Multilayer Bottle Preform With Partial Gas Barrier at the Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing PET containers for gaseous beverages face issues with oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability, leading to reduced shelf-life and recycling challenges, particularly when using nylon as a gas barrier material, which is expensive and supply-constrained.
Innovation Solution
A multilayered preform design with a gas barrier layer extending along the wall except for a defined area at the base, where the gas barrier is absent, compensating for its absence with increased thickness of inner and outer layers to maintain barrier performance and reduce material costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nylon is used as gas barrier material in PET multilayer containers, then barrier performance against oxygen and carbon dioxide permeation is improved, but the containers develop yellowness and haze when recycled and become hard to recycle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the gas barrier function from nylon and assigns it to a dedicated PEF-based barrier layer. This separation allows the PET layers to be recycled independently while the PEF layer provides the necessary barrier performance, resolving the contradiction between barrier performance and recyclability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining PET layers with a PEF-based gas barrier layer. This composite structure maintains the barrier performance needed for gaseous beverages while using PEF instead of nylon enables the container to be recycled without developing yellowness and haze.
2Reliability
If PEF-based gas barrier layer is used in multilayered preform, then compatibility with PET and barrier performance are improved, but production costs increase and supply issues occur due to limited industrial availability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the PEF-based gas barrier layer specifically in the body-forming portion where barrier performance is most critical for gaseous beverages. The neck finish and base portions use different layer configurations, optimizing both barrier performance and material cost by applying the expensive PEF material only where absolutely necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by implementing the PEF-based gas barrier layer only in specific portions of the preform (body-forming portion) rather than throughout the entire container. This partial application reduces the quantity of expensive PEF material needed while maintaining sufficient barrier performance for the gaseous beverage application.
3Reliability
If gas barrier layer extends along entire preform multilayered wall, then barrier performance is maximized, but material usage and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by extending the PEF-based gas barrier layer only along the body-forming portion of the preform where barrier performance is most critical for containing gaseous beverages. The neck finish and base portions use different layer configurations, reducing overall material usage while maintaining sufficient barrier performance where needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves equivalent barrier performance and shelf-life while reducing production costs and recycling limitations, using PEF-based gas barriers, and minimizing material usage.
Implementation Method 1
the relative susceptibility of PET to permeation by oxygen and carbon dioxide limits its application
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a preform (10) for forming a bottle for gaseous beverage, the preform comprising a multilayered wall obtained by injection in a mould from an injecting point (22) located at a central bottom end of the preform, the multilayered wall including an inner layer (24), an outer layer (26) and a gasbarrier layer (28) sandwiched between the inner and outer layer. The gas barrier layer (26) advantageously extends along the entire preform multilayered wall except for a bottom ending portion (30), this bottom ending portion free of barrier layer (30) being a central part of a base-forming portion (20) delimited by a solid angle (α) comprised between 5° to 80°, the apex (C) of this solid angle being the centre of a semi-spherical lower segment of the base-forming portion (20). A bottle obtained by blow-moulding such a preform has a bottom ending portion free of barrier layer within a solid angle comprised between 5° and 50°.