PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2014

CAPPING / CLOSURES 32 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 01+02/14 www.petpla.net The takeover of the Austrian mould maker KTW (specialist caps for the beverages sector) by Husky was one of the surprises of the previous seasons. According to Husky “the next generation of HyCap systems including HPP will be the first products to take advantage of the addition of closure mould maker KTW.” Then, shortly after K 2013 another surprising message: Husky is to acquire prominent medical and clo- sure mould maker Schöttli, another mould maker of international repute (specialist in the closure and medical sectors. Mark Fitzpatrick on recent acquisitions: “The KTW acquisition and the addition of the mould product enables us to take full responsibility for the entire closure manufacturing system to provide complete melt stream control and reduced variability in the injection moulding process. Thus we can increase productivity, reduce waste and improve part quality. All components - in particular mould and machine - are integrated with each other for streamlined interaction. The new HyCAP HPP system has ben- efited significantly from the combined capability of Husky and KTW.” Products System supply: mould, hot runner, injection moulding machine from one source with  HyCap 225: 225t for normally 48 cavities for 28mm cap  HyCap 300: 300t normally 72 cavi- ties for 28mm cap  HyCap 400: 400t for 96 cavities for 28mm cap  HyCap 500: 500t clamping for 72 cavities for 38mm cap All machines have hydro mechani- cal clamping, electrical plasticizing, and hydraulic power accumulator- assisted injection. Exhibit at the Luxembourg Open House  HyCap 225 system, producing a PCO 1881 closure for a carbon- ated soft drink application, running a 3.5s cycle with a 48 cavity Husky mould. The system on display was complemented by Greenbox down- stream equipment. Energy con- sumption 0.58kWh/kg.  HyCap 300 HPP (High Perfor- mance Package) system, produc- ing a 2.5g 33mm closure, running at a 3.2s cycle time with a 72 cavity Husky HPP mould  Complete downstream equipment supplied by IMDvista and PSG.  Energy consumption 0.48kWh/kg. USP in their own words 1) The acquisition of KTW has made Husky the industry’s only provider of complete injection moulding solutions for beverage closure manufacturing out of one hand, comprising machine, mould, hot runner, temperature controller, as well as process and productivity monitoring software. Complete vis- ibility of all engineering across the system has allowed a level of opti- mization previously not possible. 2) About the injection moulding machine in particular: Hydro mechanical clamp - i.e. hydraulic opening/closing, mechanical lock before hydraulic application of high force - is a key aspect for the performance of the clamp together with the mould. High consistency is achieved due to the equal load dis- tribution over the platen surface into the mould. By separating opening and closing from high force applica- tion, there are further benefits for control and mould protection. 3) About the controls: All Husky systems use Polaris Control to manage the injection moulding machine. In addition, Shotscope NX, Husky’s integrated process and production monitoring software allows manufacturers to collect, manage and analyse produc- tion information in real time and respond immediately to issues arising. Looking ahead Mark Fitzpatrick on the company’s future plans and expectations: “The company’s next focus will almost certainly be on better understanding the impact of molded part quality on downstream operations, such as part handling, filling and capping. As far as lightweighting is con- cerned, developments are ongoing, but in smaller steps than we have seen previously. Despite significant savings that have been realized in the PET package already, further progress is expected. The challenges we now face we feel are in the areas of consistency, accuracy and tighter tolerances. Barrier technology is playing an increasingly significant role. For example, barrier container packages for more sensitive products, but also for high volume markets like CSD, are coming under the microscope. If we can reduce diffusion into and out of the PET bottle and cap, we will be able to satisfy the need for an increased shelf life.” Arburg We met: Andreas Reich, Senior Sales Man- ager Packaging Reiner Schmid, Application Man- ager Packaging Susanne Palm, Team Manager Public Relations Up to now Arburg has been known on the market as the manufacturer of small injection moulding machines, up to 200t. In the past, the Allrounder, among modular machines, has pre- dominantly operated in technical injec- tion moulding. To date all Allrounders (125 to 5,000kN) have been modu- lar in structure and can therefore be kitted out on a product-specific basis. By expanding the product range up to 500t and introducing electrical and hybrid machines for high speed appli- cations, Arburg have developed the potential to play an active role in the packaging market. Since 2009 the company has tended to adopt an application- as well as a branch-specific approach to servicing its customers, in addi- tion to a regional one. Today Arburg is offering a machine specially designed for the packaging market – called the Hidrive P. As well as for thin wall appli- cations, this machine is also used for caps and closures. Andreas Reich quote: “Approximately three years ago, Arburg set up their Project Manage- ment for Packaging. Since that time Arburg has been a supplier of com-