Blow Moulding
Cypet on a good run with PET ISBM
C
yprus-based manufacturer of single-stage injection stretch blow-moulding (ISBM) systems Cypet Technologies pushed ahead with expansion plans, even against the challenging Covid-19 situation. "Although we faced a slowdown in order intake in 2020 due to the negative investment climate caused by the pandemic, we had a strong order book entering the pandemic period, which sustained the operations until orders picked up again,” said Polykarpos (Pol) Panayiotides, Head of Business Development, Far East & ASEAN. He explained that even during “the difficult Covid period, the company had been hard at work to grow its sales and support team, with dedicated people for Europe, Asia, The Americas, Middle East and Africa.” He added, “Our global network of agents has also grown and we have plans to expand it further.” Currently, the company has a global customer base on all five continents, with additional offices and a manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad, India. “Our aim in the next few years is to increase the sales of Cypet machinery and moulds globally,” he says. Making strides in ISBM with Cypet machines ISBM is a technology that transforms PET resin directly into finished containers such as bottles, jars, jerrycans, drums and pressurised containers. The flexibility offered by Cypet’s production machines plus the “very low energy consumption (up to 50%, depending on the bottle that is being produced)” are factors for its popularity. “Packaging producers can now incorporate handles as one piece with the blown container; can produce containers from tiny 20 ml bottles up to huge 120 l industrial drums and can use their Cypet machine both as a blow moulding system as well as a standard injection moulding machine,” said Pol. The Cypet process is set apart from conventional singlestage technologies in that it utilises a single clamping unit for opening and closing both the injection and the blow moulds. As a result, instead of using a specially designed machine, the process utilises the clamping unit (and injection unit) of an injection moulding machine base, converting it into a single-stage machine by integrating it with a stretch-blowing unit, a set of moulds and a control system. The stretch-blowing unit carries out the functions of transferring the preforms from the injection to the blow moulds, blowing them into containers and removing the finished containers. Furthermore, Cypet offers some machine models that are all-electric, making them especially suitable for medical, pharmaceutical or food contact applications.
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PET – recyclability an attraction The company focuses on PET processing because PET has very good mechanical properties and excellent recyclability. It can be easily separated from other plastics in mixed waste, can be re-used as re-grind or recycled into granules with equal properties as the virgin material, including suitability for food contact. Therefore, it can be recycled repeatedly, making it ideal for use in a circular economy. When asked if Cypet machines are able to cater to rPET, Pol explains, “Yes, they are able to produce containers with both virgin and rPET. As an example, we had a customer produce a 5 l PET jerrycan with a handle. It is being used to package Ad Blue by Shell in Europe. This is made from 100% rPET, on a Cypet machine.” Making a difference with a Cypet machine When asked what sets its machines apart from the competition, Pol explained, “A Cypet ISBM machine works in a different way to competitor ISBM machines. Firstly, the layout of the machine is different: it has a single, horizontal clamping unit. The injection mould is situated vertically below the blow mould and the moulds are laid out at 90 degrees to each other, meaning that the preforms are rotated by 90 degrees when transferred from injection to blow mould.”
The layout of a Cypet machine is different as it has a single, horizontal clamping unit, with the injection mould situated vertically below the blow mould and the moulds laid out at 90 degrees to each other
He also adds that the Cypet machine requires only one set of neck rings rather than three needed on other machines. Thirdly, a Cypet machine uses injection moulds that are similar to two stage preform production - this allows the Cypet machine to be used also as a standard injection moulding machine, if needed.
