close co-operation between packaging partners, including Total, who has contributed their expertise in polyolefin resins for the caps & closures industry.

"Looking actively to improve this result, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag tested several HDPE resins from the market dedicated to caps and closures, and this is where Total made the difference with HDPE HD6081, resins that provided the best results in terms of part quality at lower cycle time (1.9 sec)," the spokesperson said. "So given the fact of sharing the same commercial strategy and objectives, providing excellent technology and know-how from each parties, and achieving results in the right direction, it was very natural to collaborate all together."

Multi-cavitation molds for running high-volume cap and closure production can be very fast systems. Now, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag together with its partners, Total and Plastisud, has set a new world record in the production of HDPE caps with tamper-evident band without post-molding operations, according to information from Total, headquartered in France, with more than 150 locations for specialty chemicals worldwide. Total's refining & chemicals division produces and commercializes a wide range of products from petroleum products to commodity polymers including base chemicals and intermediates.

The use of 100% rPET results in up to a four-fold reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions compared to virgin PP, according to data using the Ecoinvent v.3.9 database.

"This collaboration with Sumitomo Demag is one additional example of Total competitiveness and commitment to the Caps & Closures market, where total as the new challenger, brings to the industry optimized resins fulfilling the highest requirements providing benefits to the complete value chain," said Gabriela Quevedo Silvetti, market development engineer rigid packaging at Total.