Cardboard connects
The KHS Innopack Kisters Advanced series stands for maximum flexibility and efficiency, ease of operation and cutting-edge automation technology. KHS has now added a further sustainable packaging option to its machine series – the resource-conserving cardboard BottleClip Carrier – that turns PET bottles into stable packs.
To effectively cater for the complex demands of the beverage market made of packaging, the Dortmund systems supplier offers its customers a future-proof system in the form of the KHS Innopack Kisters Advanced series that’s universally flexible and features a high degree of automation.
New packaging option
One example of this is the KHS Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced. This tried-and-tested machine packs beverage cans and PET and glass bottles on trays and pads and in film – and with immediate effect can also turn PET bottles into sustainable multipacks using the new BottleClip Carrier. Here, users can switch between pack sizes of two, four, six or eight bottles or opt for variety packs.
“The resource-conserving BottleClip Carrier is highly relevant for our customers, especially in view of rising global costs for energy and raw materials.”
Team leader of Custom Design, KHS competence center in Kleve, Germany
Operators also enjoy full flexibility when it comes to the choice of container. BottleClip Carrier is ideal for PET bottles made either of virgin PET or of up to 100% recyclate. Lightweight containers can also be processed. Up to 4,800 packs an hour sporting the alternative cardboard carrier version can be produced.
Future-proof alternative
BottleClip Carrier is a future-proof alternative to conventional handle variants made of plastic that are subject to increasing regulation the world over. “Lots of countries already have strict quotas in place governing recycling and the use of recyclate,” says Johannes Look, team leader of Custom Design at the KHS competence center in Kleve, Germany. “Some states even impose a total ban on certain types of packaging such as plastic carrying rings.”
A rotating application wheel in continuous operation clips the perfectly positioned cardboard carrier onto the PET bottle caps.
During application, the pre-punched and folded tabs are erected and hooked under the ring on the bottle neck.
OUR VIDEO SHOWS
how the cardboard BottleClip Carrier module on the Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced turns PET bottles into multipacks.
Energy-efficient application
Compared to standard plastic solutions, application of the BottleClip Carrier is also convincing as it saves on energy. Here, the cardboard is clipped onto the PET bottles by a rotating application wheel in continuous operation, with the pack no longer having to be heated in a shrink tunnel. “This is highly relevant for our customers, especially in view of rising global costs for energy and raw materials,” Look emphasizes.
This undoubtedly explains why international demand for plastic-free packaging alternatives like BottleClip Carrier has risen steeply over the last few years. As a result, the first KHS Innopack Kisters TSP Advanced with the new option is to be supplied to the USA in the middle of this year.
With this logical expansion of its packaging portfolio, KHS gives users vast flexibility, from BottleClip Carrier through paper wrappers to wrap-around packs with rounded corners.
Simple operation
The newly developed module is available for all standard new machines in the Advanced series. In addition, where certain technical requirements are met, existing machines can be converted to include this feature. Bottling plants can then quickly and flexibly switch between the various packaging varieties according to demand, with operator-prompted format changeovers taking only a few minutes to complete.
The partly automated tool changeovers that the experts at KHS have designed to be particularly ergonomic also lighten the load on personnel. Look outlines the process: “The packer travels to an ergonomic position independently, allowing the operator to change the snap-closure tools with just a few manual adjustments.” KHS has attached equally great importance to ease of operation in the blanks loading process, with the operator placing these into the magazine without having to bend, thus proving gentle to backs. Once the packaging machine has been filled, it sets itself up automatically and production starts.
