PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2011

PRODUCTS 30 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 06/11 www.petpla.net High speed palletizing system End-of-line equipment for palletizing products needs to be safe and efficient as well as fast. In the past, high-speed solutions were reserved for traditional high- level palletizers. By enhancing its existing machines and processes, Sidel claims to bring the same level of performance to low-level palletizers with its new SP 1000 HS palletizer. The new SP 1000 HS maintains steady pallets while the layers are in movement. During layer formation the machine rotates and positions the packs into a perfectly shaped layer to be transferred onto the pallet. In the following palletization phase, the layers are picked up and safely stacked onto the pallet with precision. Sidel managed to increase the speed of this process by improving the way the two steps of the process interact. The “pusher” is able to guide the layers alternatively to the right or to the left while optimizing the “return stroke” time, which, in the tradi- tional approach, is substantially an “empty” movement. The process is supported by Sidel’s software program “Pallet and Layer Automated Configuration Editor” (PLACE). It creates and manages diverse pattern con- figurations before the layer-formation phase. The soft- ware, which can be installed either on the touch screen operator panel or on a PC, is compatible with Sidel’s Robo-Smart and Axo-Smart layer-preparation systems. It automatically checks whether the pallets are suit- able and stable. Robo-Smart and Axo-Smart form and prepare the layers as the packs come off the produc- tion line onto the conveyor belts. Format changeovers regarding layer, bottles, or packs are entirely automatic and software-managed avoiding the need to stop the line. The operator simply has to choose the required format on the operator panel controls. For the second step in the palletization process, the SP 1000 HS per- mits use of either Robo-Kombi or Robo-Column which physically picks up the packs and places them on the pallets. Both solutions offer high-speed operation, easy integration with existing solutions, and versatile gripping for working with different formats, including crates, shrink-wrapped packs, loose bottles, plastic trays, empty PET bottles and others. www.sidel.com LitePac strapping While shrink-pack film is the most commonly used form of secondary pack- aging for PET containers, it requires fossil raw materials for its manufacture and relatively high energy consumption in the shrink-on process. Krones AG has developed a resource-economical alter- native to film-wrapped shrink-packs as a complete system, including packaging and associated machinery. Krones built upon strapping technology already trialled and used in other sectors to create a new packaging design for PET containers, called Krones LitePac. The company says that it addresses market demands for secondary packaging of PET contain- ers, in eco-compatibility, resource economy, reduced energy consumption and cost savings. Krones’ newly-developed Evolite packer is made up of a container infeed module and a container strapping module. In the infeed module, contain- ers are divided into two continuous lane flows. Four strapping units then create the LitePac packs in the container-strapping module. Krones claims that cost savings of more than 50% can be achieved, through lower packaging material costs and greatly reduced energy consumption, as the system elimi- nates the shrink tunnel and an additional handle applicator. The company says that it needs fewer conveyors, a smaller footprint, a simpler line layout, a smaller storage area in both the warehouse and the supermarket, and less pallet traffic. www.krones.com