Simulation Technology Drives Faster Blow Moulding Product Development
At PACK EXPO International 2026, Blow Moulding Technologies (BMT) will demonstrate how packaging manufacturers can accelerate bottle development, reduce costly trial-and-error testing and bring products to market faster through an integrated approach combining simulation, process measurement and physical validation. Taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago from 18 to 21 October, PACK EXPO International brings together packaging and processing professionals to explore the latest technologies and developments shaping the sector. Combining specialist stretch blow moulding expertise with virtual modelling and real-world validation, BMT helps manufacturers better understand material behaviour, forming processes and finished bottle performance. Its capabilities include BLOWSCAN and THERMOSCAN, which provide process measurement and insight to support faster, data-driven decisions. A physical pilot trial can take up to eight weeks and cost around £20,000 for a single bottle geometry,” commented David McKelvey, Ph.D., Head of Product at Blow Moulding Technologies. “Using simulation, we can explore dozens of design variations in less than a week, allowing manufacturers to identify the most promising solution before investing in tooling or physical testing. The result is a faster, more efficient development process with greater confidence that the final trial will succeed.”
Predictive models for smarter results
As part of the PACK EXPO Innovation Stage programme, David McKelvey will join Alex Byrne, MODSIM Industry Process Consultant at Dassault Systèmes, to present: ‘Predictive Models for Smarter Results: One Digital Workflow for Blow Molding’. On Monday 19 October 2026, 11:00 to 11:30 AM, at the Innovation Stage, North Hall. The session will examine how manufacturers can move beyond sequential design processes, where problems may only become apparent late in development, leading to repeated tooling iterations, delayed validation and limited opportunities to explore alternative designs.McKelvey and Byrne will demonstrate an integrated, physics-based approach connecting material behaviour, the stretch blow moulding process and structural performance within a single digital workflow.
The collaboration combines BMT’s expertise in stretch blow moulding and material characterisation with Dassault Systèmes’ finite element analysis (FEA) simulation and 3DEXPERIENCE platform. By linking forming simulations with performance analysis and physical testing, manufacturers can better understand how material and process decisions influence finished bottle performance. From sequential development to a connected workflow Bringing these traditionally separate stages together enables manufacturers to make critical design decisions earlier, exploring the interaction between materials, processing conditions and structural performance before investing in physical prototypes, tooling or full-scale production trials.
The approach can help reduce development iterations and costs, accelerate development cycles and support more informed design decisions. It can also provide valuable insight for lightweighting and the use of higher levels of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material, where predicting material behaviour is increasingly important. At PACK EXPO, BMT will demonstrate how this combination of simulation, measurement and physical validation can give packaging development teams greater confidence in moving from virtual design to real-world production. Meet the BMT team at PACK EXPO The BMT will be at stand N-5972 with Dassault Systèmes, where David McKelvey and Jude Cameron, Head of Commercial, will be available to discuss how simulation and process insight can accelerate bottle development and improve performance from concept through to production. Through specialist stretch blow moulding expertise, advanced simulation and process measurement, BMT helps manufacturers connect virtual development with real-world performance, enabling faster innovation and more confident packaging development.
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