PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2015

PREFORM PRODUCTION 22 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 04/15 www.petpla.net Sacmi expands preform system proposal SGM from 220t to 400t Sacmi presented the new IPS 400 for up to 128 cavities at Imola at the end of February 2015. Its special features are the post cooling system with preforms unloading directly into the boxes and the full interchangeability with the main com- petitor’s moulds. After the presentation the demonstration line was shipped to Gardaplast, Polpenazze del Garda. This separates the flow of melt for fill- ing and emptying the piston whilst at the same time reduces residence time of PET in the shooting pot. A further innovation presented by Sacmi was the new preform unloading solution. The take-out-plate with 4 cooling posi- tions is driven by 2 belt-free linear motors with KERS (same solution of 220t) and preforms are removed by a gripper plate assembled on a 3-axis pick and place device that unload them directly into the boxes. This means that the standard belts can be dispensed with and positioning of containers within the cooling area ensures that preform unloading is done in a controlled environment, thus reducing the risk of contamination. Along with the new IPS 400, Sacmi exhibited the PVS (preform vision system) quality control unit. Designed and built by the Sacmi Group’s own Automation Division, the latter can inspect up to 50,000 pre- forms per hour and detect any devia- tion from pre-set quality parameters. www.sacmi.com The new IPS 400 for up to 128 cavaties Three years ago Sacmi presented its new IPS concept using the 220t model as an example. An integral feature of this is the control panel that, according to Sacmi, has been developed so as to take into account operator requirements. Now the Imola-based company is introducing a larger variant at 400 t. An 11-gram preform was running on the demonstration machine with a cycle time of just 6.2 seconds on an MHT mould with 96 cavities. The lock to lock time has been stated by the company as 2.1 seconds. The tiebar clearance is 1125mm * 932mm. Boosters ejection and cool- ing water pipping systems have been designed to enable also Hypet moulds up to HPP 4.0 to run without any ret- rofitting or adaptation kits. As a further innovative step, the engineers demonstrated a first-in- first-out development in the plasti- cizer unit. The novelty here is that the PET melt is routed from the extruder directly into the shooting pot via a 2-way directional control valve. During injection the valve rotates through 90°, sealing off the flow of melt from the extruder and opening up a further melt channel that leads to the mould.