3. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and blow-molding applications

PET was synthesized in 1941 by British Petroleum. The first industrial production and commercial applications saw the light of day in the 1950s. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approved it in 1976 for beverage packaging.

The first bi-oriented blow-molding machines for PET appeared in the late 1970s. The 1980s saw the start of PET's commercial expansion into beverage packaging, first for carbonated beverages, then for mineral water. The 1990s saw the development of new applications (fruit juices, hot-fill, flat bottles, beer, etc.).

Maximum blow-moulding machine output has risen from 3,600 bottles per hour in 1980 to over 70,000 today.