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Aventics has recently unveiled its innovative solution for monitoring pre-blow molding of PET bottles. The solution by the pneumatics specialist is a global premiere and patent-pending. Thanks to it, operators can perform online monitoring of the process and be swift with required corrections. This enables both power and raw material savings, critical for the production of PET bottles, characterized by elevated throughputs. The new monitoring system will be showcased at the forthcoming drinktec 2017, the top global trade fair for liquid food/beverage packaging.
The patent-pending electric/pneumatic system relies on proportional technology, marking new engineering grounds for Aventics. A combination of control system, software, and a proportional valve enables real-time tracing of process parameters' values and their comparison with the set ones.
The new system has been created specifically for the use in pre-blowing. As for the set points, there are two possibilities: they can be kept in the electronic system memory, or transferred via any conventional real-time Ethernel protocols/buses. The solution by Aventics can control bottle formation with utmost precision in as little time as 0.2 s during a blowing cycle. Thus, operators can apply corrective measures just as swiftly, whether bottle wall formation or PET consumption is concerned. By decreasing process pressure or furnace heat, power requirements can be cut down as well.
Data on the pre-blowing process are stored to enable further improvements. For example, trend analyses can be performed to identify wear points and prevent downtimes for repairs. Maintenance technicians are notified the earliest possible for any interventions to take place during scheduled breaks.
The new solution supports recent trends in PET bottle manufacture for increasingly complex shapes and small batches over series production. As the system is software-controlled, the process of bottle formation is easy to modify with no mechanical changes necessary; each of the blowing stations of the equipment can be fine-tuned independently. The system software offers automatic process event monitoring, e.g. that of reaching/keeping required yield point and target bottle volume. The result is these parameters kept unchanged while watching over mold wear.
Any process values for specific bottle types or PET grades can be saved and re-submitted later. This helps cutting down waste at launching new production drastically. The Aventics' engineers partnered closely with bottle designers for the validation of a number of sample settings.
Industry professionals will have the chance to familiarize themselves with the innovative solution at drinktec 2017 on September 11 to 15, 2017 (booth 327 in hall A3).
