PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2019

43 TRADE SHOW REVIEW PET planet Insider Vol. 20 All-electric bottle blowers for medium-sized outputs German machine manufacturer SMF Maschinenfabrik, from Toisdorf- Spich, has a history that stretches back 25 years. It specialises in the construction of bottle blowing and fill- ing systems, as well as unscramblers for a wide variety of applications, from 200ml to 20 l PET bottles. SMF serves and supplies customers in more than 80 different countries. Its Optima 4 NT model, the latest addition to its Optima Turbo PET bottle blower series, was presented for the first time at the Brau Beviale 2018 trade fair. The l i nea r eng i nee r ed Optima Turbo Series includes a four-cavity machine with an output of 7,200 bph; an e i gh t - cav i t y ve r s i on w i t h 14,000 bph capacity; and the biggest, which has 16 cavities and is capable of producing 28,800 bph. “The series is designed to be fully electric and is effec- tively supported by PLC and nine servo drives,” Key Account Ma n a g e r A g n e s P l a s k a explained. While the standard versions of all three machines in the Optima Turbo series are designed to produce bottles in the 500 ml to 5 l range at rates up to 35,000 bph, in the case of 500 ml bottles. However, she explained that the special Optima 1-2-3 v e r s i o n , wh i c h i s a n ew machine available in the series, allows the number of cavities to be intelligently adapted to the product to be manufactured. In practice, this means that 200ml containers and big-volume bottles up to 7 l could also be produced on this machine. SMF says that the blow- ing pressure for the series extends up to 40 bar. At the same time, the series strives to be energy-efficient, with a specially-designed NIR heating process in place of conven- tional IR ovens. In addition, the oven’s compact design is intended to minimise space requirements at the produc- tion level. Mrs Plaska refers also to a reduced air consumption for the blowing. Finished bottles are transported by air conveyor directly to the filling machine. Maintenance is also designed for ease of use and user-friendliness. The Optima Turbo Series features a central system for lubricant provision, and facilitates rapid mould changeo- ver, to minimise downtime. www.smfgmbh.com SMF’s Optima 4 NT at Brau Beviale