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Bottling built for the future

When this Pennsylvania beverage marketer installed a new line for PET bottles, great care was taken that the equipment be capable of handling multiple package varieties. See in-plant video

The 128-valve filler handles 20-oz bottles at 1,000/min.
The 128-valve filler handles 20-oz bottles at 1,000/min.

Convinced that the bottled water category will continue to grow briskly for some years to come, Global Beverage Systems of Latrobe, PA, has installed new plastic-bottle filling and packaging equipment that will permit the firm to take full advantage of this trend. Line 2 is especially impressive for its unusual blend of speed and versatility. Operations manager Tim Lippke puts it this way.

“When multiple package sizes are the goal, there are two theories of packaging. Go with multiple small lines that are dedicated to one size, thus minimizing or eliminating changeovers. Or install one large line that can be changed over rapidly. We’re going with one large line that can be changed rapidly.”

“Large” is indeed the operative word when it comes to the 128-valve counter-pressure filler, a Eurostar 2000 from Sig-Simonazzi (Plano, TX).

“Our doorway is 20 feet wide, and we had to strip some parts off the filler to squeeze it through that doorway,” says Lippke. “It’s one of the largest liquid fillers ever made. On our 20-oz bottles, we’ll run 1ꯠ bottles per minute without even breaking a sweat.”

Though GBS’s lineup of LeNature’s brand products lineup includes iced teas, fruit juices, and flavored water in several sizes, Line 2 is dedicated to Mountain Pure Ice Water. Currently, a 20-oz size is in production; soon to follow is a 1-L size. Both have the same 28-mm neck finish. But knowing how fickle the marketplace can be—and how quickly a new bottle size or neck finish can become a part of the packaging mix—GBS engineers designed the line to handle a variety of bottle neck diameters. In fact, versatility is the hallmark of the line.

A good example is the air conveyor on which PET bottles enter the line. It’s controlled by a programmable logic controller. At a human/ machine interface panel, workers select a preprogrammed neck finish size of 28-, 33-, or 43-mm, and the PLC signals pneumatic cylinders all along the air conveyor to move in or out to fit that size (see sidebar for more on the line’s conveying connections and controls integration).

Specialized capping

Capping and cap feeding are special, too, so that three different cap sizes can be accommodated. The system was built by Zalkin, represented in the United States by Fowler Products (Athens, GA). Three different cap hoppers, each perched on its own stainless steel stand, are clustered above the capper. Chutes unique to each cap size lead from their respective hoppers into the capper. The capper itself has three different sets of chucks. Lippke says the design spec calls for a changeover time of 90 minutes when going from one cap size to another.

The labeler, an Alpha Quattro Combi from Sig-Simonazzi, is another piece of equipment on the line that is custom-built for maximum versatility. It applies cut paper labels, but what makes it unusual is that it handles either cold-glue front-and-back labels or hot melt-applied wraparound labels. So far, only the latter is being applied. But like the capping system, the labeler stands ready to perform a different task if marketplace needs dictate.

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Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!
At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, you’ll see machinery in action and new tech from 2,300 suppliers, collaborate with experts and explore transformative solutions. Join us this September to experience a breakthrough in packaging and processing.
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Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in packaging & processing!