BMT, a strategic partner to the global packaging industry, has developed precise-forming simulation method, designed to support beverage producers wanting to accurately predict the wall thickness of PET and rPET bottles.

The methodology combines BMT’s simulation-driven approach with advanced material characterisation, enabling reliable virtual performance testing of “as-manufactured bottles” under real-world conditions.

“BMT’s technology supports accurate top load and burst pressure testing, helping manufacturers optimise bottle designs for strength and lightweighting. By improving how performance is predicted during development, our methodology significantly reduces the need for physical prototyping and accelerates development timelines,” said David McKelvey, Head of Product at BMT.

Material characterisation: measuring how the resin behaves

Material characterisation shows how the resin behaves when it is heated, stretched and shaped, giving the simulation the accurate inputs it needs to predict how the bottle will form. This includes biaxial tensile testing, which measures how the material responds when stretched in two directions under controlled conditions. These tests capture deformation patterns, stretch ratios, stiffness changes and how processing history influences mechanical behaviour.

Simulation: predicting bottle behaviour with real material inputs

Simulation takes the measured material data and uses it to model the full bottle‑forming process. Instead of relying on constant wall thickness or uniform stiffness, BMT’s approach predicts how the material stretches in both the hoop and axial directions and how it distributes throughout the bottle during blowing. This produces a thickness and stiffness profile that reflects what is seen in physical bottles.

BMT runs virtual top load and burst pressure assessments that predict how the bottle is likely to perform in real‑world testing. In a recent validation study, models using variable properties from the forming behaviour matched physical testing within about 1%. In contrast to this, constant‑property models overpredicted performance by 13% and up to 63%, demonstrating how simplified assumptions can mislead design decisions.

This accuracy helps teams identify issues earlier, understand how design changes will affect performance and make more confident decisions before committing to tooling.

A unified approach to accurate, reliable bottle performance

BMT’s material characterisation and simulation-driven approaches are designed to work together as one streamlined process. Material characterisation provides the measured behaviour of the PET during stretching and heating. Simulation then uses these measured values to predict how the bottle takes shape and how it will perform under loading conditions.

This integrated workflow directly supports BMT’s mission to make sustainability effortless for manufacturers and brands. By blending precise digital modelling with targeted physical insight, this process helps reduce material use, improve design efficiency and speed up product development. The BMT way moves seamlessly from virtual to real‑world outcomes, giving manufacturers reliable performance data while helping them progress toward both strength and sustainability targets.