PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2017

TRADE SHOW PREVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 09/17 www.petpla.net 76 Patent-pending pneumatic blow moulding process optimises bottle formation Adjustments in real time With Aventics’ new patent-pending solution, a world first, users can monitor the pre-blow moulding process in the production of PET bottles online, in real time, and immediately make any necessary adjustments. This results in reduced material and energy consumption during high-throughput PET bottle production. For the first time, PET bottle formation can now be controlled and adjusted during the blow moulding process. Aventics will present this new solution to the professional public for the first time at Drinktec. With this new solution based on proportional technology, Aventics is entering uncharted technological ter- ritory. In collaboration with a major filling company, the pneumatics spe- cialists performed extensive research on the blow moulding process. By combining a proportional valve, con- trol electronics, and software, the patent-pending solution records the actual values occurring during the pro- cess and compares them with the set points. Precise control The new solution is intended for applications in the pre-blowing pro- cess. The set points for this step can either be stored in the electronics or transmitted via all common real-time Ethernet protocols and fieldbuses. During a blowing period of around 200 milliseconds, enough control cycles are available to precisely control bottle formation. This allows process tech- nicians to intervene as needed, for Hall A3 - Booth 327 example to reduce material consump- tion and fine-tune the formation of the bottle wall. Additional energy savings are possible by lowering the pressure level or reducing the furnace tempera- ture. Process data taken from the analysis can be used to derive con- tinual improvements. At the same time, quality documentation is carried out in order to safeguard and track the process. In addition, trend analyses of the data enable the detection of wear before a failure can occur. Condition monitoring notifies maintenance early on to be able to carry out the neces- sary work in planned maintenance breaks. The electro-pneumatic solution also meets new requirements in bottle production resulting from the trend towards more and more complex PET bottle shapes and smaller batches. As a software-based solution, the bottle formation process can be changed easily, without any mechanical altera- tions, and specific to each blowing station on the machine. The software can also auto- matically control process events, for example reaching the yield point and target bottle volume, according to specifications and keep them constant provided no wear limits have been reached. Once saved, parameters for a bottle type or specific material can be opened and activated at any time, significantly reducing waste during start of production. In close collabora- tion with product designers, the devel- opers at Aventics validated numerous sample settings during the pilot pro- duction phase of new bottles. www.aventics.com The power of the New Generation WWW.SIDEMACHINES.COM Hall A4 - Booth 543 Pol. Ind. Monguit, Llinars s/n 08480 » L’Ametlla del Vallès Barcelona-Spain fon +34 93 846 30 51 » fax +34 93 849 22 11 e.mail post venta: [email protected] » e.mail comercial: [email protected]