Understanding PET from A Molder's Perspective

Making a tough, clear, uniform bottle out of PET pellets is a remarkable example of the synergistic interactions possible between a polymer’s properties and the fabrication process. This course is a practical introduction to the chemistry and physics of poly(ethylene terephthalate), as they relate to injection molding preforms and blow molding bottles.
Topics include:
- Pellets to Bottles: Molding PET by Changing Physical States
- Melting in the Extruder
o Crystallinity
o Copolymers
o IV
o Hydrolysis: the need for drying
o Thermal degradation
- Molding Preforms
o Viscous flow and shear heating
o AA generation
o Crystallinity again
o Heat transfer
- Reheating preforms
o IR absorption
o Additives
- Blow Molding Bottles
o Stretching behaviour
o Orientation and strain-induced crystallinity
o Change in properties of PET
- Who makes PET now?
o Where to get specific grade information
- Special topics
o Heat set grades
o Mineral water grades
o High barrier resins including PEN
Who should attend?
Product development personnel, plant engineers, QA, and others who have some experience with PET preform and bottle molding, and want to better understand the polymer’s behavior.