Plastic Bottle Industry

Submitted to:
Engr. Jaychris Georgette Y. Onia
Submitted by:
Abiera, Jhazille Renzo R.
Ausejo, Lyndon Frank
Austero, Sacheene Sam
Alviola, Carl J.

Date: July 9. 2019

 History and Short Background of Plastic bottle Industry

The first plastic bottle was offered commercially in 1947. The technologies involved in

plastic manufacturing made these first bottles be initially more expensive than other

options on the market. It wouldn’t be until the 1950s, when heavy-duty polyethylene was

used for bottles, that the manufacturing sector began to take off with this product.

Because plastics have a superior advantage to glass bottles when comparing breakage,

for production and transportation. They quickly became popular with both manufacturers

and customers due to their lightweight nature and relatively low production and

transportation costs compared with glass bottles.

The plastics industry manufactures polymer materials, commonly called plastics, offers

services in plastics important to a range of industries, including packaging, building and

construction, electronics, aerospace, and transportation. It is part of the chemical

industry. In addition, as mineral oil is the major constituent of plastics, it is regarded a

part of the petrochemical industry. Besides plastics production, plastics engineering is

an important part of the industrial sector. The latter field is dominated by engineering

plastic as raw material because of its better mechanical and thermal properties.
Process in Making Plastic Bottles

Raw Materials

Polyethylene Terephthalate Regrind Mix

A plastic bottle made of polyethylene terephthalate has the resin identification code 1.

Also known as PET, PETE or polyester, it is often used for carbonated beverages,

water and food products because it is strong and light. Like most plastics, PET is made

from petroleum hydrocarbons, formed as a reaction between ethylene glycol, a

colorless viscous hygroscopic liquid, and terephthalic acid, an organic compound.

During the production process, PET polymerizes to form long molecular chains.

PET is a plastic resin derived from petroleum hydrocarbons. The producer creates long

chains of plastic molecules through a process called polymerization, and then mixes the

material with several chemical compounds. They cut the resin into small pellets and

send it on to the bottle manufacturer. The bottle plant mixes PET resin pellets with

"regrind" recycled plastic that has been reduced to flakes. Plastic loses some of its
physical properties when repeatedly heated, so manufacturers must limit the amount of

regrind they use, typically capping this ingredient at 10% of the total mix. Unless

producing clear bottles, dyes are introduced to the mix as well.

For Extrusion Blow Molding

Building a Preform

An extruder melts the PET and regrind mix at temperatures of about 500 degrees

Fahrenheit. A screw inside the extruder compresses the PET mix and injects the nearly

molten material into molds. The mold produces a bottle preform, which is sometimes

called a parison. The preform looks like a thick-walled test tube, often including the

bottle’s characteristic screw top. The preform cools as it travels to a machine called a

blow molder, and may need to be brought back up to the manufacturer’s specified
temperature for that operation. If necessary, the bottle manufacturer raises the

temperature of the preform in a small oven.

Stretching the Preform

The preforms enter a two-part mold that closes around it. The inside of this mold is

shaped exactly like the finished bottle. Inside, a long needle pushes up through the

preform, which is suspended with the screw end facing downward. The needle stretches

the preform upward toward the top of the mold -- which will be the bottom of the bottle --

and simultaneously blasts enough pressurized air into the preform to force it against the

sides of the mold. This stretch blow molding process must happen quickly in order to

maintain the bottle’s integrity and consistent shape. Some manufacturers weld a

separate bottom piece to the bottle during blow molding, while others produce a bottom

from the preform along with the rest of the bottle.

Cooling and Trimming

The bottle must be cooled almost instantly or it will lose its shape when gravity causes it

to creep downward in its malleable, heated state. Some manufacturers cool the bottle

by circulating cold water or liquid nitrogen through the mold, others elect to fill it with a

shot of air at room temperature. The mold typically yields a clean bottle, but some

flashing may occur at the bottle seams, where the two mold halves met. If so, operators

trim away the excess material and add it to the regrind.

For Injection Blow Molding

Building a Preform and Stretching it

Preforms Stretching via compressed air

The injection blow molding process involves two stages. In the first stage, a plastic part

called a preform is made, using a traditional injection molding process. The preform is a

precise shape, with precise wall thicknesses. This preform is then transferred to a blow

molding station, where it is placed in another mold and held in place by specific features

of the preform that mate with the blow mold cavity. Compressed air is then injected into

the center of the part, forcing the unsupported walls of the preform tube to stretch and

expand outward, until they hit the walls of the second mold. Once the material cools and

solidifies, the mold is opened and the part is removed.

Injection blow molding allows for the production of hollow parts with some areas of the

parts being very precise. It can be a very fast process.

Packaging

The bottle is filled with the product it's made to contain, and a paper label is glued to the

front. This is all done by machines, which grip the bottles, usually from the top, and
bring them toward a filling machine which loads the bottles with a prescribed amount of

liquid. These bottles are then grouped, boxed, and shipped to vendors and consumers.
Consumption and Collection, Recycling, or going to Landfill

The bottles, sold through vendors, or direct from the factory, are then consumed. After

being emptied, they can be recycled. Many stores have redemption machines, and most
cities collect recyclables along with trash. The plastics are sorted by type and sent to be

recycled. That is assuming that the bottles are actually recycled--when they're thrown in

with garbage, they will simply sit in a landfill and the story ends there.
Plastic Bottle Industry Flow Chart