How to Produce a 3L Lemonade Bottle with PET Technologies

PET plastic, the material used for making PET bottles, is commom for a wide range of bottle sizes. For example, the range we work with at PET Technologies spans from as small as 100 ml to as large as 40 L. While the most common sizes are below 1.5L, with the 2L bottle being less frequent but still popular, anything larger is usually classified as ‘large’ bottles, starting from 5-6L. However, there’s a ‘dark horse’ in the mix: the 3L bottle.

This bottle is common for the markets like Latin America while difficult to imagine in the Eastern Europe.

So, if you’re looking to produce bottles in the 2-3L range, how can you ensure that the complex process of realizing such a project, which can sometimes take over a year, will be successfully completed? Let’s look at the case of ABK Dnipro, where we helped bring a 3L lemonade bottle project to life using our APF-Max 4L machine.

Though 3L bottles may seem unusual for you, they’re far from impossible—especially when working with PET Technologies. Many companies might struggle with this format because they have machines and production lines designed for either smaller bottles (up to 2L) or very large ones (5-6L and up). But we saw this gap in the market, and we’re here to fill it for you.

With over 25 years of experience, we’ve learned how to meet the needs of each of our clients. Our cooperation with ABK Dnipro began over 10 years ago, and we’ve delivered every time. Now, they operate a whole fleet of our machines, starting with semi-automatic models, 3rd generation automatic machines, and now 4th generation machines. In total, they have 8 machines that they use to produce a variety of beverages. So, if our clients trust us, why shouldn’t you?

An existing 3L bottle design for lemonade proved to be not as difficult as it might have seemed. And that’s thanks to the flexibility of our machines, designed for your potential projects. Past projects like this made it clear that there was a demand for machines capable of producing up to 3L bottles. That’s why we introduced the ‘L’ versions of our APF-Max series, designed to handle up to 3L bottles. Almost every model in the APF-Max series has an ‘L’ version, but the APF-Max 4L stands out for this task.

For ABK Dnipro’s production needs, we recommended the APF-Max 4L.This model offers an impressive output of 7,000 bottles per hour for 1.5L bottle. However, it’s not just the speed that sets this machine apart—it’s what’s inside.

To produce a stable 3L bottle, you need a larger preform. Larger preforms require more heat, which typically means higher energy consumption. One of our client’s priorities was ensuring that their machine would be energy efficient. That’s where our NIR (Near Infrared) heating system comes in, offering a solution that could save them tens of thousands of dollars. NIR heating allows for more efficient and deeper heating of the preform, significantly reducing electricity consumption compared to traditional methods.

More often than not, producers need to manufacture multiple bottle formats on the same blow molding machine. For our client, switching between multiple different bottle designs required two key features: quick changeovers for both the preform neck and the machine. The APF-Max 4L delivers on both fronts. With its specialized trolley system, the mold changeover process is streamlined, allowing molds to be swapped out as a single unit in just 20 minutes.

The 3L lemonade bottle is now being produced successfully, demonstrating the capability of the APF-Max 4L to handle unique formats with ease. Your bottle project can be just as successful—bringing custom solutions to life is what we do at PET Technologies!