PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2019

COMPRESSORS PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 05/19 www.petpla.net 19 Morcom with the backing of a power- ful industrial group. In issue 7 they announced three new versions of their oil-free PET system compressors range. LMF’s development of a logic con- troller to control the pressure and flow rates of several compressors deliver- ing air for PET bottle blowing is also a topic in issue 7. The company saw that many of their customers were using more compressors, or more compressor capacity, than was really necessary for the job being done. The first installation was realised at Coca Cola in Austria. 20 0 1 In issue 4+5 AF Compres- sors explains why they chose an L-shape design for their compres- sors. The “L” shaped layout makes it possible for the number of moving parts to be reduced to a minimum. There are only two cross-head assemblies with two piston rods and associated bearings. The fact that the pistons at stages two and three are single-acting also means that a minimum number of valves are required. Having pistons 2 and 3 on the same piston rod means that the 40 bar stage (piston 3) does not require piston rod air packing seals between the 40 bar compressed air and atmosphere. In issue 11+12 we report about the joint forces of Boge and Siad in the field of oil-free compressors. The oil-free system, called the Superflow, makes use of an oil-free screw com- pressor from Boge and an oil-free piston booster made by Siad. The whole unit can be supplied com- pletely skid mounted, complete with driers, receivers, water coolers and control panel. The range of installa- tions offers 19 different options, with blowing air outputs from 1,150-3,000 Nm 3 /h. 20 02 When Atlas Copco intro- duced their Petpack compressed air system in 2000 they took a novel approach by combining oil-free screw and piston technologies. In issue 4/2002 the company announced a new standard in cost effective bottle blowing with the introduction of Pet- pack VSD. The Variable Speed Drive technology in both the screw com- pressor and the piston booster intro- duces power savings. 20 0 3 Kaeser has created a system solution to satisfy the require- ments for control and blow-moulding air at different pressures with the “Sigma PET Air” system, which consists basically of a low pressure stage (at least one fluid-cooled rotary screw compressor with a refrigeration dryer for the control air) and a high pressure stage (at least one booster with a high pressure refrigeration dryer) plus the necessary filters and condensate treatment equipment (issue 12). The screw compressors are fitted with modulating control, which ensures that the compres- sor’s air delivery always matches the air demand from the blow-moulding machine. 20 0 4 A centrifugal compressor for PET bottle blowing was highlighted as a world first in issue 1+2. It is Ingersoll Rand who make compact centrifugal compressors available for PET bottle blowing at 40 bar. Reasons for that were their long life, due in part to an inherently simple and rugged design (there are only four basic moving parts - a bull gear and three rotating impeller assemblies); the dynamic compression process in which the air is compressed by converting velocity energy, imparted by the impeller, to pressure energy without any contact between mechanical components, ensuring oil and particle free air; the energy efficiency through the use of multiple stages in conjunction with constant pressure control operation. In Issue 9, we presented an alternative approach to compressed air: renting rather than purchasing a reserve compressor minimises capital outlay and the maintenance costs associated with a unit that may not be utilised year-round. All the plant manager has to do is to provide level ground and a power source. Swiss Made | www.imdvista.ch Inspection Systems for the Plastic Packaging Industry Closure Inspection – 100% Inline “IMDvista INOX Line” Robust, compact and very flexible. One control center (HMI) for the whole line. Preform Inspection – Inline or Offline “IMDvista PECO V3” Less than 7m ƹ and up to 90’000 pph. Cavity reading. Preform Monitoring – Shot by Shot “IMDvista PECO LUX” Requires no additional floor space. No preform orientation.