Packaging
OCME have recently installed a high speed Altair N70 wrap-around case packer at Icelandic Water Holding in Iceland
Monday 27. October 2008 - OCME, among the first companies in Europe to introduce the wrap-around system for packing products in the FMCG sector, have recently installed a high speed Altair N70 wrap-around case packer at Icelandic Water Holding in Iceland.
The machine is able to pack different sizes of square shaped PET bottles at a maximum speed of 70 cases/minute. The installation also includes a VEGA S50 shrinkwrapper which is able to wrap the cases produced on the Altair machine with film at a speed of up to 50 packs/minute
Icelandic Water Holding was established in April 2004 and is based in Reykjavik from where they control the exclusive commercial bottling rights to one of the worlds largest natural springs – the Ölfus Spring, in Thorlakshofn.
Ocme packaging machines were selected for the new factory having a capacity of one hundred million litres of water every year.
In order to guarantee high operating reliability and efficiency at such high production speeds, Ocme made some improvements to the design of their Altair range of machines. In fact, the design enhancements have resulted in a speed of up to 100 cases/min on Ocmes latest top model.
The first change was to double the blank feeding unit, which decreases the relative speed of the blank introduction. The double feeder helps to avoid the risk of blank misfeeds and, in the event of an emergency stop, allows the machine to end the cycle in 2-3 steps, so lessening the chance of fallen bottles.
One of the most critical stages in terms of the stability of the containers is where the group of bottles and the cardboard blank are coupled together. To reduce shocks and jolts at this critical point, a retractable plate has been added to ensure that the blank and the bottles are smoothly combined at the same speed.
Bottle selection is achieved by two sets of electronically controlled adjustable fingers. The first set of selection fingers works in conjunction with the second set of counter fingers which means that the machine reaches top speed in a gradual way. This feature helps to prevent fallen bottles, even when the machine is required to handle very unstable containers.
The standard blank magazine is positioned for easy access by the operator and, as an option, the capacity can be further increased and automated by adding a robot to pick the blanks directly from the pallet.
The series of Altair N 70-100 wrap-around packers includes models for 70, 80, 90 and 100 cases/minute and is characterised by the extensive use of brushless servo drives which greatly simplify size and format changeovers.
Cases produced on the Altair models are of optimum quality, thanks to the active flap closing devices, the programmable gluing system and the positive spring loaded case squaring and compression system.