Unit reduces footprint and height for preform infeed

The compact, ground-level Sidel EasyFEED preform feeder features a modular approach. With the feeder, PET preforms are lifted from the hopper by an elevator column to a height of 2.5 meters. The preforms are then sorted and vertically driven into the bowl of a rotary unscrambler, positioned at the edge of a rotating table and transferred by their necks along the path. Still in a vertical position and supported by the neck flange, the preforms are moved onto a rail by a filtered airflow. The feeder can achieve speeds up to 82,000 bottles per hr and can be custom fit into a clockwise or counterclockwise layout, where the infeed is at 90 deg or 45 deg to the oven axis.