BMT (Blow Moulding Technologies) is preparing to showcase its SMART prototyping platform at drinktec 2025 in Munich next month.
The solution combines virtual simulation, 3D-printed moulds, and lab-scale testing with a view to accelerating and de-risking bottle development.
“In today’s fast-paced, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market, brands face relentless pressure to bring new packaging to market quickly, making rapid prototyping a standard practice,” said Yannis Salomeia, BMT CEO and co-founder. “However, speed alone isn’t enough – designs must be optimised to ensure top bottle performance and deliver an exceptional consumer experience. This is where innovations such as virtual simulation, 3D-printed moulds and lab-scale testing give FMCG manufacturers a decisive competitive edge.”
SMART prototyping is said to follow BMT’s ‘measure, digitise, execute’ methodology, focusing on gathering insight rather than relying solely on iterative testing. By capturing real-time data on temperature, pressure, and material behaviour, BMT aims to enable manufacturers to optimise preform geometry, material selection, and processing parameters long before mass production.
BMT’s SMART prototyping utilises two core technologies – BLOWSCAN and THERMOSCAN – which work in tandem with techniques including preferential heating and balayage to deliver insights that allow for control over preform temperature and material distribution.
The firm’s signature Stretch Blow Moulding (SBM) simulation uses material models to assess new designs from preform to final bottle before any physical prototype is made. Engineers can predict bottle formation, identify areas for optimisation, and verify performance virtually.
Small batches of bottles are produced under controlled conditions using BLOWSCAN, a lab-scale SBM machine. With THERMOSCAN tech, the full temperature profile of the preform is captured. At the same time, pressure data and material distribution are tracked in real time, providing a detailed picture of how the bottle is formed.
By using 3D-printed moulds, BMT said it cuts the time from concept to prototype from weeks to days. The tooling is designed to integrate with BLOWSCAN.
“These enhancements reinforce our mission to deliver actionable insights, not just speed,” added Jude Cameron, project lead at BMT. “With SMART prototyping, manufacturers can progress from concept to validated design in a matter of days – reducing costs, mitigating risks and accelerating time to market with greater confidence.”
