PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2017

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 09/17 www.petpla.net 40 22,000 containers per hour Installed in its entirety by Krones, the line handles 22,000 containers per hour, and com- prises:  Blow-moulder/filler block, con- sisting of a Contifeed preform roller sorter, a Contiform 3 Pro blow-moulder, and a Modulfill NWJ weighing filler with 55 fill- ing valves  Checkmat inspector for verify- ing the fill level  Modularised Prontomodul labeller with a Canmatic module for precut paper labels and a Contiroll module for wrap-around labels made of OPP (oriented polypropylene)  Checkmat inspector for verify- ing correct label placement  Variopac Pro WTS for end-of- the-line packaging in trays with film or wrap-around cartons  Modulpal 2AC palletiser for stacking the packs on euro- pallets or Düsseldorfer half- pallets Weighing cell technology For bottling edible oils, max- imised accuracy in the filling operation is a crucial criterion for decision-making. For the first time, NT is using a weigh- ing filler instead of a volumetric model. “We believe this will give us higher filling accuracy, irre- spective of the product’s filling temperature and viscosity,” says Milan Kunciř. The Modulfill NWJ assures these precise fill quanti- ties specified, since its weigh- ing cells monitor the inflowing oil during the entire filling operation. Once the desired weight has been reached, the valve closes and the product can briefly settle. Then the weight is checked again. labeller there is an option for using OPP labels in the future, particularly for exports. “We want to have a rapid- response capability for the market’s changing requirements.” Installation of the new line was a well-nigh perfect job, says Milan Kunciř: “Krones was right on sched- ule. So far we’ve been extremely satisfied,” he avers. Now that the new high-speed oil line has eliminated the bottleneck in the firm’s filling capaci- ties, NT can tackle some new pro- jects: the tank farm is to be upsized, the output of the oil mill increased yet again, and the processing of the by- products upgraded. So the thrust for expansion is set to continue for quite a while yet. www.krones.com www.ntkft.hu “Kunsági Éden” is the premium sun- flower oil of NT GmbH. It is bottled in a 1l PET container, with a striking closure in the Hungarian national colours. Milan Kunciř singles out several points that influenced the choice of Krones: “The crucial factors for us were the good performance of the Contiform technology in the existing line. Krones’ high profile, particularly in Czechia’s brewing industry and the local expertise provided by Krones’ agency in Hungary. Another advan- tage is the producing and bottling of 480,000l in round-the-clock operation – with all of the kit single-sourced. The quality and reliability of German engi- neering and the acceptable price are important points as well.” 20% less weight And there was something else, too. “We wanted to offer to our clients an additional advantage in terms of costs and ecological footprint, by producing lighter bottles,” explains Milan Kunciř. “By block-synchronis- ing the blow-moulder and the filler, we’ve managed to downsize the weight of the 1l container to 16.5 or 18.5g – depending on the brand of oil involved. What’s more, we use a short neck, which means we can also fit a lighter closure. Overall, redesigning the bottle has saved us up to 20% in terms of plastic consumption.” For the first time, NT is using a weighing filler instead of a volumetric model for higher filling accuracy. The two different filling speeds ensure perfect flow behaviour. Flow straighteners in the valve produce a filling operation with minimised foam- ing and turbulence. Milan Kunciř has an almost per- sonal preference for plastic labels, too: “I believe this will make it easier to recycle the entire container, since the paper labels don’t need to be disposed of separately,” is his firm conviction. The bottles are still being dressed in wrap-around paper labels, because “the Hungarian market, espe- cially, is conservative in this regard,” he remarks. But with the modularised