A problem normally encountered with hot-filling plastic bottles is that, when the contents cool, their volume reduces and creates a partial vacuum. The bottle walls collapse and the label becomes partly or completely unstuck.
In the past, ketchup makers have tackled this problem with bottles incorporating panels that withstand the distorting effects caused by the changes in internal pressure. This type of design is functional, but not necessarily attractive.
Sipa experts carried out numerous computer simulation tests that provided accurate predictions of how different bottle designs behave after they have been hot-filled. Sipa’s designers took an existing ketchup bottle design, shortened the neck and softened the angles around the bottle body to prevent the collapsing and provided an attractive appearance.
The resulting bottle can be filled between 85-90°C, stays in shape afterwards and prevents ‘label crinkling’.
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