PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2011

PRODUCTS 33 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 07+08/11 www.petpla.net PET products Volumetric filling valves Sipa has developed a new series of volumetric filling valves: Isotronic SC for carbonated products and Uni- tronic SC for still products. These valves are designed to replace versions already present in the range. The aim was to achieve higher quality and levels of efficiency, while maintaining the key features of the previous generation. Both valves can modulate the filling speed to better suit the characteristics of the individual liquid product, avoiding tur- bulence, foaming and absorption of air into the product. The valves are characterised by high dosing precision, thanks to the use of magnetic flow meters. The valves can be equipped with additional elements allowing hot fill applications with re-circulation or with Ultra Clean. Special features allow the treatment of different bottle and neck sizes with reduced change-over times. All valves are made in stainless steel 316L and are solid and compact. There is a clear separation between the pneumatic parts and the parts in contact with the filling product, in order to avoid any problem with contamination. Each prod- uct/bottle size can be selected directly from the operator touch screen control panel. Electronic and pneumatic components are located in a box directly over the filling valve. The box is air-conditioned by a “vortex” system. Isotronic SC, the isobaric volumet- ric and electronic filling valve version, is suitable for filling liquids with or without gas into PET bottles. It is particularly suitable for filling liquids characterized by good conductiv- ity, such as soft drinks, water and clear fruit juices. The bot- tles are held by the neck ring, no height adjustment of the machine is required and bottle sealing is guaranteed by a short stroke bottle lifter. Unitronic SC is the gravitational volumetric and elec- tronic filling valve version, suitable for filling non carbon- ated conductive products like still water, juice, tea, energy drinks and milk in PET bottles. There is no contact between the valve and the bottle. Thanks to this feature, this version in particularly suitable for ultra clean solutions. Valves are very simple, product chambers do not come into contact with a single pneumatic part. The sealing is guaranteed by a pneumatic rise of the bottle lifter. www.sipa.com Integrated solution for dairy products and liquid food Italian company SMI, which has over 4,000 end-of- line packaging solutions and rotary stretch-blowmoulders for PET/PP containers installed worldwide, has launched a new, integrated solution branded as the EcoBloc Plus series. The machines feature integrated stretch-blowing, filling/capping and labelling of PET containers ranging from 200ml to 3l. the EcoBloc series, which does not have an integrated labeller, can handle containers with up to 10l capacity. EcoBloc and EcoBloc Plus systems are both suit- able for bottling lines of milk, edible oil, still and carbon- ated drinks. They have been designed to be compact and feature technologies for synchronisation between the dry environment of the stretch-blowing module and the wet environment of the filling/capping module. The direct con- nection between the machine modules by means of trans- fer wheels reduces the number of machines installed and eliminates the need for a rinser, for accumulation convey- ors and for conveyors between the blower, the filler/capper and the labeller. EcoBloc Plus systems are equipped with air recovery, which is claimed to provide up to 40% saving on air con- sumption. The area beneath the bottles is completely clear, which eases operator access for maintenance and cleaning operations. Electronic filling on EcoBloc Plus prevents any contact between the bottle and the filling valve, thus reduc- ing moving mechanical parts. SMI says that the machines offer low cost of ownership and production capacities of up to 30,000bph. www.smigroup.it Bericap completes its range of one-piece closures for hotfill Bericap has been offering one-piece closures for hotfill applications since it launched its 38mm and 28mm clo- sures on the Chinese market in 2003. These closures are now also in use in India, Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East. The company recently announced that Egyp- tian company Juhanya is now using Bericap closures for its hot-filled products, including Tingo juices. The company has now extended its hotfill closure offer with the launch of a 33mm closure, which features reduced wall thickness. Bericap is seeking to introduce thinner walls to 28mm and 38mm closures, also. Future hotflll applications with 28mm closures will, in future, use the same closures as CSD. All Bericap closures for hotfill are equipped with the compa- ny’s DoubleSeal system. www.bericap.com