Designed for the Sidel EvoBLOW range, the Bottle Switch solution can be applied to gravimetric preform feeders, ovens and blowing wheels for switching in preform neck finishes and bottle shapes
Bottle Switch is intended to optimise changeovers and maximise the power of Sidel’s blowing machines. (Credit: Sidel)
Packaging solution provider Sidel has launched Bottle Switch, a changeover solution to maximise production uptime and efficiency for the packaging industry.
Designed for the Sidel EvoBLOW range, the Bottle Switch solution can be applied to gravimetric preform feeders, ovens and blowing wheels for switching in preform neck finishes and bottle shapes.
It provides the possibility to select and apply the right equipment process and configuration for every Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), with shortened changeover time during the high-precision and repeatable processes.
According to Sidel, the solution can offer 98% efficiency after every changeover to maintain the bottle quality and production performance.
Bottle Switch is intended to optimise changeovers and maximise the power of Sidel’s blowing machines. It is said to provide a fully robotised mould replacement, carried out by a double mould holder robot.
The SKU specifications are stored in the process recipes of the latest offering, which are accessible via Human Machine Interface (HMI) to save, centralise, and repeat processes.
Bottle Switch can manufacture up to 13.2 million bottles annually and cut the overall changeover time compared to a typical human changeover by 75%, the company said.
The solution, when used on the preform feeder and oven, takes only 17 minutes compared to standard manual changeover, which takes one hour and five minutes.
The automated and streamlined solution also cuts the changeover time per mould by four times. It takes only 30 seconds instead of the two minutes required for manual mould changes, Sidel added.
Additionally, the Bottle Switch offers effective and optimal use of manual operators’ resources while lowering the danger of accidents.
In March this year, the company offered its latest end-of-line and traceability technologies to the French perfume and cosmetics business Guerlain to stop counterfeiting.