Sacmi is presenting its highest-performing preform-making injection press, the new IPS 400, to a key event in Dubai.
Sacmi
Meapet 2017 is a pivotal event for the MENA region and Sacmi will be bringing its IPS platform and range of services guaranteeing total quality control and close customer support throughout every stage of system design, testing and operation.
The worldwide PET processing market is enjoying double-figure growth in Africa and the Middle East, in parallel with the emergence of a new urban middle class and an ever-greater number of consumers. It is against this backdrop that the 18th edition of Meapet (February 21st-22nd 2017, Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach) will take place. Meapet, an international symposium on PET processing technology.
Sacmi is one of just a handful of competitors in the world to lead the way across a range of different industries and technologies. In recent years it developed a cutting-edge preform production platform that uses injection technology, first by designing the IPS 220 – which won immediate market acclaim on account of its user-friendliness and fast size changeover – then the new IPS 400 which combines the characteristics of the previous version with major design innovations (such as automated unloading of the preform in the post-cooling area) and, above all, unique versatility thanks to the solution's compatibility with most moulds on the market.
Illustrating the features and advantages of the IPS range at the Dubai symposium will be Riccardo Rubini, area manager for the CIS (Community of Independent States) and GCC (Gulf area) markets: his introduction will focus on the specific advantages of the new machine, which combines high productivity (lock-to-lock times of just 2.1 seconds) with superior preform quality (from the FIFO circuit in the plasticization unit to the above-mentioned system that directly unloads preforms in containers in the cooling area) and outstanding compatibility with existing moulds. This unique set of advantages ensures, as is Sacmi's policy, we are able to meet a broad range of investment and technological upgrade needs in the converter world.
An ambitious research and development plan to progressively upgrade and expand the IPS range will soon lead to the market launch of the new Sacmi IPS 300, an intermediate solution that merges all the productivity and versatility of the ‘big sister’ IPS 400 with the tried and tested user-friendliness and quick mould change of the popular IPS 220. Suitable for 72-cavity moulds – very common on the market – the solution is at an advanced stage of development and will be launched by Sacmi in 2018.
Moving on from a description of the advantages of using Sacmi moulds – especially as regards “hot runners solutions” which maximise IPS potential – the report will focus on another aspect that sets the Group aside from its competitors, namely the ability to work alongside customers right from the design stage (thanks to smooth synergy with Sacmi’s R&D facility) and provide them with close support throughout the machine or plant life-cycle with fast, efficient spare parts and assistance services.
Sacmi has also invested major resources in ensuring its machine technology is equipped with a complete range of quality control solutions. These include the PVS (preform vision system) system, an advanced solution developed by the Group's Automation & Inspection Systems Division that ensures total quality control of machine output and real-time monitoring of plant performance. Developed in several versions – to operate in line and at ultra-high speeds of up to 72,000 preforms/hour with moulding presses but also off-line or in the lab – the PVS uses a system of HD video cameras. Latest-generation software, instead, allows reproduction of 3D objects as 2D images, eliminating any potential distortion and thus cutting the number of false rejects (and false acceptances) to zero.
Modular and compact, the PVS solution also includes optional devices that allow standard controls to be extended with the aid of special devices for finely-targeted inspection of specific preform areas such as the body, using an exclusive, patented ‘grid’ method. Another 'added-value' aspect of Sacmi inspection solutions is that they can work in a fully integrated manner (as they share the CVS 3000 64-bit software, fully developed by Sacmi and installed on all solutions in the range); moreover, CVS3000 software also provides precious information on line efficiency, allowing monitoring of every stage of production and remote control from any PC, Smartphone or Tablet connected to the corporate network.