By using high-density polyethylene “bladder” bottles redesigned with a flattened base and “feet” that allow them to stand up on the conveyor line, a producer of a topical livestock insect repellant treatment was able to increase filling line efficiency and eliminate the need for pucks to hold the bottles on the filling line. The new 1- and 2.5-L bottles, from Airopak, a subsidiary of Novapak, replace rounded bottles that could not stand upright, so they had to be placed vertically into pucks for filling.
“In addition to cost issues, we experienced problems with the bottles leaking,” says the livestock treatment company’s materials management supervisor/buyer. The company could not be identified, nor would it comment on the application, according to Novapak’s agency.
The base of the bottle contains two holes for a shoestring that’s used much like a strap. “The bottle is designed to hang under the arm, like a purse, so the farmer doesn’t have to hold it,” explains the supervisor/buyer. A flexible hose protrudes from an attachment that fits into the 28-mm neck of the bottle. The farmer squeezes the bottle with his or her arm to dispense the product through a hose onto the animal(s).
Bottles are extrusion/blow-molded using custom, two-cavity tooling for each size. Caps and attachments fitted onto the bottles prevent leaking, while sufficient wall thickness at the bottom edges of the bottles lends strength and stability. “Acceptance of the new bladder bottles has been high,” says the supervisor/buyer, “and they have performed well in the field.”
