What is SMART prototyping and how does it help you work ‘smarter’?
Our Belfast‑based team specialises in data‑driven tools for PET bottle development. We help fast‑moving consumer goods and beverage companies turn lab concepts into tangible prototypes in just five days.
BMT’s approach:
We create a digital version of the bottle and run virtual tests to spot any issues - from how it forms into the mould and how the bottle performs during use.
In parallel with simulation, we use high‑precision 3D printing to design and produce custom moulds. This builds the exact bottle shape in a durable printed material, allowing us to blow prototype bottles quickly and move into testing without delay.
These early prototypes are blown using our stretch‑blow moulding (SBM) solution, BLOWSCAN, which forms bottles under production‑like conditions and captures real‑time performance data. From here, we create the final bottles for physical validation, ensuring the design works in real‑world use before full-scale production.
Together, these stages give packaging manufacturers the clarity, data and confidence to make better decisions earlier, helping to work smarter by reducing risk, accelerating development and cutting wasted effort.
The results:
Fortune 500 manufacturers have validated bottle designs, achieving up to 20% weight reduction within just five days, accomplishing early, production representative proof of performance before committing to tooling. This data‑driven validation has enabled teams to avoid up to £150,000 in tooling rework, significantly reduce late‑stage design changes and accelerate product launches by as much as 70%.