PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2012

TRADE SHOW REVIEW 34 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 05/12 www.petpla.net PET-Line on the platform 3500 On the exhibition stand of the KraussMaffei Group, the Swiss manufacturer Netstal presented its established overall PET system PET-Line based on the platform with 3500kN clamping force able to employ moulds with 48 to 128 cavities. This PET preform system features several improvements such as the simplified product removal, aftercooling unit and the increased injection pressure to shorten the cycle time. The machine model on show at Chi- naplas was equipped with a 128-cavity mould of Hofstetter AG from Switzerland. Material handling and dry air for the inside of the mould were supplied by Eisbär of Austria who have developed the Drypack system especially for the PET- LINE. At Chinaplas customers and visitors were also given the opportunity of inspecting the production plant of the KraussMaffei Group in Haiyan. www.netstal.com PET preform system Established as recently as 2002, the injection mould- ing machinery company Yizumi can be considered as a rising star in line with Chinese Haitian and Chen Hsong Group. Even during the 2009 financial crisis, the company achieved 25% growth. In 2010 the company launched 48 & 72-cavity PET preform injection moulding systems, focusing strongly on machines for PET preform produc- tion. 2011 was a year of surprises, with sales increas- ing over 30% again in a general market downturn, and the acquisition of the the intellectual property of HPM, a 135-year-old US company. This marks an important step in the company’s globalisation efforts. Currently, the company produces in two factories in China, while a third is under construction. 87% of the machines are small to medium size, while 65% are servo machines. Yizumi has dedicated PET injection moulding machines and at the exhibition the company showed its PET-72A PET pre- form system with 72 cavity mould to produce 500ml water bottles (weight: 17.8g, size of bottle mouth: 3025) with a capacity of 518,400 preforms per day. The system was also equipped with a servo-driven robot. The mould was supplied by Chengdu Lianyu Mold Co., Ltd. It is claimed that by using servo pumps and insulation jackets, energy savings of 20-30% can be achieved compared to con- ventional hydraulic machines. In general, this company puts a strong focus on PET preform applications, and their newest brochure (currently available only in Chinese language) does already mention PET-96A and PET-144 preform systems. www.yizumi-group.com.hk One-step solution for two-stage PET preform moulding The ChenPET of Chen Hsong can be described as a one-step process for two-stage PET preform moulding production. This system integrates an injection moulding machine, hot runner mould, robotic take-out plate and pin conveyor, all controlled by a single master control supplied by Austrian company B&R. Currently systems from four to 72 cavities are available to produce up to 16,000 PET preforms/h. The CP-H93 at the show featured a productivity of 18,000 PET preforms/h with a 48 cavity (15g, 9.6s cycle time) and 23,000 preforms/h also with 48 cavity (12.5g, 7-8s cycle time). It is further claimed that the extruder screw design can reduce the acetaldehyde content of the PET preforms.The company also ran its Supermas- ter series of all-electric machine driven entirely by elec- tric servo motors from Beckhoff. The patented non-linear injection system allows a combination of high speed, high pressure and long holding period. The company states that this machine can save up to 80% electric energy and up to 90% cooling water. The SM 160P on the show fea- tured a high injection speed of 280mm/s (very suitable for thin parts) and high holding pressure of 120s at 1,500bar. Due to the use of the servo drives, a high injector posi- tional control accuracy of up to 0.01mm can be achieved. www.chenhsong.com.hk Compression technology & stretch blow moulding CCM, which stands for “continuous compression mould- ing”, is currently still one of the most efficient cap produc- tion systems. The top of the CCM range is the CCM 48SB, which was showcased at the recent trade fair and capable of output rates of up to 1600 caps per minute with 48 cavi- ties. The press was equipped with a mould suitable for the production of three types of HDPE S29W cap, 29mm in diameter and weighing just 1.25g. This very compact press was shown together with the CVS on-line cap quality con- trol inspection system, developed by Sacmi’s Automation & Inspection System Division. Also an innovative CHS, a stand-alone machine with three video cameras for complete quality control of both the cap interior and exterior was pre- sented. Sacmi is hoping to expand its product portfolio from caps to bottles. For example, the company now also offers blow-moulding machines with six to 24 blow moulding sta- tions, able to produce more than 64,000bph in the standard half-litre format. A distinguishing feature of the Sacmi SBF machines is that there is the possibility to install a mould with one cavity for a large bottle (up to 3l) or with two for a small one (up to 600 ml) on each machine of the range. In this way, it is possible to process more than 2,700 small bottles per hour per station. The Sacmi SBF machine has also been designed to be integrated upstream of the company’s com- pression preform production system. www.sacmi.it