Bottle maker ALPLA-Werke introduces milk bottles made from impact resistant polystyrene

Bottle maker ALPLA-Werke GmbH &Co. KG, Hard, Austria, introduces milk bottles made from impact resistant polystyrene (PS-I). Since PS is lower density than polyethylene terephthalate (PET), it offers opportunity to slash material costs up to 25%, reduce container weight about 20% versus PET.

Specially optimized BX 3580 PS-I resin from BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany, processes on same injection blowmolding, injection stretch blowmolding machines with same molds used to produce PET performs, containers, but requires significantly less compressed air, only 5-7 bar, versus 30-40 bar for PET. Additional energy savings occurs because PS-I does not need to be pre-dried. Options include application of silicon oxide coating to enhance barrier properties.

“We have filed a patent application for this process and will continue to be involved in this realm,” reports Jaroslaw Michniuk, head of marketing for standard styrenics at BASF.

Shrink label made from Styrolux® HS 70 polystyrene resin, also from BASF, completes package.