PETpla.net Insider 08 / 2017

66 TRADE SHOW REVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 08/17 www.petpla.net Fully electric SBM PET blowers At Chinaplas 2017 we met the Span- ish machine manufacturer Urola – to be more precise, we met Mr Inaki Unanue, Commercial Director. The Basque com- pany, which is from Legazpi near Bilbao, started its activities in the packaging segment way back in 1975. It is now part of the MCC (Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa), which brings together more than 260 companies from different segments. Urola develops and manu- factures SBM PET machines and EBM rotary equipment, as well as SBM and EBM blow moulds. With its Urbi series, the manufacturer offers a range of six different fully electric SBM PET blowers for standard sized bottles in the 0.1 to 2l range at outputs of 3,200 to 12,000bph (2-8 cavities); and for larger containers (up to 10l) at 2,400 to 4,800bph and two and/or four cavities. “The latest generation of six-cavity ‘Urbi 6’ blowers, which was introduced in 2013 is part of our recently developed eco-machines range,” Mr Unanue tells us. “The range combines a maximum hourly output of 10,000 bottles of up to 2l size with energy efficient attributes.” He explained that this means that the system can operate with up to 20% less air compression or can reuse energy for the optimum use of the servo motors. It is also very compact, with a footprint of around two metres by four metres. “We are able to claim an energy saving of approximately 15%, compared with similarly sized competitor machines,” Mr Unanue explains. “The system has been configured with ergonomics in mind for everyday production operations. It offers easier access during mainte- nance or when replacing the moulds.” The company is represented on all continents and has approximately 40 sales and/or service locations. www.urolasolutions.com Inaki Unanue (right) with Kay Barton at Urola’s Chinaplas booth 2-shaft granulator At this year's Chinaplas, granulator manufacturer Avian from Shanghai presented the first 2-shaft granulator for PET bottle recycling, which has an hourly output of more than 6t of material and is about twice as large as a standard control unit. Talking to President and Group Owner Mark Miao, we discussed the details of the new flagship. First, a brief sum- ma r y o f Av i an . The company was founded in 1962 in Australia. With the economic opening-up of the Chinese market and the increase in demand for packaging and recycling, the Shang- hai manufacturing plant, which specialises in the production of granulators, shredders and pulverisers, opened in 1997. Today, the Group numbers more than 1,000 customers in the recycling sector, and has local representative offices in loca- tions such as America, Europe, Africa and Asia, with around 300 employees worldwide. Mark Miao previously worked for Avian Australia before later taking the helm at the group. According to Mr Miao, Avian is the first overseas granulator manufacturer. "Within our group, design and manufacture are now fully automated," explains Mr Miao. "We have equipment for the entire recycling process in the portfolio. With the "Achil- les" granulator shown here, we are launching a machine that has the same energy consumption as a single-shaft granula- tor with relatively compact design.” Double-sided, large-area flaps, which can be opened at the push of a button, provide convenient access to the cutting tools for cleaning and main- tenance. "The granulator is an alternative to stand-alone solutions with lower productivity," said Mr Miao. www.aviangranulator.com Mark Miao and Kay Barton in front of the “Achilles” (from left)