technical window

01/2023

XTRA ROTARY STRETCH-BLOW SYSTEM IS GOOD FOR BIG BOTTLES TOO

SIPA’s revolutionary XTRA rotary stretch-blow molding machine series, renowned for high-speed, low-cost production of top-quality containers, has been extended upwards. XTRA BIG variants can blow bottles as large as 12 liters.

XTRA BIG machines are mainly aimed at production of big bottles for water or edible oil, as well as other sensitive products, with neck sizes up to 48mm. They can also make smaller bottles, if necessary. There are three models, with four, five, and six cavities. The smallest, XTRA BIG 4, can serve lines for 30-40,000 litres/hour, while with the largest, XTRA BIG 6, the number rises to 50,000 litres/hour.

All XTRA models combine features to maximise performance while cutting Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). They feature an extra-wide active process angle, reduced energy consumption, high flexibility and ease of use, as well as compatibility with other machines upstream and downstream.

The very wide process angle on XTRA machines facilitates production of bottles of excellent quality, even at high speeds. It makes it possible to apply high pressure air for longer, enabling extremely accurate production of containers – even the most complex ones.

XTRA BIG systems share many design features with their regular counterparts – machine layout, preform handling and active grippers are just about the same for example – but SIPA engineers have used finite element analysis (FEA) to create a new blowing press designed specifically for big bottles.

SIPA’s expertise in designing and producing SBM machines for big containers stretches over decades, during which time the number of development projects it has been involved in has surpassed 800. The new XTRA BIG rotary units take advantage of SIPA’s award-winning linear SFL BIG process competence, including simple preform handling and the specially-sized stretch system and blowing block.

XTRA BIG is a further demonstration of SIPA’s ability to set the benchmark in technologies for the production, filling and packaging of PET containers. “XTRA BIG is the result of years listening to what the market tells us, talking with customers, understanding new needs,” says Paolo De Nardi, SIPA’s Product Manager for stretch-blow molding machines.

SIPA’s expertise in large containers stretches extends well beyond bottle blowing machines of course, starting with preform design, development and injection molding, and going through to filling (and further). SIPA fillers provide state-of-the-art solutions for electronic filling for water, and weight filling for edible oils, with ATEX approvals for volatile chemicals and alcoholic liquids.

With the SincroBloc clean and compact combined blowing and filling unit, system integration enables bottling companies to avoid transportation of empty bottles and eliminates the need for rinsing. For several years now, SIPA has been offering both linear and rotary SincroBloc systems, for formats anywhere up to 12 liters. A SincroBloc incorporating an XTRA BIG and SIPA’s BigFill volumetric gravity-filling monobloc for formats from 5 to 12 liters has an hourly output capacity of 10,000 containers (5L size) and up to 6,000 containers in the very largest sizes (12L).