Novapak's 1L and 500 ml (shown above) bullet rounds can withstand higher pressures without distortion thanks to the container's pressure-bottom base.

After successfully switching its 4L glass bottles to Novapak's HDPE bottles, Spectrum Chemical completed the transition when Novapak introduced its new 1L and 500 ml versions.

The new 1L (shown above) and 500 ml plastic bottles are similar in size and shape to their glass counterparts.

Spectrum Chemical's 4L, 1L, and 500 ml plastic bottles from Novapak replaced the company's glass bottles to reduce shipping costs and prevent possible breakage.

GARDENA, CA — When Spectrum Chemicals & Laboratory Products, a division of Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp., decided to switch from amber glass bottles to plastic bottles, it needed a high-quality plastic that would be compatible with most of its products. The company decided to switch from glass to HDPE bottles to reduce shipping costs and prevent possible breakage. The plastic bottles also lowered costs to customers by 25 to 50%.

Spectrum manufactures and sells 15,000 different chemicals to a variety of industries. "We produce high-purity chemicals," explains Bill House, director of operations, "so we have to use plastic that doesn't leach molecules or residue into the chemicals." HDPE was our choice for this reason."

Prior to the conversion to HDPE, all of Spectrum's chemicals were packaged in 4L, 1L, and 500 ml glass bottles, which had to be PVC coated or dipped for safety reasons. "If they broke, they had a plastic shield around them," explains House. "It was a very costly process."

Plastic Eases Processing
Spectrum turned to Novapak Corporation to replace its 1L and 500 ml glass bottles with unpigmented HDPE plastic bottles of the same sizes. The company had already switched its 4L glass bottles to HDPE in 1997 with great success and completed the switch to plastic when Novapak introduced its new 1L and 500 ml HDPE bottles.

All three plastic bottles sport the same 38/439 neck, reducing cap inventory. The opening is also wider compared to the glass bottles' 33 and 28 neck finishes, says Jose Luis DeLeon, warehouse manager, making them easier to fill and pour. "Before, with the glass bottles, we had to use a funnel," he says. "Now, the chemical goes straight from the nozzle into the bottles. It's much faster."

The new 1L and 500 ml plastic bottles are similar in size and shape to their glass counterparts. According to Alan Wood, Novapak's VP of business development/specialty containers, the bullet round HDPE bottles can be blow molded using filtered nitrogen gas and then capped to ensure cleanliness for particulate-sensitive chemicals and processes.

"These ultra-clean bottles are not technically classified as sterile or sanitized," explains Wood. "Filtered nitrogen is used as the blow gas, immediately after which the bottles are capped, to minimize particulate contamination inside the container. By contrast, using compressed plant air as the blow gas can introduce unwanted particulates or oils into the container, contaminating ultra pure products."

According to Wood, the plastic bottles are cleaner than the previous glass bottles. "Most users find no reason to rinse these HDPE containers as they may need to do with glass containers," he says, adding, "The resin used to produce these bottles is very clean or 'barefoot' in that it is devoid of additional processing aids or additives that could migrate to the inside surface of the container and contaminate the product being packaged. These plastic bottles can also withstand higher pressures without distortion than most plastic containers, due to the design of the container's pressure-bottom base."

Shipping faster and safer at lower cost
Once the bottles are filled and capped, they are placed into a six-pack, UN-approved carton shipper provided by Novapak. The use of plastic bottles has reduced the need for additional packaging material, explains DeLeon, thereby reducing shipping 15 to 20% and labor from about 8 hours to 5 hours for 1000 bottles.

"For the glass bottles, you had to use a pad, a divider consisting of six pieces that had to be assembled, and Styrofoam," says DeLeon. Now, bottles are filled and packed back into the same cartons without the need for additional packaging materials. The plastic bottles also weigh from 9 to 11 times less than the glass bottles, further contributing to the reduction in shipping costs. "We've had positive feedback from our customers about saving on freight charges," says House.

While some chemicals are not compatible with plastic and must still be packaged in glass containers, the majority of Spectrum's acid and polar solvent-based products are being transferred to the new plastic bottles.

According to Wood, Novapak will soon add a 2.5 Liter container to its line as part of the company's expansion into the specialty container segment of the market.