PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2015

PACKING / PALLETISING 37 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 06/15 www.petpla.net Securing value for a strong future www.krones.com EXPO PACK México 2015 Mexico City, 16 – 19 June Center Banamex, Stand 3100 ProPak Asia 2015 Bangkok, 17 – 20 June Hall 101, Stand 1F01 column. The layer-loading head itself performs fast and accurate horizontal movements along the cross-mem- ber thanks to a telescopic guidance system. Finally, an articulated arm based on SCARA technology per- forms both vertical and horizontal movements to feed the empty pallets and to insert the cardboard pads between layers. All the vertical and horizon- tal movements of the mechanical components of this SMI palletising system are managed by the machine’s automation and control system, which estab- lishes precise and coordi- nated trajectories for each one. This happens in synch with the operations performed by the layer-loading head so that the machine’s various components will never touch or interfere with one another. Continuous-flow layer formation Among the features of the new Smipal APS 1550 P pal- letiser is the machine’s infeed section with the layer pre-com- position system. It consists of a pack rotation device equipped with belts running on free ball bearings, a row-formation belt and a layer-formation belt. In the new system proposed by Smipal, packs are, before the row is formed, rotated in the palletiser’s infeed sec- tion through a conveyor belt fitted with free ball bearings. By setting this function in the palletising pattern, these bearings impart rotary motion to the bottom of the pack in transit. This feature avoids the drawbacks linked to traditional pack-turning systems in which the pack is turned by making it collide against a fixed block- ing element located above the sliding belt. Efficient end of line with the integrated turnplate pallet wrapper The compactness and effi- ciency of the Packbloc solu- tion proposed by SMI were further enhanced by the Neo version, integrating a turnplate pallet wrap- per in the palletiser’s structure, which wraps the individual layers as soon as they are placed on the pallet. In fact, the configuration of the Packbloc Neo packaging system featured the wrapping of the pallet in wrap-around film simultaneously with the formation of its layers, thereby eliminating dead time typical of other solutions in which the wrapping takes place once the pallet is finished. This solution is especially suited to the pal- letising of unstable containers such as, for example, loose 5 to 10l bottles not packaged in cardboard trays. These remain firmly placed on the pallet as it advances on the machine’s conveyor belts, thanks to the wrap- ping of the single layer. www.smigroup.it