Plastic Technologies turns to partnerships to aid in speed-to-market for overmolded bottles

Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI) has launched new technology partnerships to assist in the commercialization of its overmolded oPTI lightweight foamed PET bottles. 

The oPTI process produces bottles with visual and tactile attributes and it's based on MuCell technology licensed from Trexel.

Foboha GmbH and Ferromatik Milacron GmbH have now joined PTI to improve speed-to-market and commercial viability for overmolded oPTI bottles, the company said. 

The Foboha cube mold system has been designed from the ground up to maximize cavitation and minimize cost for overmolded parts. The goal was to increase production output criteria for the oPTI inner layer and an overmolded traditional PET outer layer bottles. Coupling Foboha's cube mold technology with Ferromatik Milacron's injection molding platform results in an increased number of cavities in the mold, thereby significantly increasing the output. 

"oPTI technology provides unparalleled appearance, with minimal chemical additives. This produces an ideal container for brand differentiation while still delivering recycling benefits. Brand owners will now have the combined expertise of PTI, Foboha, Ferromatik Milacron and Trexel supporting oPTI commercialization," said Scott Steele, president of PTI.

The overmolded oPTI bottle has been developed to deliver point-of-sale differentiation coupled with performance attributes at a reported lower cost than other materials such as single-use aluminum bottles, for example. Additionally, the dual-layer structures also enable optimization of barrier attributes. For example, oxygen barrier can be added to the inner layer, while the outer can include a carbon dioxide barrier. 

Ideal applications include foods, beverages (wine, spirits, beer, juice, nutriceuticals, etc.) health and beauty aids, cosmetics, and more.