PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2017

CAPS & CLOSURES 51 PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 09/17 www.petpla.net have to be securely attached to the clo- sure base to prevent pollution and chok- ing on the cap. The closure cap used in this example already conforms to coming EU requirements: the hinge is securely welded to the body by laser. Production: First, the overcaps have to be fed in and oriented. Contexo uses servo technology to align the caps according to the hinge’s location, and position them over the body-spout module. At the same time, the hinge pin is precisely inserted into the body and welded in place by laser. A final check for captivity completes pro- duction of this closure. Product life cycle: modular platform system Because today complex closures frequently come to market with new beverage products, a beverage’s success leads to a sudden increase in the number of complex closures demanded. A flexible platform that can adapt to the new required output is therefore critical. For this reason, Contexo has developed a modular plat- form system capable of widely differ- ent output rates within a short period of time. It also handles the various phases of the product’s life cycle: Market launch: Contexo builds its machines for this phase primarily around the highly economical rotary indexing system. European market: Should the product start to become successful on the European market, multi-lane linear indexing machines are the best choice. Global market: If a small installation Continuous-motion assembly machine: the technology allows high output rates on a small footprint. Scan QR code for more information: Scan & Measure Oxygen Ingress & Transmission Rates Fibox 4 Stand-alone fiber optic oxygen transmitter footprint is required for global production, Contexo switches to continuous-motion technologies. The modular platform system allows existing stations and tools to be transferred to new machines. This enables economical adaptation to changing output amounts. The key to success: innovative technology combined with a flexible platform system This overview of the assembly pro- cess shows how the number of automa- tion tasks increases in the production of complex closures. New technologies are a requirement. But to bring closures to market successfully, it is also important to develop a platform system that en- ables quick adaptation to changing output needs. www.contexo-automation.com