Johnson Controls

When Coke asked Johnson Controls to apply its curvy bottle shape to 20-ounce plastic containers, time was short and stakes were high: the next phase in the global war for beverage loyalty was about to begin.

"SL positively impacts vendor qualifications and certification by enabling us to continue to better meet customer needs."

The Challenge
As the 'world's largest producer of plastic soft drink bottles,' Johnson Controls (JCI) was the logical vendor to help the Coca-Cola Co. resurrect the contour first made famous on its 6.5-ounce bottles in 1920, but not seen on store shelves for 25 years. As a part of 'the next phase in the evolution of the world-renowned contour,' application of the classic shape to Coke's 20-ounce plastic containers is expected to boost sales.

Despite its world-class tanking, JCI still had to hurdle Coke's rigorous project qualification process. The major criteria to be successfully met: Coke's stringent timetable to test, manufacture and roll-out product without any deviation from the original Coke trademark shape. That meant special attention had to be paid to fine detail and the perfect prototype had to be built in record time.

The Results
Using stereolithography (SL) for solid imaging with their SLA 500, JCI built an exact replica of the famous bottle to Coke's demanding quality standards. Total cycle time from design art to prototype took less than five days. The bottle itself took roughly 11 hours to build. Within one week of initial design, JCI returned to Coke with a flawlessly shaped bottle.

As a result, JCI won the Coke contract and strengthened a valuable OEM relationship. Mr. Angst explains, "If you can lock into certain OEM components, you can eliminate competition -- the OEM will design to include your products." The famous bottle shape is already on store shelves across the country. Other advantages JCI receives from SL:

• Excellent tool for visualization of design
• Verification and validation of technology
• Cuts months off time-to-market product cycle

The Process
CAD design work was performed by JCI's Plastics Technology Group. A physical model of the container was built on JCI's SLA 500 at its in-house service bureau. The SLA model was used to produce prototype plastic containers for conceptual purposes. The prototype was then completed by a post finishing technician. From CAD file to SLA part to prototype bottle took less than five days. During that time, the Angst team was able to explore different aspects of geometry and flutes on the bottle to ensure trademark aesthetics were followed to every detail.

To simulate 'the real thing,' JCI produced Coke labels via computer and glued them on to the bottle, which could then be painted to resemble the beverage. The actual bottle could hold liquid.

The Tools

• IBM CATIA CAD Software
• SLA 500 (JCI also owns an SLA 250; both operate continuously for JCI's in-house service bureau)
• Cibatool SL 5154 resin

Company Profile
Johnson Controls, Inc., based in Glendale, Wisconsin, is a $5 billion market leader in facility service and control systems, automotive seating, plastic containers and automotive batteries. One of its stated missions is "using time compression to help exceed customer expectations...by reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a process." SL is an integral part of that process to improve quality and productivity. Through its in-house service bureau, JCI fully utilizes its SLAs to service four company divisions, plus a wide variety of outside customers.