Ferrarelle SpA – A ‘Single Format’ Line of 40,000 bph
Ferrarelle SpA, one of the most important Italian mineral water bottlers, confirmed its trust in Parma-based ACMI for the construction of an innovative PET line of 40,000 bottles per hour. The line was installed in the Riardo plant, in the province of Caserta (Italy), and is dedicated to the production of the famous 1.5 litre bottle of naturally sparkling water.
Fenix shrink wrapper with automatic reel changeover.
The first aspect that immediately catches your eye when visiting the line is the absence of the labeller that has been incorporated into the blowing-filling block, the only item not supplied by ACMI. Thanks to this choice, the line is extremely clean and compact. A double accumulating table separates the filling block from the so-called ‘dry’ part of the line.
Fenix 275 Shrink Wrapper
Following this, the bottles reach the Fenix 275 model two lane shrink wrapper equipped with the feeder of the promotional coupons and with the automatic film changeover device. The two reels with the shrink wrap film are housed in a functional and ergonomic external box. The machine, which reaches a maximum speed of 150 packs per minute, is able to switch from the finished reel to the new one in a time of about 10 seconds, thus guaranteeing a very high level of efficiency.
Another important aspect, before moving to the next machine, is represented by the shrink wrapper infeed system. This has been achieved with an inclination of 30 degrees and with an automatic excess bottle recirculation system. This implies a fluidity of movement that contributes to minimizing, if not eliminating, any downtime.
Twisterbox layer formation system.
The handle applicator installed at Ferrarelle is a two lane Viper model with an electromechanical spacing system which does not use spacing screws. This has a number of advantages including a reduction of the occupied space, the elimination of rubbing on the packs and the high speed in the format changeover that is considerably simplified.
At the handle applicator outfeed the packs are conveyed to a higher level thanks to a two lane spiral elevator. At this point of the line you find the palletisation system consisting of the Twisterbox and the Faster.
The Twisterbox
The Twisterbox, the most famous layer formation system, has been equipped at the Ferrarelle plant with 3 gripping modules to reach a high level of speed. Once the layer has been formed, it is transferred to the Faster platform, a palletiser with ‘high level’ product loading able to reach very high accuracy even with unstable and delicate packs.
Rocket pallet stretch wrapper with electronic prestretching system.
The complete pallet thus reaches the Rocket model rotating pallet stretch wrapper. This stretch wrapper is very innovative and comprises the SCARA type robotic technology. This high performance stretch wrapper, which mounts a 1,000 mm reel, can be inserted into any bottling line thanks to its versatility and reduced dimensions. One of the most interesting aspects of this stretch wrapper is probably the electronic pre-stretching system designed by ACMI. Thanks to this system, it is possible to pre-stretch the film to a maximum tolerable value of the film itself of over 400%.
It is also possible to fully customise the wrapping cycle so as to obtain the best wrapping possible in any condition and with any product. The Rocket stretch wrapper installed at Ferrarelle reaches a maximum speed of 130 pallets per hour and it is equipped with a top cover dispenser to allow better insulation of the product.
Finally, it must be emphasised that this new single format line was installed next to a previous ACMI supply of a multiformat ‘compact’ line with a production of 40,000 b/h. Thanks to the careful study of the layout along with the design of the ACMI machines, many of the components of the two lines can be managed, if necessary, even by a single operator.
