The high speed Matrix has three sizes of blowing station which can produce different bottle shapes, in sizes ranging from 0.1 litres to 3.5 litres and its savings on compressed air consumption can reach up to 35% compared with previous Sidel generations.
The machinery produces quick and easy mould changeover between formats: less than 15 minutes bottle-to-bottle by a single operator with Sidel's Bottle Switch system on a 20-cavity machine and can produce as many as 2,250 high quality bottles per mould per hour.
Staying ahead of the competition
Spumador, an Italian producer of bottled mineral water, is one of the first customers to have the equipment installed at its plant in Lomazzo, near Milan, and is currently producing an ultra-lightweight 0.5L water bottle.
“We invested in the 0.5L PET water bottle line to stay competitive in the Italian market,” said Massimo Guffanti, plant manager, Spumador.
“We wanted a high-speed device to distribute a light-weight bottle with short neck and cap. The technology of the Sidel machines allows us to produce 40,000 bottles per hour but the line is operated by only two people.”
Fewer heating modules
Requiring fewer heating modules and lamps, the installed Ecoven reduces preform-heating time and cuts electrical consumption by up to 45%. It is also built with grease-free components and fewer mechanical parts, which requires less maintenance.
Pascal Renaud, site manager, Sidel, said the high speed blower ensures excellent production efficiency and with three times more configurations, it surpasses current industry standards and can be adapted to individual beverage industry requirements.
“We have to pay attention to the constant changes and trends - industrial, technological, human and environmental - to be able to respond to the ever-changing needs of the industry,” he said.
The firm, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has more than 5,600 blowers installed worldwide. The Sidel Matrix - PET bottling equipment is produced at the company’s Octeville-sur –Mer factory in France, which employs more than 1,000 employees.
After joining the Tetra Laval Group in 2003 and merging with the Italian firm Simonazzi in 2005, the international company has 26 plants and six Packaging & Tooling Centers (PTC) on six continents.