New unit offers closed-loop control for stretch blowmolding ops

At the recent Nova-Pack conference in Orlando, FL, Agr's COO Robert Cowden, and Fabio Chimetto, application group manager at Nestle Waters Europe, delivered a presentation detailing recent successes of Agr's Process Pilot closed-loop blowmolder management system. The Process Pilot control software is a real-time program that works in conjunction with Agr's PETWall Profiler measurement system to automate the management of a blowmolding machine. The program continuously monitors bottle material distribution data provided by the measurement system and automatically adjusts blowmolder settings to maintain optimal bottle distribution. The program can make multiple blowmolder parameter adjustments, simultaneously.

Crowden reported as of the conference, which was held Feb. 9-10 in Orlando, FL, Agr (Butler, PA) has an installed base of five Process Pilot systems operating on Sidel, Krones and KHS machinery as well as a production backlog of 17 units on order.  In his presentation, he showed a study that documented payback in approximately one year or less.

Nestle Waters already is using one of the new units in conjunction with a 21-sensor PETWall Profiler. The brand owner's Chimetto said the system is installed on his company's fastest blowmolding machine, a KHS Combi (Corpoplast), producing 43,500 1.5L San Pellegrino water bottles per hour. The system was installed in October 2009. Nestle reports the system has helped it reduce scrap, quality control costs and blowmolder maintenance. —[email protected]