Lower cost of PET blow molding process

Reduced gas consumption for stretch blow molding and automatic bottle wall thickness adjustment
In order to produce PET bottles with a predetermined wall thickness, Krones has developed two systems with automatic wall thickness adjustment. The Temperature Wizard requires an infrared camera at the outlet of the linear heating module to measure the temperature of all plastic blanks.

Another system developed by Krones is the Wall Wizard. Depending on the bottle size, Wall Wizard online can measure the thickness of up to four parts of the bottle. By changing the temperature of the plastic preform during heating, the distribution of the wall thickness is automatically adjusted.

Cost saving is the main goal of the beverage filling industry. Therefore, it is worthwhile to carefully observe the energy consumption of the blow molding machine in the disposable PET bottle production line. The supply of high pressure blow air is the largest energy consumption in the process line. If the power of the blow molding machine is 36,000 bottles per hour, then one compressor consumes more than half of the total energy consumed for the entire blow molding process. The second energy consumption is the blow-molding machine itself, which consumes 35%, mainly from unfinished heating modules.

If the power of the blow molding machine is 36,000 bottles per hour, then one compressor consumes more than half of the total energy consumed for the entire blow molding process. The second energy consumption is the blow-molding machine itself, which consumes 35%, mainly from unfinished heating modules.

Obvious energy savings

The Air-Wizard solution from Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, contains all the measures that can be used to reduce the air consumption of Krones Contiform machines. These measures include:
Decreased dead chamber volume Reduced forming blow pressure Active recycling blow molding air

The use of the Air-Wizard solution brings significant energy savings to the blow molding process. The entire system does not require maintenance because no extra valves or wear parts are installed. This system can be added to all Contiform S machines. In the future, it is even possible to return the recovered air directly from the blowing wheel back into the pressure network in order to save even more high-pressure air.

Wall Wizard and Temperature Wizard

Another clear goal in the production of PET bottles is to produce bottles in a predetermined wall thickness. In order to automatically adjust the thickness of the bottle wall, Krones has developed two systems. The Temperature Wizard requires an infrared camera at the outlet of the linear heating module to measure the temperature of all plastic blanks.

Using the Temperature Wizard can greatly reduce the fluctuation of the wall thickness, so as to maintain the quality of the bottle and save material. As the number of manual adjustments to the heating module is reduced, the burden on the operator is correspondingly reduced.

The Temperature Wizard's role is to inspect and adjust the plastic blanks, while the Wall Wizard monitors the blown bottles and adjusts the heating of the returned plastic blanks. Depending on the bottle size, Wall Wizard online can measure the thickness of up to four parts of the bottle. By changing the temperature of the plastic preform during heating, the distribution of the wall thickness is automatically adjusted.

The Wall Wizard and Temperature Wizard are suitable for all Contiform S Series machines up to 50,000 bottles per hour. The two systems can also be retrofitted on all Contiform S and H blow molding machines, managed visually by Zenon.

Source: Krones AG