Sidel StarLite Tropical brings increased resistance and stability to all PET bottles for CSD

The base has been evaluated and qualified under rigorous test protocols which are internationally recognised. It successfully completed a very demanding creeping test conducted over 72 hours under 38°C and 50% moisture conditions. This proved a good base roll-out resistance when the bottle is under pressure at high temperature and demonstrated that it is less likely to burst during production or to deform during transportation. Also, Sidel packaging experts conducted various trials through computer simulations, followed by real-world physical tests, to achieve optimum bottle strength. In those tests the StarLite Tropical design resulted in improved bottle stability and - again - more resistance to extreme temperatures (hot and cold). Vincent Le Guen, Vice President, Packaging at Sidel says, "The Sidel StarLite Tropical base is already in production in far-eastern countries by Sidel customers who have trialled the base and achieved great performance results, including significant improvements in resistance to stress cracking."

The improved bottle stability is achieved through the enhanced base standing surface. High surface contact of the base's feet ensures easy bottle transportation and smooth conveying, an efficient solution for even high-output lines. This prevents bottles falling when passing through machine interfaces within the PET bottling line and results in a higher production uptime. As Le Guen adds, "The new StarLite Tropical base takes all the benefits of the original StarLite base, enlarging them to all producers of carbonated soft drinks. Now, they can incorporate the large and stable base to their containers' designs, to greatly improve bottle performance throughout the supply chain."

Base moulds for all production configurations

Having an enhanced venting design, the new Sidel StarLite Tropical base moulds are offering an optimised cooling capacity to further improve bottle base performances. Available for all Sidel moulds, they are easy to implement in PET?production lines and can even be retrofitted to existing Sidel CSD moulds to adapt bottle designs. The new base can be applied to all lines equipped with any generation of Sidel blowers, in standalone - with an additional post-mould cooling base device - or Combi configurations. Line conversion is quick and, in some cases, only needing a simple adjustment to filling-levels.