rPET

Many major beverage and food manufacturers are committed to using recycled PET to reduce their carbon footprint. SMI can help these businesses achieve their goals in terms of sustainability by providing them with support in the design of 100 % recyclable containers and with solutions for manufacturing them with the utmost quality, also thanks to accurate checks made on preforms and bottles.

SMI relies on an advanced 3D CAD Department for the design and graphic processing of the bottles. After an accurate analysis of the customer’s requests, the container idea is developed and turns into a detailed project.
Up to now, SMI engineers have designed about 1,700 containers, featuring from the most simple to the most sophisticated shape.

In order to manufacture high-quality sustainable containers, customers' preforms are accurately tested before entering the stretch-blowing unit. In particular, the preforms size is checked by a video-camera, while a software measures the preform walls thickness by means of infrared rays and checks the polymer homogeneity by means of polarized light equipment. Furthermore, all the containers produced by SMI blow moulders are tested to check their mechanical and thermal features and in particular: top load, drop impact resistance, resistance to deformations, thermal stability, homogeneous distribution of the resin, burst pressure and stress cracking.

Using 100 % recyclable bottles means giving them a second life, thus saving on energy and material. SMI complies with these sustainable standards, thanks to continuous investments in solutions capable of producing, filling and capping rPET bottles.
Such integrated systems allow companies, that are involved in the environmental protection, to manufacture 100 % recyclable containers that, in addition to be sustainable, are lightweight, shatter-proof, safe, with a high hygiene level and thus suitable for the storage of any food and beverage. One of the latest projects carried out by SMI and based on the production of rPET containers is represented by the installation of ECOBLOC® ERGON integrated system for 8 L bottles at Volvic, a company part of the Danone Group.