Engine oil packaging design. Large-scale counterfeiting Manufacturing of cans for engine oil

Plastic cans are used for packing and storing technical oils, construction, industrial, agricultural, household and automotive chemicals, food products and other liquid substances. By canisters, first of all, we mean polymer container with a handle with a volume of 4 to 30 liters, although capacities 1-3 liters and capacities 40-50 liters can also be classified as canisters.

Single-layer canisters, as a rule, are produced from blown high-density polyethylene (HDPE / HDPE) grades, but for large types they also use high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE), which, however, is not at all popular in Russia and the CIS for extrusion blowing. Multilayer canisters are used for aggressive fertilizers (as well as some other chemicals), as well as for storing fuel.

Several factors can be attributed to the technological nuances inherent in all types of canisters, and they are all links of the same chain:

Wide extrusion sleeve to match the width of the final canister shape
... A large amount of technological flash in different areas of the product (above the neck, on the shoulders and the entire upper part, under the handle / handles, at the bottom)
... Extensive areas of plastic clamping when closing
... High requirements for the clamping force (at least 80-90 kN for blowing a 5 liter canister on one nest)

It is better to speak in detail about the peculiarities of the manufacture of canisters using the example of their specific types, therefore, first of all, it is necessary to classify them. In our understanding, the current market distinguishes the following two main types of plastic canisters: custom design canisters and industrial canisters for general use; moreover, this second type can be divided into several categories.

1. Custom designed cans

This type includes packaging jerry cans for consumer goods, which at the same time have a fairly high added value and participate in the most severe competitive struggle... These include motor oil, car care products and, less commonly, packaging for other consumer products.


The canister design is usually the result of the customer's long-term marketing efforts. V large companies Typically, the design of the canister appears first, and only then is it tested to see how well it matches the extrusion blow molding process. The complication of the design is often followed by an increase in the weight of the canister and an increase in the area of ​​the burnt zones, which means the cost of its production. The amount of flash on some cans for lubricating oils (for example, on the MACH 5 canister in the photo) can reach 40-50%.

Agencies tasked with developing a canister design and aligning it with the marketing and emotional content of a brand do not understand extrusion blow molding. On the other hand, professional blow molding design engineers are usually not strong from a creative, artistic point of view. It is not so easy to find developers who combine both possibilities (in Russia, for products of 5-10 liters or more, you cannot find them at all). Therefore, developing a good canister for a consumer product is a complex process that brings together the efforts of different categories of professionals. As for our capabilities, SMC provides full consulting support to those of its clients who are faced with the task of developing a canister design from scratch or from starting sketches. We help designers and participate in the design process inside and out, which ultimately allows us to have a good canister at the end, not only from a marketing, but also from an engineering point of view.

The most popular standard size of custom designed canisters is 4, 5 liters. Typical manufacturing solutions for these products can be summarized in the following summary table:

Nesting

1 1 + 1 2 2 + 2
Machine model, SMC- 5000TC 5000DTC 10000TG 10000DTG
Number of stations 1 2 1 2
Productivity per hour, pcs. 150 300 320 640
Productivity per month (about 660 hours), pcs. 100 000 200 000 210 000 420 000

Note: Hereinafter, indicative capacities are indicated based on the "normal" quality of the cooling system and the "normal" quality of the molds. The final productivity can be higher with the same cavities when using German molds with cooling jackets, SFDR and PWDS hose profiling systems and / or when using compressed air cooling systems. The maximum capacity for Eurocanisters will be indicated in brackets.

Depending on the actual geometrical dimensions and other parameters of the 4-5 liter cans, they can be placed with a slot 3/3 + 3 on SMC 10000TG / DTG machines or their light modifications.

Investment in two-station machines is approximately one and a half times greater than in single-station machines, but the difference in productivity is two times. Thus, two-station machines are always more cost-effective in the long term, but the selection should also take into account the doubling of the time for machine maintenance, mold changes and machine set-up.

The general desire of any owner of blow molding equipment is to reduce the number of changeovers from one product to another, and ideally work without changing molds at all (not endlessly, but at least long time). This aspiration is especially relevant for the production of 4-5 liter canisters, where large molds, a complex wall profile and many technological nuances make changing molds and machine readjustments even more painstaking and time-consuming (and therefore money-consuming). That is why, if you are planning the production of canisters different types(for example, several brands of different designs or canisters of different volumes, for example, 4 and 5 liters), it is always better to use two single-station machines rather than one two-station, despite the lower capital investment in the second option.

Of the options useful in the production of "designer" canisters, the following can be traced:

Sleeve cutting with sealing and pre-blowing to give the sleeve a wide shape even before closing
... The ability to apply a transparent strip for viewing the liquid level, because the vast majority of such canisters are made from a colored, opaque polymer
... Post-cooling stations for small productivity gains
... Compressed air cooling systems for significant productivity gains
... Leakage tester, because on a large product, there is a greater risk of invisible microcracks or microholes, which will avoid getting a canister with a hidden defect on the filling line (your or your customer's canister, depending on the type of business)

Custom designed canisters with a volume of more or less 4-5 liters are much less common, therefore standard solutions we do not announce them for them, but let us clarify that 10-liter canisters can very often be placed on nominally five-liter cars. Here, we note that the production of canisters (bottles) without handles with a volume of 1 liter, which often accompanies the production of canisters of 4-5 liters, is always better to be carried out on a separate machine or machines.

This time, the cooperation of our company with the manufacturer was related to packaging for further mass production. Our task was to design canisters for engine oil 1, 4 and 5 liters each.

The purpose of the work was to launch a new product into mass production - a new canister that meets the requirements of not only a highly functional and attractive design, but also a harmonious shape that will fit within the given dimensions.

Initial sketch (later modified).

The work consisted of several stages: prototyping and evaluating the results. Below we will tell you more about each of them.

Design phase

To begin with, it was necessary to choose the software with which it would be most ergonomic to design the product. To solve this problem, the Catia program was chosen. We had several reasons why we chose this particular program. In Catia it is convenient to work with surfaces and complex shapes (relative to other software).

One of the iterations of the 4 liter mold.

Packaging prototyping stage

For the production of prototypes, it was decided to use it, since the client did not have requirements for special strength and surface quality. In this regard, gypsum was chosen as an inexpensive material that ideally solves the task set before it.

Evaluation of results

Stage prototyping showed that not everything worked out well the first time. Despite the fact that in the case of the 1 liter canister there were no problems, the model of the 4 liter canister had to be redone.

One of the versions of the four-liter canister.

The initial result in the case of a 4-liter canister was not satisfactory. The packaging should be good not only functionally, but also aesthetically. It took us some time to find a harmonious shape for the canister of this volume.

The particular difficulty was that it was necessary not only to keep within the volume and dimensions, but also to make the packaging beautiful. In addition, a sticker must be present on the canister, which also required some adjustments.

One of the client edits.

It was necessary to take into account both the size of the sticker and the technology of its gluing, and it was also necessary to create a surface with special characteristics so that the sticker could be beautifully, smoothly and easily glued.

I liked the first prototype of the 5-liter canister immediately, since during its creation mistakes were made when creating the prototype of the 4-liter canister.

In our example, it becomes clear how important the prototyping stage is if you are going to put a product into mass production and create a mold. After all, it is at the stage prototyping errors and shortcomings are identified designing, design imperfections, problems of ergonomics, assembly and so on.

Prototyping is an incredibly rewarding job because a small investment in it can ultimately save a significant amount of money during the mass production phase. The existing error, due to prototyping, will not be replicated to the entire batch, which can result in batch recall, lawsuits, problems with customers, image losses, as well as the manufacture of a new mold. All these problems, when combined into one, represent a huge waste of both time and money.

As a result of our work, the client received 3 files, absolutely ready for mass production. These files will be used when creating molds. Thanks to the prototyping stage and the fact that we coordinated each step directly with the client, he can be absolutely calm and confident that he will receive a beautiful and high-quality product after it leaves the mold.

Currently, manufacturers are trying to keep up with the times. As technology advances, there are more ways to save time, money, materials, labor, and more. It is pointless not to use this opportunity, even with a skeptical attitude towards modern technologies. Huge investments of labor and resources in science are made in order to improve and simplify our life.

Undoubtedly, you should not chase every new fancy device, but you should trust what has been tested, revealed its capabilities and proved its safety and benefits. In our country, relations with modern technologies are not developing as fast as we would like. We consider it our task to help in this development, and we undertake any work that will bring us even one step closer to fulfilling this task. If you need help speeding up and simplifying your production, contact us -

It's no secret that a large number of popular goods, brands, trade marks... It is much easier not to invent something original of your own, but simply to roughly copy someone else's promoted product, wrapping it in a beautiful package, and stick the name of a well-known company. It is especially profitable and fairly easy to produce counterfeit expendable materials, whose quality and manufacturer's firm are difficult to verify directly at the time of purchase. Such counterfeit products are often cheaper than the originals, but the quality, of course, may not meet any standards at all, and sometimes the use of such products can lead to serious consequences.

When you see such production of counterfeit goods yourself, you are really amazed at the scale. Some time ago, as a result of a large-scale inspection of all wholesale depots in Moscow and the Moscow region, entire warehouses with counterfeit engine oil were identified.


2. It looks like an ordinary old warehouse building, there are a lot of them all over the Moscow region.

3. Inside the building, whole rows of boxes, barrels, cans with motor oil of various brands and brands. And all this is fake. By the way, the canisters themselves were transported on an industrial scale from Belarus.

4. Representatives of the wholesale bases, where the checks were carried out, pointed to the production in Solnechnogork, which was soon found.

5. Counterfeit products were found under Shell brands, Mobil, Castrol, Total, BP, Liqui moly, Elf, also branded engine oils Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, GM, WV and BMW.

6. Oil was brought in tankers and bottled in warehouses.

7. Here are the stickers for the oil canisters. Seemingly real, the average buyer will not distinguish.

8. Equipment for gluing labels on canisters.

9. Lids, cans, cans - everything was adjusted to the maximum for the original products.

10. Illegal workers were employed in production. Most likely, all of them will be deported soon.

11. And in such wild conditions people lived, in the same place in warehouses and production.

12. According to preliminary estimates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the criminals' income was about 1 billion rubles a month.

13. And this is not one warehouse, there were four similar points in the Moscow region.

14. Ready empty canisters for filling.

15. Barrels of counterfeit oil.

16. According to Komsomolskaya Pravda, the group of swindlers is headed by two young residents of Moscow.

17. Rows of barrels.

18. Have you bought any of these?

19. But the engine oil must be of high quality, the operation of the engine directly depends on it.

20. Wholesale depots indicated that some of the products were supplied from the city of Dzerzhinsk to Nizhny Novgorod region.

22. Thank you for your attention.

 

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