Sidel Introduces Advanced Quality Control Tech for PET Bottle Manufacturing

Sidel has introduced its latest innovation, IntelliAdjust, a cutting-edge technology aimed at enhancing quality control in PET bottle production. This smart bottle-blowing control system is designed to empower manufacturers to consistently produce high-quality PET bottles, ensuring uniform quality under various production conditions such as preform storage, workshop temperature, and relative humidity.

At the heart of IntelliAdjust is interferometric sensor technology, operating within a closed loop to achieve precise material distribution and maintain uniform production, even for bottles made from recycled PET (rPET). The system's in-line, autonomous bottle control and real-time digitized process adjustments contribute to optimal material distribution, ensuring a seamless production process.

When integrated with Sidel's Evo-On software suite, IntelliAdjust offers the aggregation of equipment data and dynamic analytics features. This integration enables historical and 24/7 real-time analysis, providing manufacturers with valuable insights into their production processes. Stéphane Menard, Product Manager for Blowing Care at Sidel, emphasized the user-friendly nature of this blowing solution, stating that it maximizes the number of marketable bottles by consistently ensuring high-quality control.

Menard elaborated that IntelliAdjust counteracts production line variations by employing algorithms to recognize measured thickness deviations. He mentioned that the system automatically corrects the heating and blowing parameters, ensuring a consistent quality level without any interruptions. This dynamic correction mechanism ensures that the system adapts to deviations in thickness measurements, thereby maintaining a high standard of quality during the production process.

As the industry witnesses an increasing demand for extreme lightweighting and higher rPET content, the blow molding process becomes more crucial. IntelliAdjust demonstrates its versatility by catering to a diverse range of PET preforms, including translucent, opaque, colored (non-TiO2), and virgin preforms with up to 100% rPET content. This adaptability proves beneficial for manufacturers looking to incorporate rPET, given the variability in material grades from multiple sources.

One of the system's notable features is its ability to secure perfect material distribution on the bottle, mitigating risks associated with resin variability. Sidel's IntelliAdjust presents manufacturers with an opportunity to fully optimize the carbon footprint of their PET packaging. This optimization is achieved not only through increased use of recycled material but also by facilitating lightweighting, contributing to more sustainable packaging solutions.

Operating at speeds of up to 90,000 bottles per hour, IntelliAdjust continuously compares thickness measurements with the expected material distribution. In the event of any deviation, the system automatically adjusts the process, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted production flow. The calibration-free system simplifies immediate start-ups after changeovers by automatically adapting sensor positioning and processes according to each recipe. Its high accuracy minimizes the need for additional manual laboratory controls, streamlining the overall production process and enhancing efficiency. Sidel's IntelliAdjust stands as a testament to the company's commitment to innovation, quality, and sustainability within the PET bottle manufacturing industry.