For millions of people worldwide, packaged drinking water is an essential part of their daily life, especially if they live in a region where they cannot depend on a reliable supply of potable tap water. Personal, health-related reasons or sensory preferences may also cause consumers to choose packaged alternatives: high nitrate values or heavy chlorination. The composition of tap water varies from region to region – and many consumers prefer a water quality different from that coming out of their taps.

An ecologically sensible solution: Large PET containers

For households that want to cover their essential requirement entirely or to a great extent with packaged drinking water, large-volume PET containers constitute a sensible option. Not only for practical but also for ecological reasons because large containers mean less packaging material per liter. According to Krones, it is not surprising that water and oil containers with a volume of more than three liters account for 1% of all plastic bottles worldwide (as of this writing). They are made predominantly of polycarbonate (PC), HDPE and PET. In view of its material properties, chief and foremost its low weight, the latter is the obvious option for non-returnable containers.

Contiform 3 BigBottle for containers holding up to eight liters

To supply this growing market with the requisite technology, the Krones Group has expanded its product portfolio: The new Contiform 3 BigBottle produces containers with a volume of up to eight liters, achieving a respectable output into the bargain. It features ten to 14 cavities and can produce approximately 10,000 to 16,800 containers per hour. It is also able to handle smaller formats from a volume of two liters upwards.

As far as container dimensions are concerned, a net height of maximum 380 millimeters and a diameter of up to 190 millimeters are possible. Preform dimensions are maximum 170 millimeters for net length, maximum 23 millimeters for neck finish height and maximum 53 millimeters for neck ring height.

Bottlers, who want to operate their large-container production in the lower speed range, will find the requisite technology at Kosme as before. The Krones subsidiary’s machines feature four, six or eight cavities and produce containers with a volume of up the eleven liters. Linear machines for containers holding up to 30 liters round off the portfolio. As a large-container machine in the higher output range, the Contiform 3 BigBottle closes a gap in the group’s portfolio. The stretch blow-moulders from both Krones and Kosme have in common that they are ideally suited for handling recycled PET and can be block-synchronized with other machines. The first Contiform 3 BigBottle, too, did not leave the Krones plant as a stand-alone machine: It was delivered to China as part of a blow-moulder or filler block.