PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2010

BOTTLING / FILLING 24 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 01+02/10 www.petpla.net Intermediate bottle storage system (IBSS) Empty bottle storage and filling line feed is a regular problem for small to medium size filling companies who need maximum flexibility. Autefa automation GmbH of Friedberg, Germany, has developed a concept intended to change the traditional method of storing empty plastic and aluminium containers for future downstream processing. Known as an Intermediate Bottle Storage System (IBSS), it is claimed to be ideally suited for on-site or “through the wall” installations where bottle pro- duction and filling are carried out on the same site. blow mould area and the filling area with lanes of tabletop conveyor running parallel to the system. (Fig. 1) If bottles are intended to go directly to the filling lines, they by- pass the IBSS on the tabletop con- veyors and go directly to the respec- tive filler. If bottles are to be placed into interim storage, they are picked and placed by tray loading/unloading robots (Fig. 2) into metal trays. These filled trays, which are totally self-sup- porting, are stacked vertically, then automatically placed into a storage system sized to meet the customer’s inventory requirements. When the bottles are needed for downstream processing, the stacks of trays are automatically retrieved, returned to the tray loading/unloading robot systems where each tray is unloaded and the bottles placed back onto the table top conveyor for delivery to the filling lines (Fig. 3). The main components of the IBSS are: tabletop conveyors (these may be obtained from preferred sup- pliers and adapted by Autefa), tray loading/unloading robots and special storage trays. Fig. 1: The IBSS is placed between the blow-mould area and the filling area. Fig. 2: Tray loading/unloading robots pick and place bottles into metal trays for intermediate storage. Traditionally, bottles that are not blown using an in-line SBM machine or a synchro system are palletized and held in stock to be retrieved when required. They are depalletized and sent “through the wall” to down- stream filling, capping and labelling operations. This traditional method requires significant investment in packaging supplies as well as labour and capital equipment. The Autefa IBSS Concept: The Autefa IBSS drastically changes the above mode of operation with the primary aim of reducing costs for both the bottle producer and the filler (which may well be one and the same com- pany). The IBSS is placed between the