Increasingly high-performance products, built using comprehensive integrated technological solutions that provide all the quality and safety that modern industrial standards demand. This, then, is what Sacmi aims to present at Metpack 2017, the international metal packaging fair being held in Essen, Germany, from 2nd to 6th May 2017: a broad range of metal cap manufacturing machines and Quality Control Vision Systems.
Several solutions will be showcased at this three-yearly German fair, where more than 7,100 visitors from over 100 countries will have a great opportunity to see all the latest from Sacmi on a dedicated stand. Taking centre-stage will be the PTC 600, the latest technological gem for crown caps, a sector in which Sacmi has led the world for over 50 years. Launched in 2016, the PTC 600 provides, compared to its successful predecessor, 30% more productivity (6,000 caps per minute compared to the 4,500 attainable with the previous version). Not also that, thanks to integration with the vision system, correct centering of the decoration is guaranteed (margin of error, ≤0.04 mm).
Equipped with an intermittent brushless motor drive, the machine operates in line with the new PMC 600, the liner application solution redesigned by Sacmi to match the increased productivity of the PTC: it also offers improved process quality thanks to better, more linear cap handling inside the machine. Completing the crown cap range is the CCD, the cap embossing machine equipped to handle both decorated caps (with CVS Vision System to time embossing with decoration) and non-decorated caps.
Yet it is at product level that Sacmi is really pushing back the barriers in the industry. Updated market data on the diffusion of tall aluminium caps in the wine sector – which broke through the 4 billion cap sales barrier some time ago – have driven the company to transfer the technology for moulding PVC-free doses directly from the pellet to a special machine for such caps (PMH): compared to traditional cut-from-sheet discs, this offers enormous advantages in terms of raw material consumption optimisation. Like all SACMI solutions, this machine integrates a vision system from the CVS range that carries out quality control of not just the moulded liner but also - thanks to the CVS360 module - the decoration on the side wall and inner/outer bottom. The first company in the world to implement this technology in the wine industry, Sacmi successfully launched this solution 3 years ago, with high customer satisfaction ratings.
Meanwhile, as experts continue to debate the health risks caused by PVC in liners, Sacmi has moved on to deal with what is already a reality in many companies and which might soon be the subject of a specific standard. The Sacmi Group is, in fact, putting forward a PMA for the manufacture of twist-off caps. In this case too, the key innovation consists of developing liners with a defined annular profile by moulding a PVC-free dose directly from the pellet inside the cap, a food industry revolution that is still only in its infancy.
Moreover, systems for the manufacture of modern Maxi-P standard caps (with a practical tab to open the bottle) have been highly successful. In this field, Sacmi proposes the PMV machine for application of the liner and the RCM to mould and apply the plastic ring with the tab directly on the shell: a solution that combines practicality with great design.
Lastly, Sacmi will be showcasing the market's most complete range of Metal Packaging Vision Systems, developed by the Group's Automation & Inspection Systems Division. For example, the Sacmi stand will be exhibiting the all-new ULISSE, the name given to the innovative MVS 200A “all-in-one” system. This differs from previous systems in that the calculation unit is inserted directly in the image capture unit, eliminating the electrical control panel and the relative wiring. The technological heart of ULISSE is the patented Chrometriq illumination unit, proposed in several configurations. The basic set-up is for the inspection of can lids and can ends. A second configuration is suitable for the quality control of twist-off caps (this uses RGB and infrared light) while a third version (using RGB and ultraviolet light) is designed to inspect the outer side of easy-open lids: this also provides effective control of post-repair varnish.
This easy-to-install Sacmi-designed solution - which retains the machine's full calculation power, the characteristics of the illumination unit and the resolution of the image capture devices (up to 5 MP) - is flanked by a second solution, the MVS 210 A. The latter is designed to inspect beverage and aerosol lids with a diameter of up to 70 mm and is a more compact version that allows operation on two or more parallel lines. This solution allows manufacturers to identify any mineral oil residues, inspect the dimple and also inspect the rivet (thanks to a single ultra-HD video camera instead of the two that are needed with traditional systems).
Another all-new machine that will be on show at the fair is the DECOCAP 360-3D, the new inspection system for twist-off lid exteriors that employs 5 video cameras: one camera inspects the decoration from above and the other 4 examine the side walls. In this case too, Sacmi illumination unit and software allow perfect 2D reconstruction of the 3D object, eliminating any distortion that might stem from perspective, the shape of the lid or surface reflectiveness.
Completing the available solution set is ECLIPSIM, the metal sheet inspection system that allows inspection of lithographed and/or varnished sheets with a precision in the order of 0.1 mm. The patented Chrometriq illumination system is also used to inspect varnished sheets, thus minimising false rejects or false acceptances. With ECLIPSIM, Sacmi has extended the quality control concept across the entire can/cap component forming process, making us the perfect all-round partner for the metal graphics industry.