PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2016

BOTTLING / FILLING 26 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 07+08/16 www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider takes a closer look at the Mac range of valves Filling and bottling solenoid valves from Michigan by Kay Barton FILLING SPECIAL Mac Valves, Inc, based in Wixom, MI, USA, has been devel- oping solenoid valves since it was founded in 1948. It has had a strong focus on innovation since its inception and has amassed now over 90 patents. It began to bring solutions to converters and bottlers about 20 years ago. More recently, the company has been focusing on particular concerns of the drinks industry: reducing over and underfilling, increas- ing output, and cutting downtime in the filling lines. The magnetically-operated Bullet Valve generation is designed for precision actuation, in response times and flow control. Adjusting the poppet allows individual coordina- tion of flow and uniformity in the filling process. Mac Valves says that every single valve is fully tested, in order to guarantee consistent response times and flow. Other features of the valve include minimised friction, high shift- ing forces and a patented balance design, to control and compensate for fluctuations. “Solenoids offer better response times and work more accurately. The sum of a few wasted millilitres for each single bottle that is over or underfilled is financially significant at the end of the year,” said Vincent Flagothier, Filling Industry Coordina- tor EMEA, Russia and India, who is in Belgium. “In some cases, prop- says. “Updates from manufacturers often require additional modifications to the machine; these are not required for our solutions.” Mac Valves offers suitable alterna- tives to OEM standard components in the blow moulding and preforming sector, also. It promises greater volu- metric air flow in otherwise unchanged conditions with its Iso 2 Blow Mould valves, for example. The company says that one test at a bottle-blowing plant delivered an airflow increase of 40%, with exactly the same setup. For the preformer, the 57, 67 and 92 series of valves are claimed to be reliable and can be changed without removing the distributor. Measured flow values reach up to 20,000 Nl/min. Mac Valves recently intro- duced a solenoid that is designed to manage both fluids and liquids: the Double Diaphragm Bullet Valve, which features Mac “lifting” sole- noid technology. This configuration’s claimed unique feature is that the valve maintains a balanced design: shifting forces are consistently high and response times are repeatable regardless of inlet pressure fluctua- tions. Two-way and three-way con- figurations of the BV cartridge (9 mm, 10 mm, 14 mm, and 21 mm) are available. The company says that its D-Flex Double Diaphragm technology erly working valves ultimately ensure better output over the same amount of time.” Mac has published a case study of a CSD bottling plant that achieved savings of just under €78,000 per year, following an investment of around €59,000 in modernising its filling carousel. The savings break down as operating costs (€6,720), fifty fewer standstills due to faulty valves (€22,100), reduced syrup and water overfilling (€34,705.12) and reduced rejects due to overfilling (€14,354.55). The technical change alone thus gen- erated savings of €71,159.67 and full return on investment (ROI) in about nine months. “The equipment can be replaced 1:1 for the existing equipment, mean- ing no modifications are required to the machine itself,” Vincent Flagothier 16 Stations Bullet Valve manifold drop in solution for volumetric fillers Liquid Bullet Valve 214 including D-Flex technology