PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2012

PRODUCTS 43 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 09/12 www.petpla.net Preblow process for reduced cycle times Netstal has announced a further development of its the PET-Line Calitec system, with the extension of the cool- ing phase with a blow-out process in the base area. The company says that this process, named Preblow, helps to reduce cycle times and improve moulding quality. During the Preblow process (which is the subject of a patent appli- cation) the preform is blown out in the base area directly after the injection moulding process. This means that both the base contour and, thus, the surface area can be changed for the first time. By increasing the size of the base contour through the blowing process, a thinner wall can also be obtained in the base area. Netstal claims that, during the subsequent blowing process, this effect can be used to heat the base area more specifically and more efficiently. With a larger surface area, the UV lamps in the blowing machine have to heat a thinner wall. During development, Netstal says that its technicians have exerted more influence and improved wall thickness and material build-up. Initial tests with 1l juice bottles achieved a weight reduction of more than 1g. The company presented a system at Chinaplas that produced a still water preform weighing 15.8g, in a 128- cavity machine at a cycle time of around 7.2s. www.netstal.com Drying and material handling solutions Polymer dryers, including the EnergySmart Single- Stage (ES-1) drying systemfrom Conair are available for throughputs between 182kg/h and 2273kg/h (400lbs/h and 5000lbs/h). In the so-called Optimizer Mode, the new Touch- View dryer control (Siemens platform) regulates not only air temperature, but also dew point and air flow based on data from the Conair Drying Monitor. Just enough heat energy is added to the bed of material in the drying hopper to maintain optimum conditions while saving energy and producing high- quality finished products more efficiently. The controls main- tain a stable temperature within the drying hopper regardless of throughput changes or variations in material tempera- ture or ambient conditions. Settings can also be stored in memory for instant recall. Other Conair drying solutions include the SlimLine com- pressed-air dryers. Targeted at drying applications requir- ing throughputs under 22.5kg/h (50lb/h), these easy-to-use dryers require 220v power and filtered compressed air, so they consume far less electricity than most conventional dryers. With no desiccant or moving parts, they require virtu- ally no maintenance. To operate it, the user simply adjusts the air regulator, flips a switch, and sets the processing tem- perature. www.conairgroup.com Longskirt dispensing closure Bericap’s estab- lished Galileo moulded hinge closure technol- ogy is the base for the company’s new LSK EV 29/44 long-skirt dispens- ing closure, designed to fit to a Verplast 29/21 neck finish. The new design, which is aimed at premium edible oil, vinegar and traditional syrups markets, is also suitable for syrups aimed at children and young adults. It maintains the traditional Galileo look but also allows large-surface printing, as well as efficient tamper-evidence performance. It features post-opening breaking bridges and a tear-off membrane below the overcap. Bericap claims that the new product offers an attractive and functional design to brand owners; simple conversion of existing equipment for the new line, for bottlers; and an easy opening and closing to the consumer. www.bericap.com Centralized off-line blending TSM ’s multi-blend system TSM3000 allows the end user to centrally locate the blending of all materials and recipes in a high throughput gravimetric blender. This gravimetric blender can handle up to 12 individual material components and can supply any number of machines at any given time with total automatic cleaning between recipes. The design offers several advantages such as the use of centralised off- line blending to feed multiple machines. This has many cost advantages as gravimetric blenders for each machine are no longer necessary. Individual material recipes are simply entered into the TSM central blender control panel. When a machine requests a material fill, the TSM blender prepares the required job recipe, mixes the material, before convey- ing it off to its respective machine. Another feature is the blender’s automatic self-cleaning feature which is initiated in anticipation of the next fill request or masterbatch change. All material consumptions are logged for traceability and accountability purposes, which contributes further to the over- all production efficiency. www.tsmcontrols.com Loss-in-weight controlling technology Wuxi K-Tron colormax Co., Ltd. offers a feeding solu- tion led by loss-in-weight controlling technology. This system includes single, twin screw, liquid, micro and vibratory loss- in-weight feeders and weigh belt feeder. It is able to feed various materials such as pellets, powder, or the mixture of pellets and powder with a feeding accuracy of +/-0.5%. The loss-in-weight feeders can input the feeding set value on the WKC-HMI or input the technological recipe of the multi- feeders through this operator interface. The patented bowl hopper has been applied to all screw feeders of K-Tron Colormax. It allows the material to flow evenly from all direc- tions to the screw and effectively avoids material build-up. All of the contact parts of the feeders are made of stainless steel material. The Wuxi K-Tron Micro Loss-in-Weight feeder is designed to provide high accuracy to loss-in-weight feed- ing of pellets, granules, free flowing powders and other bulk materials in the lower output range. Feeding rate can be 1-30 L/H with accuracy ≤+/-2%. www.ktroninternational.com