South Asian Petrochem Ltd.

Hot fill Packaging

Hot fill Packaging:

8 Key Aspects

Y.Somasundaram
South Asian Petrochem Ltd.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

Hot fill: Packaging Objectives

To pack fruit base drinks

without or with minimum
preservatives.
Natural flavor preserved.
No sodium salts.
Transparent family size
packing.
Easy and convenient means
to dispense content as per
need.
Unbreakable.
Recyclable.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

PET bottles - Hot fill & Aseptic (USA)

3500

3000 3100
2700
Bottles (million)

2500

2000 2000
Fruit juices
1500
1200
1000

500 600

0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Fruit juices 600 1200 2000 2700 3100
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

Hot fill Indian Scenario

Launched by Maa fruits,
Dharmapuri & Fruitnik at
Chennai in end 2003.
28 mm Thick neck bottles, with
higher Tg resins.
Neck crystallized bottles.
500 / 1000 ml bottles

Pepsi launched its hot fill with Slice in 2004.

Neck crystallized bottles.
28 mm Alcoa neck.
500ml bottle.
Coke followed with Maaza in the same year.
Neck crystallized bottles.
28 mm Alcoa neck.
500ml bottle.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

What is Hot, for a Hot fill

Hot fill temperature (82 deg C)

High acid fruit drinks (< 4.5 pH)

Hot fill temperature (92 deg C)

Low acid fruit drinks (> 4.5 pH > 6.0)
Ex. Tomato juice, low acid tea (green tea)
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

1: Resin (PET)

Faster rate of PET Homo polymer.

Crystallization. Lower IV = 0.76 dl/g.
Easy process ability.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

2: Preform
High wall thickness to yield
thicker bottle.
Optimum design for strain
hardening & crystallinity.
Too much stretching can lead to
residual stresses at final bottle,
leading to higher shrinkage
Crystallized neck to withstand
temperature during filling.
Wide / thick neck to avoid
contact of hot liquid &
deformation.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

3: Bottle design
Panels to absorb and
dissipate vacuum created in
bottle during cooling of
content.
Base ribs to withstand
temperature and liquid filling
force.
Rigid circular ribs withstand
deforming forces.
Higher post mold shrinkage
allowance in mold design.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

4: Bottle Performance
Less than 1% thermal shrinkage on
hot filling conditions.
Base clearance to be maintained.
No unequal deformation in base
leading to tilting / rocking of
bottles.
No warping at neck seal surface.
No leakage at seal surface.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

5: Closures
Closure material to take
care of content
temperature at filling.
Single piece closure to
avoid the effect of
warping of wad.
Sealing surfaces to take
care of the expansion &
shrinkage during filling
and cooling.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

6: Blowing process

Higher preform temperature for blowing.

Hot blow mold surfaces to increase the bottle wall crystallinity through
thermal crystallization.
Reduce the orientation stresses in the bottle wall.
Internal cooling of bottle by stretch rod, to harden inner wall before
ejection.
Quick opening of mold cavities to avoid softening of bottle wall after
cooling.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

7: Filling process
Fill close to brimful in crystallized
neck finish.
Fill up to NSR (Neck Support Ring)
in non-crystallized neck finish.
Contact of high temperature filling
head with the Non-crystallized
neck finish avoided.
Quick capping, to avoid product
contact with ambient air & cooling.
Caps to be sterilized before
capping.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

8: Conditioning

Tilt bottle to wet & warm the closure immediately

after capping.
Water shower the bottle to lower temperature, before
putting on shrink sleeve label.
Water quality in shower to be clean, in order to avoid
mold growth between the bottle & shrink film / pilfer
proof ring.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

Advantages over TetraPak

Content is visible, gives customer the feel of

the product.
User can see the quantity left out in the
container after use.
Environment friendly, easily recyclable.
Higher top load strength so more products can
be stacked and stored in smaller space & also
transported without damage.
 South Asian Petrochem Ltd. Hot fill Packaging

New development
Panel-less Hot fill bottle