Plastics News Europe - November/December 2019 - 12

BLOW MOULDING

➡ Continued from page 11
Photos: Caroline Seidel

Sacmi sets its
sights on a
sustainable,
high-tech future

Caps from compostable compounds

Photo: Caroline Seidel

ersatile, reusable and suitable
for all kinds of industrial packaging, PET is pivotal to the
plastics industry. And Italian machinery maker Sacmi Imola S.C. has its
sights set on giving the material a second life, write Plastics News reporters
Audrey LaForest and Catherine Kavanaugh.
The company developed an injection preform system (IPS) that can
make 100 percent recycled PET preforms and use recycled PET flakes in
quantities up to 50 percent using
standard machines and hot runners.
Sacmi has two versions of the system: the IPS220 and IPS400 with 96
and 128 cavities, respectively, that offer fast changeovers for flexibility. The
larger version is also compatible with
most resins.
The company is also developing a
300-metric-ton machine that will be
delivered by the end of 2020, according to Iacopo Bianconcini, Sacmi's
marketing manager who also handles
business development for the closures, containers and PET division.
At K, Sacmi showed the 220-tonne
IPS platform. The machine is producing PET preforms for bottled water
using 40 percent flakes and 60 percent virgin PET.
Sacmi said the advancement represents another revolution for an industry "almost exclusively" focused
on lightweighting until promoting
the circular economy became a coordinated effort.
With members of the European
Parliament voting in favour of proposals to curb plastic waste and pollution and increase recyclability efforts, companies including Sacmi
have had to strategise.

Caps in Sacmi's signature red colour. Inset:
Iacopo Bianconcini, marketing manager, Sacmi

"This is having, and will have, a
huge impact across all departments in
the Sacmi packaging business unit
from material development to processing and technology," Bianconcini
said in emailed responses before the
K show. "For instance, we are focusing on a major shift toward PET, so
Sacmi is developing a comprehensive
approach to this material."
Bianconcini said the company has
helped its customers reduce their environmental impact by developing
technology that cuts the amount of
virgin resin required in the process.
Other efforts include using more recyclable raw materials and reducing
capsule, preform and container
weight, which also reduces material
consumption.
To help the industry transition to
what the company calls a "zero-impact future," Sacmi has intensified its
attention on complete recycling as
called for by the circular economy
and a European proposal to mandate
tethered caps on bottles.
"There is another piece of legislation that is heavily impacting Sacmi's
business: the one stating that from
2024 onward, plastic closures must
remain attached to single-use plastic
beverage containers," Bianconcini
said. "Remember, over 40 percent of
beverage flat-top plastic closures are
produced with Sacmi compression
technology worldwide. So, we're developing - both independently and
with our partners in the supply chain
- a set of tethered solutions."
In addition, at K, Sacmi presented
a new version of its computer vision
software, CVS3000, that applies artificial intelligence and deep learning
to perform tasks that "previously
proved to be impossible or, at least,
very challenging with traditional algorithms," Bianconcini said.
Sacmi showed the patented control system on its PVS10L, an offline
inspection machine for PET platforms.
PVS10 has 12 cameras and can inspect the entire preform from top to

bottom. With the
latest CVS3000, the
application uses polarised light and
advanced AI algorithms to identify
abnormal stress on preforms. The system replaces traditional sampling
checks, which are performed manually on test benches, with an automated control system.
The system can also quickly "selflearn" the required checks, the company said, and the operator can work directly on the line without having to set
up the inspections manually. The goal is
to improve quality control and maximise line efficiency by objectively identifying the type and origin of a problem.
All of Sacmi's equipment uses the
same CVS3000 software platform, so
trained operators can manage all of
the equipment in a manufacturing
plant even if it is set up to inspect different products. CVS3000 can also be
internet-linked to share statistics,
alarms and any other information
concerning the vision system or production line, Bianconcini said.
"Artificial intelligence is the future
of IT," he said. "It lets manufacturers
solve problems that would be impossible to overcome with traditional
algorithms."

Partners take
recycled PET
flake to foodgrade preforms

talian stretch blowing moulding
machine maker Sipa SpA has partnered with Austrian recycling machine maker Erema Group GmbH to
develop a way to use 100% recycled
PET flake to produce preforms approved for food contact.
Called Xtreme Renew, the system
allows preforms for PET bottles to be
made entirely from post-consumer
waste in a single heat cycle, which
officials of Vittorio Veneto-based Sipa
say is better for the environment and
business.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

Plastics News Europe - November/December 2019

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