A total of seven InnoPET Blomax stretch blow molders in operation
The Brandenburger Urstromquelle, Baruth, is once again opting for KHS technology. The company's most recent investment involved an InnoPET Blomax Series IV stretch blow molder, an Innofill DRV filling system, and an Innopack Kisters SP Advanced shrink packer. These machines are destined for a line that primarily bottles carbonated non-alcoholic beverages such as water and apple spritzer in 0.5-liter bottles.
The stretch blow molding equipment in operation at Brandenburger Urstromquelle is exclusively from KHS. With this new investment in a 28-cavity InnoPET Blomax Series IV designed for a capacity of 63,000 PET bottles per hour, the company now relies on a total of seven KHS stretch blow molders, three of which are from the new IV series. "Our past experience with stretch blow molders from KHS can be described as nothing other than excellent," says Franz Keller, engineering manager at Brandenburger Urstromquelle. "These machines combine top bottle quality with maximum efficiency, low production costs, and maximum reliability and flexibility. This impressive benefit package was also the decisive factor in our decision to invest in new equipment."
Brandenburger Urstromquelle has traditionally been investing in optimization and new developments since the beginning of its collaboration with KHS and for this reason was also the company to test the InnoPET Blomax Series IV in 2009. "That was exactly the right move," says Gert Scheffler Brandenburger Urstromquelle's plant manager. With this new generation of stretch blow molders, we have achieved an even more energy-efficient production process as opposed to the predecessor generation, while again reducing material consumption and optimizing line utilization.
A major aspect of these energy savings is the heater that has been newly developed for the InnoPET Blomax Series IV. The heating module requires up to 50% less space versus the Series III. Instead of using classic infrared radiation, the preforms are now heated using only near infrared radiation or NIR, which, in comparison to traditional heating technology, reduces the energy consumption by about 40%. At 2,250 PET bottles per hour per cavity, the newly designed blow stations achieve significantly higher production figures than possible in the past. Servo technology is used for the stretching process. High process stability and the related reduction in the scrap rate are just as much a given as minimized material usage.
Brandenburger Urstromquelle also decided very specifically in favor of the Innofill DRV filling system, a computer-controlled volumetric filling system equipped with 192 filling stations designed to fill both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. A special feature of the system: the Innofill DRV requires only two pneumatic cylinders per filling valve to fill carbonated beverages. These two pneumatic cylinders control the entire filling process including lifting the bottle and sealing the bottle mouth against the filling valve. The advantages of using swirlers to fill PET bottles include eliminating the need for spreading elements protruding into the bottle and providing a high level of filling flexibility.
The Innopack Kisters SP Advanced was the packaging system of choice. "Together with KHS, we developed a concept for this latest generation of shrink packers that enables us to process narrower film widths with the help of an integrated film web control and thus run sustainable production and at the same time cut costs," explains Scheffler. Other benefits of the Innopack Kisters SP Advanced include hygienic design, operator-prompted format changeover, and hot air nozzles in the shrink tunnel area that can be adapted to given conditions.
"Our renewed decision in favor of KHS technology has taken us yet another step in the right direction," Keller says. "And not only because KHS offers the right service concepts but also because KHS has been our trusted partner for many years."
