Rosens, E.A. and Timmermans, S.

Abstract
Scuffing is the appearance of white wear marks on bottles which are less attractive for consumers and unacceptable for quality products. Full scale trials showed that a scuffing reduction of 100% can be obtained by applying a post-end coating which lowers the mechanical impact on bottles, thereby doubling the lifetime of bottles. An additional 20-50% scuffing reduction can be obtained by optimization of the chemical conditions in a bottle washer. Several coatings and application techniques to mask scuffing were evaluated on laboratory scale, positive results were found. Depending on the scuffing level of a bottle stock either reducing or masking scuffing i most cost beneficial. In addition to this work an extremely accurate scuffing analyzer was developed which has been installed successfully on a bottling line.
Keywords : bottle inspector bottle washing bottling chemistry coating damage glass bottle