At the beginning of the year, Acmi supplied the Ferrarelle group with a multiformat complete line in the renovated factory of Darfo Boario Terme where the homonymous mineral water is bottled. The complexity of the supply was mainly due to the technological nature of the line along with coordinating the restructuring of the factory. If we look in closer detail to the supply you will see that the engineering of the line follows the new tendency of the “compact line”, the innovation presented by Acmi in the autumn of 2009. With the term “compact line” we do not simply intend a series of machines placed one after the other, but a concept which brings us to consider the entire line as a single machine, a single system.

The multiformat line in function at Boario Terme is capable of handling Lt 0.5, Lt 1 & Lt 2 PET bottles in pack configurations of 3x2 and 6x4 with a nominal filling speed of 35.200 b/hr which reaches 43.000 b/hr in the palletisation phase. The extra ordinary novelty, and first thing that catches your attention when you enter the renovated factory where the first line is situated is the compact line, with the complete lack of accumulation tables apart from one which is placed at the exit of the blowing-filling block. The machines are programmed and integrated in such a way as to synchronise instant by instant the respective speeds depending on the individual working characteristics. The first interesting “synchronism” comprises the labeller-shrinkwrapper  which are connected by a simple conveyor system. The bottles enter the labeller on a single lane conveyor and exit on six rows which are already prepared to enter the Fenix shrinkwrapper without requiring any accumulation.

FENIX SHRINKWRAPPER

The Fenix shrinkwrapper is equipped with an automatic external spool changeover which allows the machine to work uninterrupted even whilst carrying out film change over or substituting terminated spools. In order to carry out the realisation of the complete line with the “compact” conception it is indispensible that the principle machines that comprise the line have two fundamental characteristics, an elevated efficiency associated with a system of supplying material in a completely automatic manner, only in this way it is possible to guarantee such high speeds.

HANDLE APPLICATOR

Following along on the multiformat line you will find the new mechanical Acmi handle applicator, a novelty introduced in the first months of 2011, and a spiral elevator which transports the packs to a superior level in order to respond to the precise layout imposed by the structure of the factory.

FASTER + TWISTERBOX PALLETISING SYSTEM

At this point the line encounters yet another Acmi patent, the Twisterbox layer formation system. In fact, the high level infeed palletiser model Faster is fed by the inimitable continuous layer formation system Twisterbox with two modules, which is capable of handling any type of container with the utmost precision and reliability, reducing to a minimum pressure and oscillation to the product. The palletisation block is composed by the perfectly integrated Twisterbox and Faster, and is equipped with a system of supplying interlayers and pallets in a completely automatic way by means of the SCARA robot, yet another innovation introduced in the course of 2010. To complete the line, Acmi installed a high speed pallet stretch wrapper with rotating ring and automatic spool change over and a series of elevators and lowerators to transfer the finished pallets to the warehouse floor.

ADVANTAGES

The advantages of this type of installation are obvious:

• a reduction in consumption, both in terms of purchase and maintenance thanks to the lack of conveyors, accumulation and their relative motorizations;
• the PET bottles are not subject to any harmful pressure or squashing and therefore thinner and lighter bottles may be used;
• maximum line efficiency thanks to the adaptation in real time of the production speed of the single machines and consequent energy saving;
• less material consumption;
• a reduction in the space occupied and number of operators required to run the line, which is also thanks to the automatic changeover operations.