PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2016

AUTOMATION 49 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 09/16 www.petpla.net Safe, sound and efficient Transfer arm for stretch blow moulding machines Properly designed and executed automation solutions increase efficiency, productivity, output and competitive- ness. In order to deliver the advantages of automation, com- ponents need to be robust, as they will often be operating without human involvement or oversight. US company PHD, Inc, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, says that it has devel- oped solutions that take on these challenges and respond to the need for safe and reliable automation. “PHD has worked with container manufacturing and filling customers globally to support their initiatives to increase up time and lower cost,” a company spokesman said. It has worked independently and in collabo- ration with customers to design and manufacture both bespoke and stand- ard equipment. It is particularly proud of its record of durability and reliabil- ity in service. “We have been able to develop products that have been in service for decades and have helped customers to eliminate the need for frequent refurbishment or annual dis- posal of equipment.” The manufacturer highlighted the examples of its stretching cylinders, which it maintains have longer running periods between rebuilds and can cope with multiple rebuilds, thus max- imising service life. Within continu- ous extrusion blow moulding wheels, the increased exhaust capacity of its needle cylinders allow for extended run time between periodic cleaning intervals. Extended time in operation helps to reduce total cost of owner- ship and boost productivity, leading to improved profitability. It further claims that its transfer arms are more robust than its competitors and sur- vive severe impact with no effect on production. “We recently worked with several customers to develop an improved transfer arm for blow moulders,” the company said. “The PHD arm pro- vides significantly longer service life with increased bearing capacity. A typ- ical 20mm ball bearing can wear out in months; the PHD 25mm recirculat- ing roller bearing has more than twice the life. This rigid bearing reduces mis-feeds and damage to the pre- form caused by the original worn out linear rail drooping as it advances.” The PHD arm is also said to be much more robust because it incorporates a robust welded base, instead of the traditional cast base, which can bend and break under use. Typical features from PHD stretch rod cylinder for stretch blow moulding machines “When the original cast base bends the pivot bearing location is effected and parts are mis-loaded into the moulds, causing rejects and machine downtime,” the company continued. “Our robust weldment eliminates this problem. The arm also incorporates an optional threaded height adjustment that eliminates the tedious process of using shims to establish pass line height. The customer benefits from quicker and more accurate set-up, which improves machine up time and lowers cost of operation.” PHD has provided solutions for injection moulding, re-heat stretch blow moulding, continuous extrusion, pack- age closure, labelling, validation, case packaging and palletising, as well as resin drying, preform transfer, stretch- ing, nozzle solutions, trimming, and filling. www.phdinc.com Stretch rod cylinder for stretch blow moulding machines