Manufacturers can using the technology to produce white, colored, printed, opaque or transluscent bottles with either a blown neck, fitting standard caps dimensions or a reduced calibrated neck. Bottles can be sealed with an aluminum foil or a plastic cap.
By acquiring 100% of its former partner Agami (the inventor company of Roll N Blow) in 2014, Serac Group has expanded its range of on-site bottle manufacturing from PET (with Combox) to PS and PP (with Roll N Blow).
According to Serac, Roll N Blow is simple to operate and is a good option for dairy and food companies who want to diversify their product range and upgrade to small bottle packaging (ranging from 100ml to 500ml).
The vertical thermoforming process first forms the plastic sheet into a pipe before heating and blowing the bottle into a mold. Bottles are not limited to large necks and small heights, can be shaped totally round and, show no difference compared to blow molded ones.
“Providing a better barrier against moisture and withstanding higher temperatures than PS, PP is more flexible (shock resistant) and shows a better chemical stability than PS,” a Serac spokesman said.
“All these specific properties allow PP to be used for a wider range of products than PS, which is mostly used for chilled products with short shelf life (pasteurized milks, drinking yogurts, probiotics).”
New market segments that can benefit from the Roll N Blow Technology include ESL dairy drinks as well as non-refrigerated ones such as sterilized milks, UHT flavored milk drinks.
It can also produce PP bottles with a barrier such as EVOH for liquid foods such as sauces, baby food, soups.