Italian company Amut recently developed a thermoforming machine for rigid food packaging. This on-line production system (membrane co-extrusion and compound thermoforming) is designed for the production of polypropylene (PP) cups (single-layer transparent or triple-layer opaque, the core of which is made of recycled materials) with a production capacity of approximately 60,000 / Hour (calculated at 200 cubic centimeters/cup capacity). In addition, various PP cans and bowls (round or square dairy containers, depths of up to 120 mm, neat edges, suitable for automatic packaging processes) can also be produced.
The equipment can also process HIPS and CRPS, and even process PET, but the raw material dehumidification system needs to be set in the feed port of the extrusion section.
Viewed from outside, the equipment is a set of independent working systems, which mainly include raw material feeding and weighing and feeding systems.
Extrusion section includes:
AMUT single-screw extruder, EA100 series, equipped with a 35:1 length/diameter ratio plasticizing system, equipped with oil-operated two-way screen changer, gear pump and static mixer;
AMUT single screw co-extruder, EA48 series, equipped with a 33:1 length/diameter ratio plasticizing system, equipped with screen changer;
Three-layer co-extruded flow box with interchangeable feeders;
Horizontal flat die with internal melt adjustment rod, maximum effective width 900 mm;
Vertical three-roller calender and lead-out device, nominal width 1000 mm, used for calendering the extruded film and equipped with a separate thermostat; each calender roll speed and traction speed are independently controlled by the thermoforming system The diaphragm transmission system is managed at the same time.
The diaphragm is introduced into the temperature-controlled heating plate through the chain rail, and the chain rail (width adjustment and cooling) is controlled by a brushless motor.
Thermoform section includes:
Equipped with in-mold synchronous forming and cutting device, the use of the template tilt technology, easy to quickly stack the final product in multi-cavity production; effective molding / cutting area of ​​780 × 740 mm. When using PP, 22 to 23 cycles per minute are used, and 27 to 28 times when using PS; the tilting process of the lever system is controlled by the cams fixed on the four rigid columns; the entire system has a solid structure and ensures absolute accuracy. Sex, no vibration in the work cycle; the final plug-in movement is controlled electrically.
Pneumatic stacking and ejector devices push the thermoformed product through separate channels, and the thermoformed part is transported by the conveyor belt to the next processing stage, namely: line edge molding (plastic cups), offset printing and on-line packaging (stacker According to cavity structure configuration).
Diaphragm bobbin on-line grinding device is installed after the thermoforming machine; relevant transfer system is configured to transfer the recycled billet to the extrusion system.
The device can also be equipped with AMUT's new edge forming machine, designed specifically for PP products, equipped with thermostat screws and automatic packaging machines. The entire production line's electronic control system (PLC) is centralized in the main distribution box and is connected to two central operating consoles. Among them, one set is mounted on the calender frame of the extrusion section and the other set is mounted on the thermoforming machine.
The advantages of on-line extrusion and composite thermoforming systems are:
When a lighter product is produced, the output rate is high, and the extruded sheet can be thermoformed quickly and uniformly to create the best conditions for the subsequent molding process.
Energy savings, because there is no need to curl the sheet after cooling, and it is not necessary to reheat the sheet before the thermoforming process.
The operation process is simple, easy to monitor the process, and the labor cost is low (in the production process, the entire production line requires only one operator).
The use of thin sheets ensures the best quality of thermoformed products.
The scrap is recycled online to avoid contamination by non-uniform materials.
Reduce the overall size of the entire production facility in the plant.