Technologies
Our experienced team of project managers is at your side as soon as the project starts and is in close contact with you and your team. You will get one main contact person out of project management, who will be your first contact for all technical questions over the whole project phase.
Among others project managers will customize with you line layouts, share details about needed floor loads, connections, consumables, lubricants etc. They discuss with you technical specifications and can give useful information about standard production organization and suppliers.
The Factory Acceptance Test will be organized and accompanied by them. After delivery of the line, they are responsible for the organization of the installation and commissioning teams. Finally, they will accompany the project through to the successful start of production and handover to the customer.
One contact for all questions coming up in this project ensures the success of the line project.
Moduls of the production line
A more detailed view into the complete lines shows that the line consists of three modules. In the Frontend the cylinder is produced either by Impact extrusion from a slug or by DWI using coil material. In the decoration the lacquers and the artwork are applied. In the Backend the can is necked to its final shape and washed.
Three customized accumulators, integrated in the line after the ovens, ensure non-stop production by synchronizing the line speed and emptying the preceding machine in the event of a machine stop.
Technologies in the Frontend to form a hollow cylinder
In our CMC Line Impact Extrusion is used to form the cylinder. An aluminium slug is lubricated, aligned and fed into the extrusion press. A punch which is connected to a high performance toggle lever system presses the slug into a die. The material is thus forced to flow backward along and against the direction of the punch and forms the cylinder with one single stroke. In the Draw and Wall Ironing process the aluminium or steel coil is transferred to a cupper where active tool elements that are attached to a toolholder produce several cups with one stroke. In a following bodymaker the cups are pushed through redraw- and ironing rings, reducing the wall-thickness and increasing the length of the cylinders. Also, in the bodymaker the bottom is preformed or gets its final shape.
In the next step the cylinder is trimmed burr-free to a specific length and brushed if necessary.
In preparation for the decoration the cylinder is cleaned from lubricant and dust in the washing and rinsing cabins of the washing machine. The nozzle injection system ensures optimum cleaning.
The cylinders are completely dried in the integrated oven.
Technologies to decorate a hollow cylinder
All our cans, tubes and bottles are coated inside to seal the cylinder and therefore avoid contact between filling and aluminium can. In the inside coating machine, a functional lacquer is applied by moveable spray lances. In the following oven the lacquer is hardened.
On the outside the cylinder receives a base coat which is important for the stain resistance and excellent print quality.
The printing unit, which can apply up to 9 colours, ensures the widest possible decoration variety for monoblock packaging’s. Dry-offset printing is a robust and highly economical technology working directly on the cylinder.
To protect the inks of the printer and to provide special effects like matt, semi matt, gloss or haptic an over varnish is applied to the cylinder.
Above the three decoration machines an oven is placed where lacquers and inks are hardened, to give them their perfect optical appearance and to make them resistant against environmental influences.
Technology in the Backend to neck and shape a hollow cylinder
The cylinder is necked and shapes by necking dies up to the final can or bottle design.
Processes as threading, curling, beading, registered embossing and debossing are used to create unique shapes and designs. The number of needed stations for the dies depends on the final design and on the used material for example aluminium, alloys or steel. There is also the possibility to implement quality control systems on the necker.
The Leak Detector, placed on the necker conveyor or as a stand-alone machine, finds micro holes in the can. An integrated photocell detects when rays of light fall into the cans. 100% of the produced can are checked and damaged cans are ejected.
If necessary, a postwasher can be integrated into the line. The cleaning can be done with or without detergents in the multiple chambers for washing and rinsing. The patented nozzle injection system ensures optimal cleaning up to food-grade standard.
A variety of different packing machines offer the packing in cartons or bundles or a palletizing of the cans.