Stretch Blow Moulding Research Articles

Effect of rPET Content and Preform Heating/Cooling Conditions in the Stretch Blow Molding Process on Microcavitation and Solid-State Post-Condensation of vPET-rPET Blend: Part I—Research Methodology and Results

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used in bottle production due to its cost-effectiveness and low environmental impact. The first part of this article describes the research and statistical analysis methodology of the influence of the virgin PET (vPET) and recycled PET (rPET) content in the vPET-rPET blend, as well as the preform heating/cooling conditions in the stretch blow molding (SBM) process on the microscopic bottle properties. Microscopic properties such as crystallinity, density, viscosity, relaxation degree of the amorphous phase, and microcavitation in PET were examined. This study reveals that microcavity and solid-state post-condensation effects occur during PET deformation in the SBM process. The increase in free volume, indicating microcavitation, was confirmed by measuring positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). PALS and density of the amorphous phase studies prove a reduction in the dimensions of the free volumes, with a simultaneous significant increase in their number and ellipsoidization. It can be associated with crystallite rotation in a temperature-dependent non-crystalline matrix. The occurrence of solid-state post-condensation effects was confirmed by measuring the intrinsic viscosity. The conclusions resulting from the analysis of the microstructure affecting the mechanical strength of the material were validated by pressure resistance tests of the bottles.

Multi-response Optimization of Process Parameters in Stretch Blow Molding of PET Plastic Bottles

Multi-response Optimization of Process Parameters in Stretch Blow Molding of PET Plastic Bottles

A Comparative Study on Crystallisation for Virgin and Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): Multiscale Effects on Physico-Mechanical Properties.

Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (PET) is one of the most used polymers for packaging applications. Modifications induced by service conditions and the means to make this matter circular have to be understood to really close the loop (from bottle to bottle for example). Physico-chemical properties, crystalline organisation, and mechanical behaviour of virgin PET (vPET) are compared with those of recycled PET (rPET). Using different combined experimental methods (Calorimetry, Small Angle X-ray Scattering [SAXS], Atomic Force Microscopy [AFM], Dynamic Mechanical Analysis [DMA], and uniaxial tensile test), it has been proven that even if there is no change in the crystallinity of PET, the crystallisation process shows some differences (size and number of spherulites). The potential impact of these differences on local mechanical characterisation is explored and tends to demonstrate the development of a homogeneous microstructure, leading to well-controlled and relevant local mechanical property characterisation. The main contribution of the present study is a better understanding of crystallisation of PET and recycled PET during forming processes such as thermoforming or Injection Stretch Blow Moulding (ISBM), during which elongation at the point of breaking can depend on the microstructure conditioned by the crystallisation process.

In situ adjustment of a visco hyper elastic model for stretch blow molding process simulation of poly‐ethylene terephthalate bottles

AbstractSimulation of the stretch blow molding (SBM) process necessitates to develop a model able to reproduce the material behavior at high strain rate, large deformation with temperature gradient. On the other hand, both the need to understand polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material characteristics and the final bottle performance requirements continue to get higher. That necessitates a regular update of the identification of the model. Bottle producers are interested by managing this identification without a specific complex apparatus not available in an industrial context. The work presented here describes an in‐situ adjustment process for upgrading all parameters of a visco‐hyperelastic (VHE) model from a small number of blowing tests that do not necessitate complex equipment. The accuracy of the adjustment process is validated through the ability of the updated VHE model to reproduce the final shape, the pressure evolution and the tension of the rod during an industrial blowing of PET bottles.

Numerical Simulation of Infrared Heating and Ventilation before Stretch Blow Molding of PET Bottles

Numerical Simulation of Infrared Heating and Ventilation before Stretch Blow Molding of PET Bottles

Determination of The Best Injection Stretch Blow Molding Process Parameters in Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottle Service Performance

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles which are thermoplastic materials are used very commonly for the storage and transport of carbonated beverages. The most used production method for PET bottles is the Injection Stretch Blow Molding (ISBM) process. There is a variety of parameters affecting the produced PET bottles’ performances. Amongst these parameters, stretch rod movement, blowing pressure and preform surface temperature are the most important ones. Assignation of the optimal design parameters in PET bottles is taken into account. The effects of the parameters such as Preform Temperature (°C), Stretch Rod Position (mm) and Final Pressure (Bar) were analysed with the Taguchi method (TM), Grey relational analysis (GRA) and ECHIP. Body-weight (gr) (R1), Top Load (Pa) (R2), Burst Pressure (Bar) (R3), Stress Crack Resistance (Min.) (R4) and Tg (oC) (R5) were consiedered as performance parameters. The experimental design proposed by Taguchi involves using orthogonal arrays. An L9 orthogonal array was chosen for the procedure. Primarily, the performance parameters were optimized with the ECHIP Design of the Experiment (DOE). Thereafter, all of the factors were optimized together with TM, GRA and ECHIP.

Infrared heating modeling of recycled PET preforms in injection stretch blow molding process

Relatively recent citizen’s consciousness about plastic pollution forces industrial actors of packaging to re-invent their shaping processes and materials. Specifically, for plastic bottle industry shaping, classical Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) material is little by little replaced by recycled PET (rPET). The change in material composition due to recycling loops leads to an inevitable adaptation of the Injection Stretch Blow Molding (ISBM) process used to shape bottles at a satisfactory production rate. Indeed, rPET contains contaminants which modify its optical properties, so the heating stage becomes material-dependent and unstable regarding the polymer supplier. The approach adopted in this article is to build a numerical model able to simulate the infrared heating of rPET preforms, sensitive enough to predict changes in temperature due to the recycling rate. To do so, the optical properties of 50% and 100% rPET are measured by spectrometry and implemented in the simulation. Thermal radiative heat transfer between infrared lamps and rPET preforms is simulated by ray tracing method using an in-house software so-called RAYHEAT. Then, the result of the infrared ray tracing computation is used as the input heat source for thermal simulation by commercial software COMSOL Multiphysic®in order to simulate the temperature distribution of the preform. The numerical results are then confronted to experimental ones obtained on a research Stretch Blow Molding pilot, instrumented with thermography. The results show that the temperature obtained at the end of a classical heating cycle of the 100% recycled grade is 8 °C higher than the virgin one. Also, simulations confirm that this difference is attributed to changes in optical properties. Finally, heating 100% rPET at a sufficient forming temperature is about 8% less energy consuming than for virgin PET.

A proposal for enhanced microstructural development of Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate), PEF, upon stretching: On strain-induced crystallization and amorphous phase stability improvement

Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate), PEF, has been described regarding its ability at developing strain-induced crystallization (SIC). The influence of several stretching settings on its microstructural development has been investigated. Based on the time/temperature superposition principle, the stretching settings have been chosen to draw the material in its rubbery-like state. Two equivalent strain rates, defined at the reference temperature of 100 °C, have been selected. For each equivalent strain rate, two strain rate/temperature couples (“slow” and “rapid”) are selected. It appears that the strain rates (“slow” or “rapid”) have an influence on the induced microstructure in terms of crystal perfection, amorphous phase rigidity and thermal stability. Depending on the strain rate, the presence (for “rapid” tests) or the absence (for “slow” tests) of self-heating upon stretching is reported. Indeed, it could be the key point to determine the final definition of the crystal obtained. Additionally, the amorphous domain mobility is impacted: the stability of the amorphous domain with temperature has been increased with the use of “rapid” conditions. SIC occurs for all the stretching settings applied but the use of couples with rapid strain rates/high temperatures could be more efficient to improve the microstructure definition and stability: these results are of prime interest regarding industrial applications such as ISBM (Injection Stretch Blow Moulding) or thermoforming.

Design and Analysis of Parison Blow Molding Using Adaptive Mesh

Blow Molding is one of the most versatile and economical process available for molding hollow materials. When polyethylene is stretched, it exhibits strain-hardening properties, which are temperature, pressure, velocity and strain-rate dependent. In this paper, preform is made by extrusion and forced between two halves by pressurization. This process includes isothermal and transient flow of Newtonian fluid in complex geometries simultaneous with structuring and solidification. A time dependent problem is defined and setting material properties and boundaries condition for bottle blow molding. Numerical data available in POLYDATA for a time dependent problem using ANSYS POLYFLOW were applied. Results display in form contours associated with different variables at different time steps and good agreement with the bottle thickness profile is observed. In this paper, the analysis of the stretch-blow molding (SBM) process of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), parison plastic bottles is studied by the finite element method (FEM). A hyper elastic constitutive behavior was calibrated using material data available in literature in variant high temperatures and strain rates and was used in the numerical simulation. Hydrostatic pressure with convention heat transfer has been used instead of a blowing process. Comparisons of numerical results with experimental observations demonstrate that the model can predict an overall trend of thickness distribution. Through the study, it becomes clear that the proposed model is applicable for simulating the stretch-blow molding process of PET bottles, and is capable of offering helpful knowledge in the production of bottles and the design of an optimum preform.

Modelling Stretch Blow Moulding of Poly (l-lactic acid) for the Manufacture of Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold.

Stretch blow moulding (SBM) has been employed to manufacture bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) from poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA), whilst an experience-based method is used to develop the suitable processing conditions by trial-and-error. FEA modelling can be used to predict the forming process by the scientific understanding on the mechanical behaviour of PLLA materials above the glass transition temperature (Tg). The applicability of a constitutive model, the ‘glass-rubber’ (GR) model with material parameters from biaxial stretch was examined on PLLA sheets replicating the biaxial strain history of PLLA tubes during stretch blow moulding. The different stress–strain relationship of tubes and sheets under equivalent deformation suggested the need of re-calibration of the GR model for tubes. A FEA model was developed for PLLA tubes under different operation conditions, incorporating a virtual cap and rod to capture the suppression of axial stretch. The reliability of the FEA modelling on tube blowing was validated by comparing the shape evolution, strain history and stress–strain relationship from modelling to the results from the free stretch blow test.

Infrared Heating Modeling of Recycled Pet Preforms in Injection Stretch Blow Molding Process

Infrared Heating Modeling of Recycled Pet Preforms in Injection Stretch Blow Molding Process

Numerical and experimental validation of an explicit meshfree method: With applications to material forming

Meshfree methods were introduced twenty-five years ago to overcome a range of issues faced by mesh-based methods, which predominately relate to the issues of mesh-entanglement, which can result in poor accuracy. Although meshfree methods have progressed significantly over these years, the application of these techniques to real-world material forming problems is limited, despite the potential benefits they can provide over traditional mesh-based methods. This paper is concerned with the meshfree simulation of the stretch blow moulding process, which is the primary manufacturing process used to produce polymer bottles. Traditionally, the finite element method has been used to simulate this process, however, difficulties are often encountered during these simulations, which can cause reduced accuracy. In this paper, a nodally integration explicit element-free Galerkin method is formulated. Firstly, the formulation is validated through several numerical problems, which display the accuracy, and computational efficiency of the proposed method. Following this, the experimental characterisation of the stretch blow moulding process is discussed. Finally, the developed formulation is utilised to construct a validated simulation of the stretch blow moulding process. The accuracy obtained in the stretch blow moulding simulations highlights the capability of the explicit meshfree formulation, which has the potential to be applied to a wide range of large deformation phenomena.

Blowing Kinetics, Pressure Resistance, Thermal Stability, and Relaxation of the Amorphous Phase of the PET Container in the SBM Process with Hot and Cold Mold. Part II: Statistical Analysis and Interpretation of Tests.

The technology of filling drinks without preservatives (such as fresh juices, iced tea drinks, and vitaminized drinks) is carried out using hot filling. Mainly due to the production costs and lower carbon footprint, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are increasingly used in this technology. In this paper, the main aim is to describe and interpret the results of statistical analysis of the influence of the temperature of the blow mold in the SBM (stretch blow molding) process and the method of hot filling on the macroscopic and microscopic bottle properties. The macroscopic bottle properties were defined by the thickness profile, pressure resistance, thermal stability, and the coefficients of blowing kinetics. In addition, the influence of the SBM process on the microscopic PET material properties (in the bottle) relative to the microscopic preform properties was analyzed. The microscopic properties were defined by the degree of crystallite, density, and relaxation of the amorphous phase of the PET material. For this purpose, response surface experiments were performed for the two analyzed factors, i.e., the temperature of the blow mold and the method of hot filling. The sample size was investigated to determine the minimum number of repetitions (number of bottles in the measurement series) required to achieve acceptable measurement uncertainty. The research conducted shows that, despite fulfilling the postulate of acceptable measurement uncertainty, in terms of the power of ANOVA (analysis of variance) in DOE (design of experiment), the accepted number of bottles in the measurement series is too small. The tests of the bottle material density, material crystallite, and relaxation of amorphous phase relative to the preform material density, material crystallite, and relaxation of amorphous phase show that microcavity effects occur during the deformation of the PET material, and that these are associated with the orientation of the microstructure. The blow kinetics study shows that there is a gradient of flow of the bottle material over the thickness of the bottle wall during blowing, and it has been deduced that the air temperature between the blow mold and the wall of the blown bottle has an impact on the kinetics of blowing the bottle.

Blowing Kinetics, Pressure Resistance, Thermal Stability, and Relaxation of the Amorphous Phase of the PET Container in the SBM Process with Hot and Cold Mold. Part I: Research Methodology and Results.

The technology of filling drinks without preservatives (such as fresh juices, iced tea drinks, vitaminized drinks) is carried out using hot filling. Mainly due to the production costs and lower carbon footprint, polyethylene terephthalate bottles, commonly called PET, are increasingly used in this technology. In this paper, the main aim is to describe the statistical analysis methodology of the influence of the temperature of the blow mold in the SBM process and the method of hot filling on the macroscopic and microscopic bottle properties. The macroscopic bottle properties were defined by the thickness profile, pressure resistance, thermal stability, and the coefficients of blowing kinetics. Moreover, the influence of the SBM (stretch blow moulding) process on the microscopic PET material properties (in the bottle) relative to the microscopic preform properties was analyzed. The microscopic properties were defined by the degree of crystallite, density, and relaxation of the amorphous phase of the PET material. For this purpose, response surface experiments were performed for the two analyzed factors (independent variables), i.e., the temperature of the blow mold and the method of hot filling. The sample size was investigated to determine the minimum number of repetitions (number of bottles in the measurement series) required to achieve acceptable measurement uncertainty. The research conducted shows that despite fulfilling the postulate of acceptable measurement uncertainty, in terms of the power of ANOVA (analysis of variance) in DOE (design of experiment) the accepted number of bottles in the measurement series is too small. The tests of the bottle material density, material crystallite, and relaxation of amorphous phase relative to the preform material density, material crystallite, and relaxation of amorphous phase show that the microcavity effects occur during the deformation of the PET material, and that these are associated with the orientation of the microstructure. The blow kinetics study shows that there is a gradient of flow of the bottle material over the thickness of the bottle wall during blowing, and it has been deduced that the air temperature between the blow mold and the wall of the blown bottle has an impact on the kinetics of blowing the bottle.

Numerical simulation of self heating during stretch blow moulding of PET: viscohyperelastic modelling versus experimental results

During the stretch blow moulding (SBM) process of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle, high viscous dissipation generates self heating phenomena. Since the influence of temperature on polymer’s behavior is important, it is necessary to evaluate the self heating values in order to manage accurately the simulation of the process. An anisotropic visco-hyperelastic model has been developed to manage numerical simulations of free blowing. The model takes into account the anisotropy and the effect of the temperature. It has been computed in a user-interface VUMAT implemented in the software ABAQUS/Explicit. The identification of the model is based on experimental data of biaxial tension tests. We identified the characteristics taking into account the self-heating effect by a semi analytical process followed by an adjustment using finite element. For sake of validation, PET preforms have been blown from different initial temperature and followed using a thermal camera. The increase of temperature is measured by comparing initial temperature and final temperature. Comparison between the experimental and numerical simulations is discussed and influence of initial temperature or blowing pressure is highlighted in a large numerical investigation.

Overcoming geometric limitations in metallic glasses through stretch blow molding

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibit remarkable mechanical properties, such as high strength and elasticity, which is often paired with fracture toughness. Their supercooled liquid region gives rise to plastic-like processing and suggests parts and shapes that can otherwise not be obtained for crystalline metals. However, current processing techniques only allow for limited options in terms of geometry, thicknesses uniformity, and shape complexity. Here we introduce a new processing technique, “stretch blow molding,” to expand the range of possible parts and increase the available geometries that can be fabricated with BMGs. Additionally, a model is derived that allows for the quantification and prediction of stretch blow molding and provides insight into its potential use and limitations. We demonstrate that with stretch blow molding overall strains exceeding 2000% are achievable, compared to the previously reported ∼150% of blow molding. With the ability to stretch blow mold shapes that were previously unachievable with any other metal fabrication technique in a fast and economical manner, and the superb properties of BMGs, we look forward to a broad commercial adaptation of this technique.

Experimental characterisation on the behaviour of PLLA for stretch blowing moulding of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds

Processing tubes from poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) by stretch blow moulding (SBM) is used in the manufacture of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) to improve their mechanical performance. To better understand this processing technique, a novel experimental setup by free stretch blow inside a water bath was developed to visualise the tube forming process and analyse the deformation behaviour. PLLA tubes were heated, stretched and blown with no mould present inside a temperature-controlled water bath whilst recording the processing parameters (axial force, inflation pressure). The onset of pressure activation relative to the axial stretch was controlled deliberately to produce a simultaneous (SIM) or sequential (SEQ) mode of deformation. Real-time images of the tube during forming were captured using high speed cameras and the surface strain of the patterned tube was extracted using digital image correlation (DIC). The deformation characteristics of PLLA tubes in SBM was quantified by analysis of shape evolution, strain history and stress-strain relationship.

Experimental characterisation and modelling of polyethylene terephthalate preform for injection stretch blow moulding

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used polymer in the production of bottles by injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM). In this work, we present a characterisation method to identify material properties directly from a preform, considering temperature and stress-relaxation effects related to its viscoelastic response. A customised oven and gripping system were designed to perform uniaxial tests in a proper temperature range on tubular specimens obtained from preforms. A visco-hyperelastic model is then proposed: a Marlow-type strain energy function coupled with a Prony series and William-Landel-Ferry equation to include time and temperature dependency. Finally, a case study of ISBM process is implemented in a finite element code considering this constitutive model. Strain maps and predicted thickness of the bottle wall were evaluated as process quality indicators. Simulation results showed good agreement with measurements on the real processed bottle, confirming the usefulness of the approach for product or process parameters optimisation.

Influence of Annealing and Biaxial Expansion on the Properties of Poly(l-Lactic Acid) Medical Tubing.

Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) is one of the most common bioabsorbable materials in the medical device field. However, its use in load-bearing applications is limited due to its inferior mechanical properties when compared to many of the competing metal-based permanent and bioabsorbable materials. The objective of this study was to directly compare the influence of both annealing and biaxial expansion processes to improve the material properties of PLLA. Results showed that both annealing and biaxial expansion led to an overall increase in crystallinity and that the crystallites formed during both processes were in the α’ and α forms. 2D-WAXS patterns showed that the preferred orientation of crystallites formed during annealing was parallel to the circumferential direction. While biaxial expansion resulted in orientation in both axial and circumferential directions, with relatively equal sized crystals in both directions, Da (112 Å) and Dc (97 Å). The expansion process had the most profound effect on mechanical performance, with a 65% increase in Young’s modulus, a 45% increase in maximum tensile stress and an 18-fold increase in strain at maximum load. These results indicate that biaxially expanding PLLA at a temperature above Tcc is possible, due to the high strain rates associated with stretch blow moulding.

Optimization of Injection Stretch Blow Molding: Part I – Defining Part Thickness Profile

Abstract This paper suggests a methodology based on a neuroevolutionary approach to optimize the use of material in blow molding applications. This approach aims at determining the optimal thickness distribution for a certain blow molded product as a function of its geometry. Multiobjective search is performed by neuroevolution to reflect the conflicting nature of the design problem and to capture some possible trade-offs. During the search, each design alternative is evaluated through a finite element analysis. The coordinates of the mesh elements are the inputs to an artificial neural network whose output determines the thickness for the corresponding location. The proposed approach is applied to the design of an industrial bottle. The results reveal the validity and usefulness of the proposed technique, which was able to distribute the material along the most critical regions to obtain adequate mechanical properties. The approach is general and can be applied to products with different geometries.