OPEN DOORS DAYS

On weeks 21^st and 22^nd at WM Wrapping Machinery Sa headquarters in Stabio (Switzerland) took place the “Open Doors” days with the presentation of different thermoforming lines and demonstrations of the thermoforming machines in working conditions.

The visitors could see three different transformation technologies.

A FT 900 plant, simultaneous form and cut machine with lower tilting platen and stacking system by rotating plate. This machine has a forming area of 880×520 mm and was presented with a 57 cavities mould for the production of a conical polypropylene container 68 mm diameter.

Thanks to the rotating stacking system RS9 (RotoStack) the pieces are stacked in a dedicated frame and then evacuated, pile by pile, on the conveyor belt which provides to the transport of the products outside the machine for the following packaging operations.

The second plant object of the demonstration was the model FC 780 E IM2 Speedmaster Plus, a 3 station vacuum-pressure thermoforming machine, having a forming area of 780×570 mm.

The machine is composed by a first station, which can form and cut directly in the mould using a steel rule die, a second cutting station with steel rule die and finally a stacking group with a three axes robot which provides to the counting and subsequently to the removal of the stacked products on the conveyor belt.

The machine has been shown in working conditions with a 48 cavities mould for the production of polystyrene lids of 71 mm diameter. The lids are formed in the first station, while the perimetral cut is done in the second station by means of hot die. During the cutting phase, on the perimeter of the lids are left some “witnesses”, which kept the pieces on the sheet to make it possible the transport to the third station, where a motorized system provides to separate the lids from the scraps and then stack and count the pieces until the following evacuation on the conveyor belt.

To close, the guests could assist at the presentation of a complete “in-line” plant model INTEC FT 500. It consist in a real production island, which goes from the raw material in granules, dosed and fed to an extruder that provides at the creation of the sheet. The sheet is then fed directly in line into the thermoforming machine (simultaneous form-cut machine) with lower tilting platen and thanks to the rotating stacking system, the final products are counted and evacuated in only one row for the following packaging operations.

The line was presented with a 22 cavities mould for the production of a propylene yogurt container with a diameter of 75 mm.

The “in line” production system is suitable for the medium-high intensity productions, it allows a considerable space saving, energy saving and a reduction of the personnel needed to manage the production.

Moreover, going directly from the extrusion of the sheet to the thermoforming of the final products, it is avoided any form of corruption, the winding of the material is not necessary, allowing a great space and time saving. The scrap is grinded and recycled directly thanks to a conveyance system that send it back to the dosing-feeding unit positioned over the extrusion group.

The demonstration has been highly appreciated from the many customers who could come and see directly the difference between the process technologies proposed by the Swiss company and they could also appreciate the quality and reliability of the plants which represent the technology state of the art in the thermoforming field.