Plastics News Europe - November/December 2019 - 22

blow moulding

➡ Continued from page 21
Specifically, this group is made up of 32 companies that
work closely with each other, all located within a geographically defined area, which therefore enables a continuous and simple monitoring of operations.
The synergy generated through this interaction between industrial partners - all of whom are highly specialised in their own sector of activity - results in a process that is extremely flexible, but with significantly lower
fixed costs and a high quality standard. Moreover, this
cooperative approach ensures that all partner companies
are continuously updated on the new technological solutions being developed and applied in automatic machines, which in turn enhances the quality and efficiency
of our machinery.
What are the current latest / hottest trends in
blow-moulding technology?
The use of fully electric machines is certainly one very important trend in the short and medium term.
This is a partially consolidated technology, having been
introduced to the market a decade ago. However, the rapid developments in technology and electronics still offer
room for significant improvements to be made, leading,
for example, to a lower energy consumption of the machines and easier operation.
To date, many converters and end users still have a significant number of hydraulic machines that will need to be
replaced by more modern machines.
Another current trend is the use of highly flexible machines for various types of raw materials, in particular
PCRs (post-consumer resins), as these are materials that
will have to be used in much higher percentages in the
future.
Not all machines have extrusion screws suitable to
maintain a stable process with these materials.
In addition, there are the new bio-materials that are
currently under development or being experimented with
that will not only certainly reach the market in the coming
years but will become a mandatory choice for bottle producers.
Machines today must offer the users the ability to
change formats quickly so that production efficiency and
reconfiguration flexibility for different applications are not
impacted.
They must be simple to use, with the latest generation
of intuitive HMIs that allow dialogue and the monitoring
of production data, offering reliable technical solutions
that guarantee perfect operation for years at the lowest
possible energy level and with maximum efficiency.

AlphaMAC technology incorporates the latest-generation components
and features smart functions

We are currently working on various new concepts for
application in future machines, which, for confidentiality
reasons or in light of the patent validation processes in
progress, we can obviously not talk about in detail.
However, some of the interesting points currently being
developed by AlphaMAC are:
* Advanced software solutions that facilitate the operator
dialogue with the machine thanks to self-learning solutions, tutorial guides for set-up and a simpler and faster
start-up of production;
* New mechatronic systems used for the movement of
the shuttles. The system aims to eliminate maintenance
and enables the length of the movement of the shuttle to
be varied according to the user's needs;
* Innovative programming for the parison profile. The
HMI allows for the 3D modelling of the container, enabling more precise thicknesses in a much faster time. We
also have introduced a function that allows dialogue with
the parison cutting system to further facilitate its programming;
* Predictive maintenance technology to ward off potential
disruptions and to eliminate untimely machinery downtime events. This will keep the overall production efficiency
at the highest level possible;
* New construction materials to reduce the weight of the
closing units and to reduce energy consumption during
the cooling of the moulds.

What game-changing technologies is AlphaMAC
working on or presenting to the market?
At our company, excellence and innovation will continue
to be driven by the continuous introduction of new people
from different sectors of activity.
This will reinforce the "contamination of ideas" concept that we have embraced - and that enables us to propose solutions to the market that are always different,
setting us apart from the rest.

The industry is hard pressed to supply recycledcontent products. How has AlphaMAC responded to
this new but fast-growing trend? Can you give us
examples of technologies developed for this
purpose?
We put a lot of effort into considering all the most recent
regulations concerning raw materials, continuously updat-

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