Amcor Continues Assault on Glass with Hot-Fill PET Jars

Leading PET blow molder Amcor Rigid Plastics, Manchester, Mich. (amcor.com), is continuing its push to replace glass in hot-fill food products with new 24-oz, round, wide-mouth jars. The stock container is a lightweight replacement for glass in pasta sauces, apple sauce, salsas, jams, jellies, and other food products filled at up to 205 F.

“Amcor has taken wide-mouth, hot-fill containers to a new level by combining our round wall design and novel blow-trim technology to create a glass-like PET container that has all the desirable consumer advantages,” says Ron McFarlane, principal engineer. Unlike standard stretch-blow molded containers, in which the neck finish is injection molded, Amcor reduces weight by blow molding the finish. A section above the finish, called the “blow dome” allows the preform to stretch adequately to form the critical features like threads during blowing. The blow dome is sliced off in a secondary operation. Besides saving resin, this technique saves cycle time and induces higher crystallinity in the finish. The 63-mm jar weighs just 51 g.

Amcor’s Performance Widemouth technology also uses a unique panel-less design. The bottle’s four horizontal ribs and stiff walls resist the vacuum as the product cools.

Amcor is not the first supplier of 24-oz, 63-mm hot-fill PET jars, which are already used for fruit sauces. Amcor says it has multiple customers interested in converting to PET for pasta sauces and fruit sauces.