Numerous improvement options
With the "outer shell mould quick change" upgrade, it is possible to reduce the change-over time for a complete set of moulds by around 30 percent for each blowing station.
Upgrades can improve the efficiency of existing machines, reduce consumption materials or processing and operating materials, or even save energy and thus protect the environment and lower costs. At the interpack 2014, the LifeCycle Service (LCS) division of the Neutraubling-based company Krones AG will be presenting a number of possible upgrades for the blowing module of its Contiform blow moulders.
Compressed air is a fundamental cost factor in the manufacture of PET bottles. Modernising the dead space to lower the compressed-air consumption opens up considerable cost savings for stretch blow moulder operation. The energy required for the compressor can be reduced with the "dead space reducer" upgrade. This leads to energy cost savings by reducing consumption and allows for line operation which is gentle on the environment. LCS can provide three different upgrade levels, "250ml", "enviro 1", and "enviro 2", for reducing the dead space volume. The maximum amortisation period (with the highest dead space reducer, the "enviro 2") is only approximately 22 months.
Flexibility is important in the manufacture of PET bottles. To ensure that this is also guaranteed in older stretch blow moulders, it should be possible to change the outer shell moulds quickly. With the "outer shell mould quick change" upgrade, it is possible to reduce the change-over time for a complete set of moulds by around 30 percent for each blowing station.
Another example: tool-free work accelerates the work sequences. When changing the base moulds to handle a different bottle, the operators can save a considerable amount of time with the "Base Quick Change (BQC)" upgrade. Compared to the conventional system, a time saving of around 30 percent per blowing station is possible when changing the base mould without tools. The change-over is also much more convenient for the operator.
Many measures can be optimised during change-over in the stretch blow moulder: Additional time reserves can be opened up using the "detachable stretching stoppers" upgrade instead of the screw-mounted stretching stopper. A time saving of up to 90% is possible.
The examples show how even greater capacity reserves in Contiform stretch blow moulders can be utilised using Krones LCS upgrades.
Photo Krones AG:
With the "outer shell mould quick change" upgrade, it is possible to reduce the change-over time for a complete set of moulds by around 30 percent for each blowing station.
