Made-to-measure Format Change­overs For Inspection Units In Bottling Plants

When the operating managers of major breweries present their state-of-the-art bottling plant, they wash a large number of bottles very quickly. The visitor is amazed as these fragile vessels are propelled through the machine. However, an experienced manager knows the importance of speed when the bottles are not moving. This machine is designed so that changeover downtime is no longer significant and changeover precision does not vary. The plant can afford more frequent changeovers and support a more flexible operation. The example of bottle inspection machines makes this particularly clear.

Machines for inspecting empty bottles, such as the Linatronic 735 made by the bottling specialist Krones AG, monitor washed reusable bottles for dirt and damage. A reliable standard of bottle washing quality within the bottling plant translates directly into greater safety for the consumer – reusing bottles should not mean compromising on the hygiene and proper condition of the bottles! At the same time, this requires a high level of flexibility as the bottle inspector must be capable of monitoring a wide range of bottle formats. For the operating manager, a hygienic design that can be adjusted automatically at the touch of a button to different bottle types equates to reproducibility and efficiency!

These positioning systems are responsible for executing every format change to the next type of edge banding precisely and quickly. In practice, the machine operator simply inserts the new edge banding and enters the correct width measurement into the control panel. The mitre saw, the slitting knife and other tools move to the new horizontal and vertical positions in just a few seconds.

The machines never cease to amaze Magnus Becherer. “It is fascinating to see how such a large and powerful machine can operate with such extraordinary precision! For example, this HOMAG machine has been in operation here every day for over ten years without any unscheduled stoppages or significant problems. The PSE positioning systems from halstrup-walcher, in particular, are utterly reliable. These are the hard-working field components, which are the key to automating the machinery! Obviously, it is vital for us to avoid rejects and mistakes because the edge banding is often applied to parts that have already been processed using sophisticated and expensive techniques. However, we know that with HOMAG – and therefore also with halstrup-walcher – we are in the best hands!”