PREFORM PRODUCTION PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 04/22 www.petpla.net 16 Sacmi’s Injection Preform System (IPS) 300 Digital, rational, profitable Recently boosted by the launch of the new IPS 300, Sacmi’s platform incorporates a new approach to the vision concept, paving the way for total quality control. This is achieved via software-controlled systems that make full use of the latest AI, states Sacmi. PREFORMS Preform production Sacmi is well known for its rigid packaging solutions. In 2012, Sacmi started diversification in the preform field by developing the IPS platform. The first solution in the family, specifically designed for bottlers, was the IPS 220. This was followed by the IPS 400, developed for converters and designed to maximise performance in terms of productivity and versatile utilisation of different mould types. Now, 10 years later, 140 Sacmi systems running worldwide. The new IPS 300 The decision to develop the IPS 300 was driven by a need to optimise the process on current needs of the industry. Like the IPS 400, what makes this machine special is the interchangeability of the moulds, including those produced by third parties, provided they are equipped with external air and coolant connections. Flexible and modular, the machine can mount the plasticising unit that best suits the preform type being produced (from 625 to 1,220 kg/hour). It has also been designed to drive down specific consumption, which remains below 0.2 kW/kg. Several options are available to design solutions based on individual production needs; these include the dye and additive mixer, the injection cycle completion kit (in the event of a power outage) and the piping and water filtration process control sensor kit. Automation The latest generation of IPS machines feature a Beckhoff TwinCat architecture with EtherCat fieldbus. This ‘infrastructure’ takes process control to advanced levels, opening the industry to IoT opportunities (selflearning and predictive checks). The solution adopted for the aftercooler allows the vision system - the PVS 156 from the Sacmi computer vision range - to be installed directly on the machine. This results constant product quality monitoring, for example on the 96-cavity solution the check time for an entire moulding is cut to about 5 minutes. This latest development aims to increase the coverage and accuracy of routine checks. It performes in a set time according to the quantity of preforms present and the complexity of inspection and allows the company to integrate preform quality control directly on the line. This differs from the common practice of post-production inspection, which carries the risk and relative cost of having to re-check entire, potentially faulty batches. Preform Vision Systems (PVS) Featuring a patented polarised light inspection device and AI, the PVS systems have been developed to provide comprehensive production tracking; this allows users, for example, to read the cavity number and correlate statistical data concerning potential defects. Hence, alongside the new PVS156, Sacmi provides the PVS002, a comprehensive unit designed to help technicians carry out routine production checks in quality control labs. It can perform all-round inspection of the mouth, finish, bottom and body, measure weight and read cavity numbers. The PVS003, instead, is an in-line solution downstream from the press that provides inspection rates up to 90,000 pph. The PVS10 off-line unit, operating at up to 72,000 pph, complements the new self-guided Sacmi D.R.I.V.A. system, which performs automatic
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