PET - ISBM

R. Knudsen – April 22nd, 2020

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Physical aspect and Molecular structure of PET

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PET is a semi-crystaline polymer = Bi-phasic!
Spherulitic
crystal
Light
Scatter!

Crystals
Amorphous Phase

Amorphous State- Single phase Biphasic State - Crystalline and Amorphous Phases
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Phase transitions in PET

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IM troubleshooting for PET preforms

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First of All – Check Drying!

• Many problems on PET-IM are related to Drying!

• Essencial:
• Drying air Dew Point = -40°C.
• Drying Temperature = 160° - 175°C
• Residence time – 4 to 6 hs.
• Proper air flow as recommended by dryer supplier.
• Ideal moisture in the resin after drying = Max 40 ppm water.

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Moisture affects Mechanical Properties and Processing of PET!

Effect of moisture on Melt Viscosity and IV

of injection molded parts.

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Moisture pick up in PET

Typical Ambient conditions: 24°C (75°F) Typical Hopper conditions: 177°C (350°F) and
and Dew Point 13°C (55°F) Dew Point -40°C (-40°F)

From: Extruding Plastics: A practical processing handbook by D.V. Rosato

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 Hazy Preforms
Causes
A – PET resin moisture level too high (hydrolysis
and IV drop).
B – PET resin too cold in the feeding (nucleating
unmelt micro-crystals).
C – Insufficient shear in plasticization (nucleating
unmelt micro-crystals)
Checks & Remedies
- Check dryer operation, temperature and final resin
moisture (<40 ppm)
- Check for bridges and chanelling in the hopper.
-Increase Back-pressure and barrel T.

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 Unmelts
Causes
A – PET resin too cold in the feeding (nucleating unmelt
micro-crystals)
B – Resin melting point too high (over crystalized, low
comonomer or Homopolymer resin

C – Resin pellet size over specification

or not uniform.

Checks & Remedies

- Check dryer operation: temperature, air flow and hopper
residence time.
- Check for bridges and channeling in the hopper.
- Check resin melting point and crystallinity %.
- Check pellets sizes and uniformity.

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 Sink Marks
Causes
A – Insufficient material injected.
B – Insufficient packing to compensate for shrinkage.
C – Excessive shrinkage due to high melt temperature.
D – Excessive shrinkage due to insufficient mold cooling.

Checks & Remedies

- Increase shot size.
- Increase hold pressure and/or hold time.
- Decrease “heats”: barrel and mold T.
- Check water cooling system.
- Check mold cooling channels for blockage
- Increase preform cooling time.
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 Short Shot
Causes
A – Insufficient material injected.
B – Injection fill time too low – Preform cools and harden
before complete filling.
C – Resin viscosity (IV) too high.
D – Melt temperature too low for proper flow.

Checks & Remedies

- Increase shotsize and/or hold time and/hold pressure
- Increase injection speed and/injection pressure.
- Increase melt temperature to reduce melt viscosity and/or
check resin IV.
- Increase mold manifold and/or nozzle tip temperature.

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 Long Gate Nub
Causes
A – Preform gate area too cold for proper valve shut-off.
B – Valve stem not closing properly.

Checks & Remedies

- Increase nozzle tip temperature.
- Reduce valve close delay timer.
- Increase manifold temperature.
- Cleck for blockage in the mold nozzle tip.
- Check for damages in the valves and nozzle tip.

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 Moisture Marks
Causes
A - Water condensation in the mold, causing disruption of
melt flow duriong cavity filling.

Checks & Remedies

- Ensure Dew Point in the molding area is below the mold water
chilled water temperature, adjust as needed.
- As a last resource, increase mold temperature. This is not a
proper temperature, as it could increase cycle time and affect
preform quality.

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 Gate Crystallinity
Causes
A – Temperature of the melt in mold nozzle tip too
cold during the time the melt is not flowing.
B – Temperature in the mold nozzle tip and/or
preform gate area too hot causing a deep white haze.

Checks & Remedies

- Adjust mold tip temperature (higher or lower).
- Reduce melt shear in the nozzle tip passage by reducing
injection fill rate.
- Ensure preform in robot take-out tube is contacting the
base.

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 Black specks
Causes
A – Black particles produced by degraded material.
B – “Cleaning” effect of liquid colorants and
additives.

Checks & Remedies

-Avoid high machine temperatures during transition or stop periods.
-Reduce temperatures (nozzle, manifold, barrel).
-Reduce shear heat by reducing back pressure, screw speed and/or
injection rate.
-Purge barrel and shooting pot with fresh material.
-Purge barrel and shooting pot with cleaning masterbatches (Ultrapurge
type).

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 Weld lines
Causes
A – Melt flow fronts too cool to properly adhere
together due to slow melt flow rate.
B – Melt flow fronts not properly adhered together
due to inadequate mold venting.

Checks & Remedies

- Increase injection fill speed an/or fill pressure.
- Increase hold speed and/or pressure.
- Increase mold water temperature to compensate for cooling
melt fronts.
- Check mold venting.

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 Flash
Causes
A – Material forced through parting lines and vents to an
excess amount injected.
B – Melt with too low melt viscosity.

Checks & Remedies

- Decrease shotsize.
- Decrease hold pressure and/or injection fill pressure
and/or fill speed.
- Reduce machine temperatures/shear heating.
- Check for preform IV – bad drying causes IV/viscosity
drop (check remedies for “hazy preform”).

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 Yellow Preforms
Causes
A – Resin degraded by excessive heating.
B – Use of poor quality recycled material.
C – Resin out of spec.

Checks & Remedies

- Check dryer for proper operation temperature,
airflow and resident time.
- Decrease machine temperatures and shear heating.
- Purge barrel and shooting pot with fresh resin prior
to start-up.

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 Excess wall thickness variation
Causes
A – Mold core rod deflecting during
injection due to high filling pressure.
B – Mold rods misaligned with cavities.

Checks & Remedies

- Decrease the injection fill tpressure and/or
fill speed.
- Decrease hold pressure and/or hold time.
Check for worn or damaged mold components
and core rod.

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 Scratches/Blemishes
Causes
A – random blemishes caused by contact with
other objects.
B – recurring blemishes caused by mold surface
damage or accumulation of debris.

Checks & Remedies

-Minimize handling o preforms.
-Minimize distance preforms drop from robot an
conveyor.
-Reduce robot ejection force.
-Increase cooling time to reduce preform surface
temperature and sensitivity to marking.
-Check for damage or deposits in the mold surfaces.

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 Burn Marks
Causes
A – Burn marks caused by
degraded material.

Checks & Remedies

- Same as for black specks.

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 Splay marks
Causes
A – Injection of excessively hot or
degraded material melt into cavity
(vapor flashing).

Checks & Remedies

- Same as for black specks.

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 Color Streaks
Causes
A – Poor mixing of color additive with PET pellets.
B – Melt not homogenized during plasticizing
process.

Checks & Remedies

- Check for consistent color feeding from dosing unit.
- Check for the need of a color pre-mixer.
- Check for proper color feed tube (if liquid colorant).
- Increase screw back-pressure.
- Increase melt temperature in the metering zone.
- Check for bridging in the feeding zone. Check need to
reduce temperature in the feed zone.

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 Void in the gate
Causes
A – Too much heat in the gate area, causing extra
shrinkage.
B – Valve not closing properly.

Checks & Remedies

- Check proper functioning of chilled water system.
- Check for blockages in moldcooling channels.
Reduce mold nozzle tip temperature.
- Reduce melt temperature.
- Check for proper functioning of valves.

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BM principles and Process

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 Differences between Spherulitic (thermal) and
Oriented (stretch induced) Crystals

Oriented crystal, induced by

Stretching:
-Transparent and flexible!

Spherulitic crystal:
- Opaque and brittle

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Strain Hardening – main mechanism in BM and
molecular orientation

T = 60/70 °C
Stress/Force

Stress hardening Zone

Elastic E = 3 000 / 7 000 MPa
Zone

Flow plateau region

E = 2 000 MPa
Stretching/Deformation
Glassy state Molecules aligning in the
Oriented Crystalized material
(random orientation) stretching direction
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Natural Stretch-Ratio is a function of T, IV and…P (if it
doesn’t burst…)

40
F/S0
(Mpa)

30
IV = 0.81

Engineering
20
Stress IV = 0.94
Stress
Hardening IV = 0.61
10 (at natural draw ratio)

Stress Hardening is advantageous because:

0
- The self-regulation of preform-to-bottle inflation in Blow-Molding.
- Homogeneous stretching of Yarns and Fibers from a striction point.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Draw Ratio
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Equivalence MW vs Temperature on Stretch Ratio
.
40
40 F/S0
F/S0
(Mpa)
(Mpa)

30
30
IV = 0.81
Engineering IV = 0.81 Engineering
Stress Stress
20
20
IV = 0.94

Stress 80°C IV = 0.61

Stress IV = 0.61
10 Hardening
10 Hardening
100°C

110°C

0 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Uniaxial Draw Ratio Uniaxial Draw Ratio

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From Preform to Bottle – Thermal conditioning

- Above Tg.

- Below «Crystalization» T.

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Basic BM heating process

BM
Transfer

Preforms Reheating
IR Oven

Bottles Cold Preforms Feeding

Exit

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Step 2 - Preform Reheating:
Obtained from combined heating and air cooling.

IR Lamps

Ventilation
- Often underestimated, It is crucial to
get the proper Temperature Profile in
the preform sidewall
Neck protection barriers

Spinning Preform
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IR oven has several zones (lamps) to control
heating and thickness/material distribution.

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 IR heating

Reflected
IR radiation

Direct
IR radiation

IR penetration depends on wavelenght:

- The shorter, the deeper.
- But…the shorter, th higher the lamp power.
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Heat (IR) Penetration
- IR lamps follow Black-body Radiation Oven should operate > 70% power.
The higher the power the shorter the λ If too much heat, TURN LAMPS OFF!

Short & middle IR Short IR (1.2 – 1.4 μm) Long IR

Limited penetration Optimal penetration Surface crystalization!

Heate
d
region

Preform
Sidewall (Follows Beer-law)
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Inner vs Outer stretch ratios

- In a preform to bottle system there is a

gradient of stretch ratios. It is bigger for
the internal wall than for the external
one.

- To compensate the diferent level of

stretching, we need a temperature
gradient to make inner part more
deformable.

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BM thermal path before blowing

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Getting a proper Temperature profile across preform sidewall

Penetration Stabilization

Stabilization
Repartition

Final Stabilization Repartition

To Blow-molding step
Intermediate
Stabilization

Preforms in Penetration
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Little more important info…
Temperature Sensor
Main control for IR Oven Power

Adjustable neck heat barrier

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Step 4 – Blow Molding
Material transfered to the sidewall and - Bottom feet formation.
Stretching bottom - «Imprinting» against the walls.
bar
- Cooling below Tg.

Hot Preform

- Bubble progression under stress-

hardening self-regulation
Pre-blowing:
- Material to the bottom.
- Bubble formation.

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Blowing cycle (typical 1400 bottles/h/cavity)

Blowing
(Typical 35-40 Bar)
P release

Pre-Blowing
(Typical 7 Bar)
Rod retraction

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Bi-orientation during Blowing

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Stretch Ratio

Longitudinal Ratio

Radial ratio

Total Stretch Ratio

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Thank you !

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