SMI provides smart solutions able to satisfy customers’ needs concerning production efficiency, operational flexibility, energy saving and ease of managing and monitoring bottling and packaging lines
By manufacturing machines with an innovative design equipped with IoT technology, SMI provides customers from all over the world with smart solutions, able to satisfy their needs concerning production efficiency, operational flexibility, energy saving and ease of managing and monitoring bottling and packaging lines.
The latest developments and the considerable and continuous investments in Research & Development have led to the realization of even more compact, ergonomic, eco-friendly machines, like the new EBS K ERGON rotary stretch-blow moulders and the ultra-compact ECOBLOC® K ERGON integrated systems for the stretch-blow moulding, filling and capping of PET containers up to 3 L. Capable of satisfying production demands of up to 9,200 bottle/hour, the new EBS K models are available in 2, 3 and 4-cavity versions, and offer all the advantages of rotary technology in a “speed” range traditionally controlled by linear stretch-blow moulders.
Innovative preform-heating module
The EBS K ERGON stretch-blow moulding system has an innovative preform-heating module featuring an extremely compact design, this allows it to be integrated in the same machine module with the stretch-blow moulder carousel. The module features a horizontal preform feeder chain and an optimized ventilation and aeration system. Moreover, the infrared lamp units, responsible for heating the preforms in transit, are equipped with a system of thermo-reflective panels made of a highly energy-efficient composite material situated both in front of and behind the lamps. This technically advanced solution ensures excellent reflection of the heat generated by the IR lamps, and consequently ensures a more uniform distribution of the heat over the entire surface of the preform. The inside of the module is also equipped with an aluminium diffuser, to provide optimal temperature control and prevent overheating problems. The blow-moulding pressure is automatically regulated according to the bottle format, offering unquestionable advantages compared to the manual adjustment solutions used on the linear stretch-blow moulders that SMI’s EBS K models compete with.
The new EBS K ERGON machines have a very attractive quality/price ratio, and also provide savings on installation and start-up costs, as the compactness of the system permits these operations to be performed in a single day.
Advantages
• extremely compact modular design, which integrates the preform heating section and the stretch-blow moulding section in a single structure;
• Overall size reduced to a minimum;
• High technological content, inspired by the Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT) concepts;
• Easier management and control of the production cycle with less maintenance;
• Electronic machine with transmission systems employing brushless motors;
• Low operating and maintenance costs;
• Low energy consumption and eco-friendly processes: the stretch-blow moulding carousel is equipped with motorized stretch rods, controlled by electronic drives which do not require mechanical cams; this solution ensures precise control of the path of the stretch rod, significant energy savings and reduced mechanical interventions;
• High performance: the stretch-blow moulding system uses high-performance, low-dead volume valves, allowing to reduce pre-blowing and blowing times, thereby improving the machine efficiency and the quality of the bottles produced.
Preferential heating
By using a standard heating process, the expansion of material is uniform in all directions; for this reason this is unsuitable for the production of non-cylindrical containers; indeed, the use of a standard heating process on a non-cylindrical container would lead to the premature cooling of non-stretched material, causing non-uniform thickness zones on the final container.
Preferential heating uses a differentiated/dedicated temperature profile, allowing the preform to expand in a controlled manner and take the specific shape of the mould.
Preferential heating enables to:
– Have a better material distribution; in particular it allows to obtain uniform thicknesses on complex containers (i.e. asymmetric, non-cylindrical);
– Eliminate zones with an excessive thickness;
– Facilitate the labelling;
– Optimize the weight of a particularly complex container.
Therefore, preferential heating is suitable to the production of containers for detergents, cleaners, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, sauces, condiments and some alcoholic beverages with the ratio of the long and short side exceeding 2.
AirMaster air recovery system
Double-stage system for the recovery of high pressure compressed air mounted as a standard equipment in all EBS K models (this allows to reduce by about 50% HP air consumption compared to the standard machine)
The machine’s two stage “AirMaster” enables to juxtapose the basic air recovery system with a second plant, in order to recover and recycle a portion of the air of the high-pressure blowing circuit. This system ensures a remarkable reduction of the compressed air consumption and of the energy costs.
The air recovery system with AirMaster is composed of two systems: The first one allows to recover the air, which is subsequently used for the pre-blow phase and the service air circuit and has the following traits; The second recovery system comes up beside the first one and ensures the saving of further compressed air as it collects a part of the discharged air and uses it exclusively for the blow phase.
ECOBLOC K ERGON: the most compact rotary combi in the world
Resulting from an innovative project characterized by the use of technologically advanced solutions inspired by Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT), the ECOBLOC® ERGON K series developed by SMI is an ultra-compact system for stretch-blow moulding, filling and capping PET containers up to 3 L.
In ECOBLOC® version, combined with a filling and capping module, the new EBS K ERGON indeed offers even more advantages:
• Optimal performance with reduced costs for manufacturing, filling and capping containers up to 3 L, since this configuration does not require the rinser and the conveyor belts between the stretch-blow moulder and the filler;
• Excellent quality/price ratio: the ECOBLOC solution does not require the installation of a rinser or conveyor belts between the stretch-blow moulder and the filler and accumulation belts;
• Precise and fast filling and capping process, thanks to the electronic control system of the operations and the use of high-efficiency valves controlled by flow meters;
reduced time for preparing the machine for the cleaning operations, thanks to the use of false bottles integrated in the valve itself;
• New design with modular frame, without welding, equipped with safety doors made of tempered, very resistant, long-lasting glass.
