The new digital Unit Mold Control system enables to make individual settings for each station
Image: KHS has developed a Unit Mold Control system in cooperation with Agr International. Photo: courtesy of KHS GmbH.
Filling and packaging systems provider KHS has unveiled a new digital control system for PET bottle production.
KHS, in collaboration with the US company Agr International, has developed Unit Mold Control digital and automated process control system to address discrepancies in the distribution of PET bottle material in the stretch blow moulding process.
The new digital process control system, in association with the KHS controller, can individually regulate the respective blow stations in KHS’ InnoPET Blomax series, helping to minimise any fluctuations in quality during stretch blow moulding.
With a new digital Unit Mold Control system, the manufacturers can improve their blow moulding process by making individual settings for each station.
KHS Corpoplast technology head Frank Haesendonckx said: “This enables material distribution to be more precisely controlled per station, thus minimising variations in the wall thickness from mould to mould by more than 30%,”
The Unit Mold Control digital and automated process control system helps to improve bottle quality and increase recyclate content
The Unit Mold Control inspection technology holds the capacity to continuously measure the material distribution in each bottle and adjusts the settings for optimisation automatically.
The data acquired from the individual mould stations offers significant information for the condition-based maintenance of valves, stretching systems or mould shells.
KHS’ digital control system, which is available as an option for KHS InnoPET Blomax Series IV and V stretch blow moulders, can also be retrofitted into the existing plant machinery.
AGR COO Robert Cowden said: “Our commitment to the global beverage market is to provide innovative process control solutions for the factory floor.
“In doing so we’re helping to constantly optimize processes and improve production line efficiency and productivity by reducing unplanned downtime, labour content per produced container and energy costs.”
Recently, KHS has unveiled a new fully recyclable juice bottle by using 100% rPET. The new Beyond Juice bottle concept has been designed with the support of environmental service provider Interseroh.