Italian equipment provider SIPA has launched a new high speed rotary blow moulder, which is said to offer plastic container manufacturers increased production flexibility.
The SFR 16/32 model comes with 16 double-cavity blowing moulds for a total of 32 blowing cavities. Production capacity is up to 48,000 bottles per hour and the maximum container size is 1 litre.
The models is said to retain all the features from the previous single cavity blowers. However, the moulds open vertically rather than horizontally, which allows the various stages of the process operate more quickly and efficiently, with a lower dead angle in the movement of preforms and bottles - the company claims. This translates into a more active angle for the blowing process on the same cycle.
Furthermore the preform screw feeder is designed to avoid blockages. The preform transport chain is made of light plastic, which the company says makes it stronger and subject to less wear. Modular ovens are located above the electrical switchboard to save space. Inside the oven the ventilation of air goes through the lamps to improve the efficiency of the oven and of the preform heating process.
The variable guide system allows the inversion time to be set (the time elapsed between the preform coming out of the oven and mould blowing) depending on the thickness of the preforms. The SIPA variable guide system aims to ensure productivity remains constant regardless of the thickness of the preforms.
Major features of the model are its compact size and its mechanical and kinematics simplicity. The size of the blowing wheel is the same as for the single cavity blowing mould model. The oven is longer and takes full advantage of the modular nature of the SIPA oven concept. Another essential feature is its simplicity. SIPA's engineers have worked hard to simplify the preform/bottle transfer wheels as well as the kinematics, which is said to reduce the complexity of the various movements required to transport preforms and bottles.
Due to the vertical opening and closing of the blower moulds it has also been possible to retain the same kinematics in the twin cavity blower as in the single cavity blower, without increasing its mechanical complexity.
Based in Vittorio Veneto, SIPA offers a wide range of PET container production technologies, mainly to the international beverage industry.