New foamed PET bottle technology now available in the U.S.

A new foamed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle technology is said to offer physical and visual properties not previously available in a monolayer bottle. It is also suitable for certain aseptically-packaged products.

The Fi-Cell foamed PET bottle is the first technology being made available to the U.S. marketplace under the recently announced representation agreement between Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI) and Toyo Seikan Co. Ltd. The technology has already been commercialized by Toyo Seikan in Japan for a line of coffee drinks. 

One of the Fi-Cell's key attributes is that the process produces monolayer bottles with a smooth inner and outer wall surface. Other foamed bottle technologies require an overmolded bottle to achieve a similar result.

The foam bottle technology consists of a preform injected with liquid nitrogen under high pressure, controlled temperature and time. The system uses a counter pressure regulation system which keeps the nitrogen soluble in the PET material until it is blown. The preform comes out of the injection mold clear and both the inner and outer surfaces are smooth.  

Secondly, the Fi-Cell process produces a metallic finish as well.

"Fi-Cell foamed PET bottle technology is an exciting way for companies to create strong shelf impact for their brand. It offers significantly improved visual attributes, while still having the properties required to accommodate barrier requirements and high speed filling lines," said Scott Steele, president of PTI.