PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2019

PREFORM PRODUCTION PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 12/19 www.petpla.net 17 Issue 12 reported on Netstal taking over the PET activities from Krauss- Maffei. Whilst KraussMaffei had in its PETform series opted for vertical clamp- ing, Netstal has built classic horizontal clamping into the PET-Line series. 2012 Netstal’s LightBase process reduces weight while improving mate- rial distribution. Specially designed base geometries optimise preform sur- faces for the heating process, thus better absorbing the thermal energy. Later in the blowing process this leads to thinner walls. (Issue 1+2). Preblow process depiction (Netstal), blowing the base area after IM Reducing thick- ness where the wall is at its thickest – Sipa concerned itself in issue 1+2 with bottle necks and produced light containers; the thickness and weight of the neck is determined by the pre- form injection moulding process. Sipa tackles the high output volume sector: At NPE, the company introduced a new PET preform moulding system. In issue 3 we introduced the new develop- ment, which accepted moulds from all leading mould makers. In the very same issue we reported that Sacmi had made a new start in the preform sector. IPS, standing for Injec- tion Preform System, was presented at Plastmilano exhibition, sporting 48-cavi- ties and a clamping force of 220t. Rapid mould change was a special focus. 2013 In issue 4, Jeff MacDonald, then Vice President Marketing at Husky, explained in an interview that the aver- age number of cavities for preform systems has peaked. Instead he saw a decline, as the average number supplied was between 72- and 96-cavities per system. The basic reason for this: better technology equals improved perfor- mance per cavity. Netstal featured at Drinktec the PET-Line 2400 and issued an invita- tion to view the new PET-Line 4000, equipped with new features. The 72-cavity mould was provided by Otto Hofstetter. Cycle time was 5.4 sec. (Issue 7+8) In issue 9, Dr Golz, then Presi- dent Krauss-Maffei and Netstal, spoke about plans to relocate KraussMaffei’s PETForm range of machinery to Netstal’s location in Näfels, Switzerland. Nevertheless, Netstal would continue to act inde- pendently in the market. A preform system based on injection compression moulding was presented by Sipa at Drinktec (issue 11). “Xtreme” was claimed to offer new design possibilities and weight savings as injection compression moulding allows for thinner walls and a thinner base area than injection moulding. On display at Drinktec was a 72-cavity solution, producing 8.7 g preforms (0.5 l). In issue 12, Husky announced the launch of HyPET HPP5 preform moulding system. A 12% increase in productivity was stated as well as a greater freedom in preform design.