PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2020

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 21 No. 03/20 www.petpla.net 25 Stretch blow moulding, filling & capping The Ecobloc Ergon HC EV is a system for stretch-blowing, filling and capping the square based 8l contain- ers in PET with a production capacity of up to 3,200bph. SMI points out that the system does not need a rinser, nor conveyors between the blower and the filler or accumulation. Other advantages include:  Isolating system between the “dry” area of the blower and the “wet” one of the filler, through a jet of high pressured, sterile air in excess of 5Pa. The air flow, through 4 units of Galvani filters (HEPA filters) is situ- ated on the top part of the filler area to avoid contamination, acting as a “clean room”. In addition, the filling valve is controlled by an electronic flowmeter.  The preform suction system is situated on the oven infeed star, to remove any impurities that could be on the inside of the preform itself. The air that is inserted into the suc- tion system is filtered and is part of the air recovery system that comes as standard on all the range of SMI stretch-blow moulders. The system combines blowing air into the pre- forms with the following vacuum suc- tion process.  The machine features integrated inspection systems with cameras to guarantee the quality of the bot- tled water, to monitor the production process and to avoid particles and/ or impurities being deposited on the inside of the unblown preforms.  Maintained sterility for all the pro- cesses of blowing, filling and cap- ping.  The stretch-blow module is equipped with a double stage air recovery system, which allows the reduction of energy costs tied to the production of high pressure compressed air.  The filler area is compatible with COP (Cleaning Out of Place) and equipped with optional system of stainless steel bulkheads to separate the “wet” area of the filler with the “dry” area of the blower during main- tenance or cleaning operations.  Electronic components are posi- tioned on the inside of the panels to ensure a greater protection from damp.  The base of the filler area is made in stainless steel and slightly sloped to ensure that any spilt liquids go down the drains.  The electronic capper is equipped with cap orienting during applica- tion, a system which controls correct positioning of the cap and a rejection system for over turned caps; cap sterilisation through jets of ionised air on the cap channel  Washable cap accumulation table, in stainless steel, equipped with an optional system to suction the caps to remove any impurities that might have deposited on them while moving along the hopper The increase in production speed of bottling lines, the use of lighter con- tainers, and the change in laws that are stricter in terms of food product quality and integrity force compa- nies in this sector to use cutting edge technology equipped with advanced inspection systems for preforms, bot- tles and caps. To satisfy the quality standards of the Danone group, the Ecobloc HC Ergon is equipped with Pressco inspection systems. www.smigroup.it