PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2021

BOTTLING / FILLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 03/21 www.petpla.net 39 Manufacturing and filling rPET or PET bottles Recent studies clearly show the advantages related to the use of PET plastic bottles, containers that are unbreakable, safe, with great barrier properties, light and above all recyclable. Thanks to its recycla- bility and to its great weight/capac- ity ratio, many oil producers choose this packaging material as ideal solution in terms of environmental sustainability. Bottling and packag- ing solutions offered by SMI include a wide range of stretch-blow mould- ers from the EBS Ergon range, that allow to produce rPET or PET containers, of integrated filling- capping systems from the Ecobloc Ergon range and of different types of secondary and tertiary packaging machines capable of meeting any requirement in terms of pack format and production output. Compact rotary stretch-blow moulders for producing oil Stretch-blow moulders from the EBS K Ergon range are a solu- tion for productions up to 9,200 bph and offer all the advantages of the rotary blowing technology, says SMI. Thanks to the compact and ergo- nomic design, they can be installed on small bottling plants and ensure advantages in terms of ease of use and control by the line operator. The stretch-blow moulding car- ousel is equipped with motorised stretch rods, controlled by electronic drives that do not require mechani- cal cams. This solution ensures a precise management of the move- ment of the stretch rod, significant energy saving and reduced mechan- ical interventions. The stretch-blow moulding system makes use of high-performance, low dead volume valves, that allow reducing pre- blowing and blowing times, ensuring greater machine performance and higher quality of the bottles pro- duced. Precise and reliable electronic fillers SMI said that their oil filling tech- nology is precise and reliable, thanks to the use of the mass flow meter, an electronic device installed next to each valve that detects the product flow placed in each bottle. In this solu- tion there isn’t any contact between the valve and the bottle, thanks to a gripper that grabs the bottle by the neck, keeping it in line under the fill- ing valve, with advantages in terms of process hygiene and safety. The wide range of solutions offered by SMI also includes that with the weight filling system. www.smigroup.it FILLING Filling edible oil in PET A challenging future for competitive market segments The companies of the edible oil sector, influenced by the trend of strong product diversification, need very flexible and efficient bottling and packaging plants in order to reach high levels of optimisation and competitiveness of production lines. In an economic environment that is increasingly oriented towards eco-friendly solutions in the use of plastic packaging, a growing number of companies have chosen to use 100% rPET preforms, that allow to produce bottles with a high mechanical and aesthetic quality in a context with low environmental impact.