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