energy consumption and machine uptime are the biggest variables in ROI, so they became our core development priorities. By zeroing in on these performance indicators and continuously refining every element that influenced them, we were able to break through innovation limitations.”
Towards the end of the testing programme a full injection profile linearity study was conducted by Bericap UK. This helped to distinguish the differences between the El-Exis and PAC-E to build up a portfolio of evidence as to why the PAC-E significantly benefitted the company’ s production strategy and provided proof of the benefits.
The PAC-E machines combine German manufacturing precision with advanced Japanese all-electric technologies to save caps and closures manufacturers over 50 % energy
hosted regular on-site reviews, bi-weekly development meetings and weekly technical calls. This continuous feedback loop allowed PAC-E to evolve through live production insights rather than lab-based testing.
The end result has changed the landscape of plastic packaging production for the benefit of all mass manufacturers, claims Sumitomo( SHI) Demag’ s UK & Ireland Managing Director Dave Raine. He expands:“ With Bericap’ s demanding production environment, we were able to analyse hundreds of application datasets, engage with mould makers and ultimately refine the machine to meet the precise production and user safety requirements.”
Ecological meets economical
Given the urgency of Net Zero and the emphasis on sustainable design, PAC-E drew upon its extensive allelectric expertise. Specifically, the all-electric direct drives designed by Japanese parent company Sumitomo Electric, served as a springboard to initiate faster machine developments for sectors
Customers are signalling that they want absolute certainty before they make a purchase decision.
traditionally served by hydraulic and hybrid machines, reports Dave Raine.
With an advanced model ready to market, PAC-E’ s functionality underwent months of live tests at Bericap UK. Production parameters such as cycle time stability, dosing consistency and thermal loading on the drives and spindles were just several of the focus areas. By the end of the testing programme, the collaborative team had generated all the production data required to prove that PAC-E consistently achieved speeds and energy savings once considered unattainable with all-electric injection moulding.
Sumitomo( SHI) Demag engineer Aaron Driver reflects:“ Cycle time,
One of the key highlights of this impartial study drew attention to the re-engineered motion system optimised for short-stroke, highprecision applications. Although the maximum injection speed is lower( 550 mm / s vs. 1000 mm / s), the dynamics are significantly higher. The result is sub-2-second cycle times, fast enough to support production of over 1 billion caps per year on machines running 24 / 7.
“ Customers are signalling that they want absolute certainty before they make a purchase decision. The development has to be mature, the performance excellent, the energy savings significant. PAC-E was co-developed with and for the customer and with this programme we have proven that PAC-E delivers on every count. In Bericap’ s case it made 500 million caps per annum, more than halved energy consumption, equating to a 1.5 year ROI,” states Dave.
Operations Director Chris Hood concludes:“ The level of cooperation and desire to succeed on this project was exceptional. The Sumitomo( SHI) Demag UK team went above and beyond in their availability and determination to take learnings from the installation and implement solutions and improvements. These can be seen on the final production machines installed by the Bericap Group.”
For further information, please visit www. sumitomo-shi-demag. co. uk | www. bericap. com
Issue 81 PECM 65