FEATURE PACKAGING ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN THIN WALLED PACKAGING
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK’s packaging specialist Kevin Heap explains how the El-Exis SP machines can produce thinner, lightweight packaging items, reducing both raw material waste and shipping costs
G
lobal forecasts for thin walled plastic containers is expected to reach USD
68.54 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.5% during 2018 to 2026 (according to research released by Research & Markets ). PE is projected to be the largest-growing segment during this forecast period. Light-weighting and consumer convenience are important factors in this expansion, with the combination of environmental pressures, improvements in recycle rates and high polymer prices placing increasing pressures on packaging manufacturers. Most companies operating in the
competitive arena produce millions of packaging containers every year. Volume, raw material waste and precision are fundamental to each company’s financial viability, with many facilities operating 20+ machines to meet supplier demand. To successfully succeed in the thin
walling arena, injection moulders need to examine every potential application to ensure that the selection of materials, machine and tooling give the optimum blend of speed, quality and consistency. The El-Exis SP range, available globally,
now comprises 10 machines, with a clamp force range of between 150 and 1,000 tons. Capable of delivering dry cycle times of
less than two seconds, the latest EL-Exis SP’s retain the title as the fastest injection
ROBOTIC HANDLING SOLUTION FOR READY-TO-EAT RICE
With the UK alone experiencing a 6% rise in the rice market over the past year, FEI Foods have chosen equipment from Holmach’s partners Jorgensen Engineering of Denmark and Lagarde Autoclaves of France for their new ready-to-eat rice production line. Working to tight deadlines and budget, the fully automated Jorgensen robotic handling solution takes
pouches running from high speed pouch fillers and arranges them into pocketed retort trays that are then piled into stacks. These are then automatically loaded into the autoclaves for Lagarde’s patented steam/air process. Simon Lewis, European managing director of FEI Foods, said: “FEI has worked with Holmach for nearly
20 years and we are very comfortable with Lagarde and Jorgensen as high technology partners for what has become the best ready to heat, pouched rice, on the market. We have the highest capacity manufacturing facilities of this type worldwide. The equipment will allow us to produce many different types of product with any type of packaging. Holmach has offered us good UK based process, technical and engineering support.” Lagarde’s process minimises water consumption whilst the steaming process gives fast heating with
perfect cooking to preserve colour, taste and texture. Once the rice has been steamed, it is cooled using showered water before being drained, and the pouches are unloaded by robots and sent down the line for packing. As part of the system, Jorgensen also supplied the pouch drying system, the conveyors and finally the
robotic palletiser, taking production from two different lines onto two different pallet stations. Using tracking systems throughout the process and specialist FDA compatible equipment on the autoclaves, FEI is able to supply their customers wherever they may be around the world. Holmach
www.holmach.co.uk 10 JUNE 2020 | PROCESS & CONTROL
moulding machine series for packaging manufacturers on the market today. Designed specifically to withstand the higher stresses and injection pressures that are so critical in achieving repeatability in thin walling, the range is aimed at high volume manufacturers of polymer products, including caps and closures, thin wall containers and lids. Central to this machine's fast cycle time
and 1000mm/s injection speeds is the hydraulic accumulator. This enables moulders to repeatedly produce even thinner lightweight packaging items, resulting in reductions in raw material, packaging waste and shipping costs. With the introduction of a new control
valve regulating the hydraulic pressure during the loading of the accumulator, the range now consumes up to 15% less energy than previous generations of El- Exis machines. This saving is dependent upon the packaging application, moulding
Kevin Heap, packaging specialist at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag
cycle time and process parameters. Being able to adjust the accumulator
charging to the injection pressure required for the exact moulding process not only lowers energy usage, but also reduces wear and tear on parts. Compression moulding – The method of
pressing material in a mould is quite a common industrial process, and is now being applied to the mass-production of polypropylene packaging applications. By applying injection compression techniques to stack moulds, packaging moulders can now reduce the wall thickness of containers and lids from 0.45mm to 0.35mm. This saves around 25% in raw polypropylene materials compared to the standard injection moulding process, while maintaining comparable mechanical properties. Again, El-Exis SP machines are used for this technique.
CASE STUDY EXAMPLE - AMARAY Last year, Amaray unveiled a fully automated In Mould Labelling (IML) production line featuring technology from Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, Waldorf Technik and Roth Werkzeugbau. The line features a ultra-high speed 580-tonne El-Exis SP, fitted with a multi-cavity 12+12 stack mould. Although there are several examples in
Europe of moulders using 8+8 stack moulds for producing IML margarine lids in high volumes, using a 12+12 stack mould means that Amaray is really pushing the packaging boundaries in thin walling. To create the flip-like hinged lid was
challenging as the tooling needed to accommodate varying depths of raw material. Unlike a single face tool, the polymer is injected in the centre between the two plates and has to be evenly distributed in all 24 cavities.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag
uk.sumitomo-shi-demag.eu
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