PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2018

PREFORM PRODUCTION PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 12/18 www.petpla.net 15 PETplanet: Nevertheless, even your business is not immune from set- backs. Your large single-stage plant has virtually disappeared from the market. This was once your showcase project. Zoppas: The market has changed. In the past, single-stage plants were required. Today, it has become a two-stage technology to produce large quantities. Xtreme Sincro is the natural technological development to a “dynamic one-stage system” combining the advantages of both one and two stage equipments, with full control of all process steps. Also, since PET is the ideal material for cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food market, we are rapidly expanding our traditional single-stage range and are able to satisfy these markets with the required flexibility and output. PETplanet: You now have the first three Xtreme (injection-compression preform systems) on the market: two in Japan and here at the in-house exhibition, we can see a third plant for Brazil. Why injection-compression moulding? Zoppas: We must offer added value to the market. I think the pre- form injection-moulding sector is at its very limits. There is fierce competition for the converter with low margins. Hence my dream of the Xtreme. We are in front of a real technological breakthrough in preform production, similar to what happened in the elec- tronic market in recent year. PETplanet: Did you ever consider abandoning the project while it was still being developed? Zoppas: If you want to be suc- cessful, you first have to invest a lot of money so as not to lose. It’s up to you to determine your pain thres- hold. But the greater the initial loss, ultimately the bigger the profits. And for the customer, the Xtreme could be the system with the best TCO. We are in front of a real revolution and we are very confident of its success after the extremely positive comments from our customers that could visit our system during the Open House. PETplanet: Thank you very much, Mr Zoppas! Moving to the next generation Sipa’s new XForm Gen4 XP system, unveiled in November, incorporates the latest generation of preform injection moulding technology to deliver lowest conversion cost alongside, unmatched speed, flexibility and ease of use. New technology incorporated into both the 350 and 500t system, capa- ble of running with moulds holding up to 128 cavities and 180 respectively, has been designed to handle demand- ing applications. It is claimed to have short cycle times, to offer state of the art energy efficiency and to have low main- tenance cost. As with all other XForms, the XForm Gen4 XP accepts virtually all legacy tooling produced by any major mould maker. A large 21.5-inch touch screen provides a new HMI operator experi- ence, with high-definition graphics, swipe functions just like a smartphone, a multi-function control knob for one- handed operation. In addition it has fast response times unaffected by proces- sor load. The HMI incorporates an advanced automatic process set-up and an in-depth part quality troubleshoot- ing tutorial. This helps users improving machine up-time, to reach lower scrap rates, and depend less on highly skilled machine operators. Powered by servo-driven hydraulic pumps, the new preform production system has a low L2L (lock to lock) time, paired with an increased injection rate. Total energy efficiency has been increased by a similar amount: in a typi- cal set-up with the machine set-up to full screw utilisation and PET with an IV of 0.80, the XForm Gen4 XP consumes 0.195kW of energy for one kilogram of material processed. One of the reasons for the improvements in dry cycle time and energy efficiency is the introduc- tion of a kinetic energy recovery system acting on the toggle drive. Sipa’s XForm platform has gained a reputation for its ease of maintenance,on the Gen4 XP, it was pushed further, Sipa says. For example, the company has modified the accumulator area layout that the accumulators are now mounted on a pull-out rack inside the machine frame. In addition, the oil tank has been redesigned that it does not need to be emptied in case of maintenance (it can also be used at altitudes of up to 3,000m without modifications). The net result of all these improve- ments is that Sipa customers will be able to operate more consistently, at higher speeds, spending less on energy and maintenance, using a machine that will reduce conversion cost at record- low levels. www.sipasolutions.com www.erema.com Preform production system XForm Gen4 XP