Acmi has recently installed in the UK two lines at the Rugby plant of Britvic Soft Drinks. The project is made up of a can line and a PET line with the characteristics of a multiliner which is capable of handling alternatively bulk bottles and packs.

CAN LINE

The can line is structured in such a way that it can handle different formats ranging from the 3x2 configuration to the pack containing 24 cans. The part of the line awarded to Acmi comprises a series of conveyors and elevators which stream the packs of cans from the exit of the shrink wrapper to the palletising system which is situated on a high level. By means of a double level curve the can packs follow different routes depending on the pack that is to be handled either 6 or 24 cans.

TWISTERBOX

The palletising system comprises the ingenious Twisterbox (which is patented by Acmi, this component has changed the way of carrying out “layer formation” and a high speed palletiser. The Twisterbox installed on this line comprises 3 modules, is equipped with innovative carbon pliers and is capable of handling a filling production capacity of 90.000 cans/hr. This system of layer formation is integrated with a high speed palletiser mod. Faster with high level infeed which directly transfers the layers which have been prepared by the Twisterbox onto the pallet and then takes them to the line floor. Following on from this point, you will find a series of roller conveyors, which have been projected by Acmi, articulated in such a manner to carry out the sorting of the complete pallets which arrive from the different lines. The line ends with a pallet stretch wrapper with rotating ring and automatic pre-stretching device mod. Rotofilm.

PET LINE

The supply of the PET line begins with the spiralveyor which alternatively brings the packs and the bulk bottles to the palletising area where a long stretch of conveyors take the product to the multiliner palletiser which is once again equipped with a Twisterbox system coupled this time with a condor Robot.

MULTILINER CONDOR ROBOT

In this manner the robot can handle, on one side, the layers of the packs which have been prepared by the Twisterbox and on the other side the bulk bottles with the use of a completely automatic change over head. Even in this case Acmi installed a second generation Twisterbox with carbon pliers. The Condor robot uses a gripping head with Bombay doors to handle layers of packs and a gripping head equipped with tulips for the selection of bulk bottles. Both of the mentioned products are palletised on half pallets and transferred to the elevated palletising floor of the line. A system of rollers convey the full pallets to the high speed pallet stretch wrapper comprising two spools which is capable of reducing the working times compared to the traditional rotating ring pallet stretch wrapper.