SIPA is introducing an all-new PET rotary stretch-blow molding machine at Drinktec. It’s called XTRA and it combines an evolution in technology with a revolution in productivity. No other machine on the market today is as fast.
In XTRA, SIPA set out to create a new production platform to o.er the highest performance possible with the lowest energy consumption. And it succeeded. XTRA produces more bottles per hour per cavity than any other blow molding machine in its segment – 2550 BHC, to be precise – with the best TCO (Total Cost of Operation) around.
MUCH HIGHER OUTPUT
This is thanks in part to an active process angle of 200 degrees – some 15% wider than the industry average – that allows for stress-free blowing at high speed.
The extra blowing time that this wide angle offers also means that it is easier to produce containers with complex shapes. Even at top speed, there is 0.8 of a second available to apply the active high-pressure blowing air.
“With this new design, bottle makers can increase their production speeds without compromising on quality,” says Paolo
De Nardi, Product Manager SBM at SIPA. “They also have the option of maintaining their productivity using a machine
with fewer cavities than before, saving on investment costs and also on the time it takes to change formats.”
MUCH LESS ENERGY
Production of each bottle requires 25% less energy on the XTRA, than previous SFR. The heating ovens have been designed to be particularly frugal, even in production of bottles with complicated geometries. Plus, the new blowing block keeps the dead air volume to a minimum and the system for recovering air for pre- and intermediate -blow
allows for improved overall air management.
Th e new system can produce high quality bottles of any size between 0.2 and 3.5 liters, using the same blowing press, in a wide range of formats for various applications. Now it is even easier to integrate upstream and downstream in the creation of complete bottle production and filling lines, featuring XTREME RENEW or different flling line technology.
EASE OF OPERATION
On top of that, XTRA has an innovative interface that makes it very easy to operate. “Accessibility is the order of the day,” says Paolo De Nardi. “We have developed an HMI that is particularly intuitive, so that the operator can adjust important parameters quickly and safely. Guidance on maintenance procedures is also especially clear.”
User-friendliness also features in product changeovers. XTRA is fitted with a rapid mold change system that is easy to access and requires no tools at all. This machine includes also an integrated high-speed neck changeover solution.
VERSATILITY
One of the distinctive elements of XTRA is its flexibility. It can for example produce bottles for hot and cold fill, with simple blow mold change, without any reduction of performance or any major changes to the system. The oven can be configured to accommodate different sizes of neck (28/38 mm). T e clamp on the blowing station has two opening
strokes: a short one for bottles of up to 1.5 L, and a longer one for bottles up to 3.5 L. This makes it possible to obtain the best cycle times, whatever the size of bottle being produced.
OPEN ARCHITECTURE
XTRA is based on a technological architecture which renders it completely open. This means that it can for example
be fully integrated with SIPA’s XTREME injection-compression preform production system to create a complete
pellet-to-bottle ICSBM system that operates with minimal energy consumption and maximum efficiency.
SAFE HANDLING
XTRA is fast and it is lean, but it is also kind. SIPA’s engineering specialists have optimized all the mechanical movements inside the machine to ensure a solid, but gentle and safe handling of preforms and bottles. The use
of “active” grippers provides for gentle handling of the preform necks, while the latest generation of electrically driven stretch rods helps optimize distribution of material along the bottle. SIPA plans to roll out a full range of XTRA in the coming months.
In XTRA, SIPA set out to create a new production platform to o.er the highest performance possible with the lowest energy consumption. And it succeeded. XTRA produces more bottles per hour per cavity than any other blow molding machine in its segment – 2550 BHC, to be precise – with the best TCO (Total Cost of Operation) around.
MUCH HIGHER OUTPUT
This is thanks in part to an active process angle of 200 degrees – some 15% wider than the industry average – that allows for stress-free blowing at high speed.
The extra blowing time that this wide angle offers also means that it is easier to produce containers with complex shapes. Even at top speed, there is 0.8 of a second available to apply the active high-pressure blowing air.
“With this new design, bottle makers can increase their production speeds without compromising on quality,” says Paolo
De Nardi, Product Manager SBM at SIPA. “They also have the option of maintaining their productivity using a machine
with fewer cavities than before, saving on investment costs and also on the time it takes to change formats.”
MUCH LESS ENERGY
Production of each bottle requires 25% less energy on the XTRA, than previous SFR. The heating ovens have been designed to be particularly frugal, even in production of bottles with complicated geometries. Plus, the new blowing block keeps the dead air volume to a minimum and the system for recovering air for pre- and intermediate -blow
allows for improved overall air management.
Th e new system can produce high quality bottles of any size between 0.2 and 3.5 liters, using the same blowing press, in a wide range of formats for various applications. Now it is even easier to integrate upstream and downstream in the creation of complete bottle production and filling lines, featuring XTREME RENEW or different flling line technology.
EASE OF OPERATION
On top of that, XTRA has an innovative interface that makes it very easy to operate. “Accessibility is the order of the day,” says Paolo De Nardi. “We have developed an HMI that is particularly intuitive, so that the operator can adjust important parameters quickly and safely. Guidance on maintenance procedures is also especially clear.”
User-friendliness also features in product changeovers. XTRA is fitted with a rapid mold change system that is easy to access and requires no tools at all. This machine includes also an integrated high-speed neck changeover solution.
VERSATILITY
One of the distinctive elements of XTRA is its flexibility. It can for example produce bottles for hot and cold fill, with simple blow mold change, without any reduction of performance or any major changes to the system. The oven can be configured to accommodate different sizes of neck (28/38 mm). T e clamp on the blowing station has two opening
strokes: a short one for bottles of up to 1.5 L, and a longer one for bottles up to 3.5 L. This makes it possible to obtain the best cycle times, whatever the size of bottle being produced.
OPEN ARCHITECTURE
XTRA is based on a technological architecture which renders it completely open. This means that it can for example
be fully integrated with SIPA’s XTREME injection-compression preform production system to create a complete
pellet-to-bottle ICSBM system that operates with minimal energy consumption and maximum efficiency.
SAFE HANDLING
XTRA is fast and it is lean, but it is also kind. SIPA’s engineering specialists have optimized all the mechanical movements inside the machine to ensure a solid, but gentle and safe handling of preforms and bottles. The use
of “active” grippers provides for gentle handling of the preform necks, while the latest generation of electrically driven stretch rods helps optimize distribution of material along the bottle. SIPA plans to roll out a full range of XTRA in the coming months.