By using a consumable, pressurized liquid instead of compressed air to form plastic containers, LiquiForm technology combines the bottle forming and filling processes to simplify the process and cut costs.

New technology in blow molding bottles doesn't come along every day, which is why when something revolutionary is brought to the forefront, industry takes notice. LiquiForm (Ann Arbor, MI) has introduced what it calls a breakthrough blow molding and filling manufacturing technology that promises to bring significant energy and cost savings, as well as other benefits, to liquid packaging producers worldwide.

By using a consumable, pressurized liquid instead of compressed air to form plastic containers, LiquiForm technology combines the bottle forming and filling processes into one step. Ann O'Hara, president of LiquiForm, commented to PlasticsToday that the industry has been heading in this direction over time. "There is already the trend of connecting the blower and filler, which got us closer but that was still two steps, not just one."

The actual birth of this technology began in brain-storming sessions in 2004 and 2005, in a drive toward simplification and cost savings by "thinking more innovatively," O'Hara explained. "A few people came up with the idea but like many innovative ideas, it required the equipment to make the technology work. Initially, they took an old machine and retrofit it using spare parts to accommodate the technology at an Amcor facility," she said. "To their great pleasure, they got it to work.”

You can read the full article at PlasticsToday.