The European market has a large number of bottlers that use the same line to package both still and sparkling water, where the machinery comes often to a standstill for long periods of time and go through high equipment costs which permit the passage from one container to another. The project, therefore, concentrated its aim on creating an ultralight container suitable for both applications, providing high performance levels but at the same time aesthetically distinctive, capable of transforming itself into a corporate shape.
The research conducted for the EvoLight 1.5L started from designing a gripping area which usually, due to high carbonation, gets deformed and becomes cylindrical. A solution often used to avoid such deformation is a very narrow grip area with spiral ribs, which avoids the increase of volume due to the internal pressure. The R&D Department has developed an innovative structure, which alternates rigid rib areas with flat areas to discharge the force. This structure, when repeated alternatively over a number of vertical sections, prevents the radial deformation and, at the same time, avoids any collapse along preferential directions.
This structure has also allowed an extreme light-weighting of the bottles, reaching record weights of 18.9g for the still version and 22.5g for the sparkling one.
This light-weighting is also possible thanks to the use of the new 26/22 neck finish, developed by Husky Injection Molding Systems, suitable for both still and sparkling water products.
The bottle design, together with this interchangeable 26/22 neck finish, permits having the same container for both still and sparkling products, with the advantage of being able to create a corporate shape instantly recognizable on the shelves.
