INNOVATION

A BETTER MATCH

CONSISTENTLY HIGH PET

BOTTLE QUALITY WITH
THE INTELLIBLOWER
The look and feel of the bottle is what ultimately
affects how your customers perceive your brand.
Thats why Sidel Matrix blowers strive to create the
very highest PET bottle quality and performance. The
Intelliblower is leading the way in blow moulding
performance with its unique and patented blowing
process control and self-regulation.
Until recently, PET bottle blowing quality control involved
frequent sampling and laboratory testing of bottles followed
by manual process adjustments. As any manufacturer will
confirm, this lengthy process considerably reduces line efficiency because a certain quantity of out-of-tolerance bottles
could be produced anyway. Moreover, as bottles get lighter,
the blow moulding process has become increasingly important
as poor or irregular material distribution negatively affects
quality on the entire production line and can even lead to
total production shutdown. With the Intelliblower, the Sidel
self-regulation blowing system, bottle quality and strength
are consistent regardless of bottle weight. This gives producers
peace of mind that their brand will appear exactly as intended
on the shelves at the store.
Uniformly high quality
The pre-blow phase parameters strongly impact final material distribution. By controlling them instead of just focusing
on heating regulation, the Sidel Intelliblower has a stronger
impact on production uniformity and packaging quality.
The system is self-regulating and blowing processes automatically adapt to maintain an even material distribution
with only minor variation.
The machine automatically detects and corrects process
deviations on the bottle being blown so each milligram of
PET is correctly allocated on the bottle shape. With control
at this level, the material is optimally and cost-efficiently used.
Not only does the Intelliblower reduce waste, but when
combined with packaging expertise and process capability, it
also offers great PET lightweighting potential, even with
recycled PET.

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With Intelliblower, the standard deviation of

material distribution between the different
blowing stations can be halved compared with the process
performance of a machine with no self-regulation system.

WITH INTELLIBLOWER

WITHOUT INTELLIBLOWER

The pre-blow phase parameters are self-monitored to ensure good material distribution and the packaging quality.

A responsive regulation
On a traditional production line, deviations of material distribution on the bottles are often caused by the wrong blowing
pressure in an individual blowing station; through incorrect
component calibration; or because of wear and tear on mechanical components. The Sidel self-regulation system
avoids these deviations by analysing and controlling the
blowing curve on each individual bottle. This leads to accurate and consistent distribution with a closed loop on each
blowing curve, and adjustment of precise critical points during
the pre-blow phase. This process regulation is managed in a
very responsive way by using decentralized and more reactive
automation allowing a faster and more qualitative exchange
of information. Only five consecutive bottles will be produced
at that blowing station before the correction is validated. For
manufacturers, this self-regulation means less testing and
control, and higher quality.
Simple self-regulation of the blowing curve
Designed to be user-friendly, operation is based on a continuous and automatic process regulation with no need for
manual intervention. This regulation is applied to three
main parameters: pre-blow start, pre-blow flow and pressure. The operator defines the blowing process that matches
the technical specifications of the bottle and these parameters are used to define the pre-blow reference curve. Then
the real blowing curve is systematically self-monitored at
each blowing station during bottle production. If it deviates
from the reference curve, an automatic correction is triggered.
Finally, referenced and real blowing process phases are
aligned in terms of pre-blow timing (start and duration) and the
pressure at all the blowing stations. This continuous regulation is performed on all the bottles to ensure specifications

are consistently met. With Intelliblower, the standard deviation of material distribution between the different blowing
stations can be halved compared with the process performance of a machine with no self-regulation system.
Anticipating any maintenance
All the process values of individual blowing stations are recorded on the pages of the Human Machine Interface (HMI)
with dedicated graphs. This gives operators a complete picture
of the process performance and alerts them to any potential
deviations, highlighting the stations where the out-of-tolerance bottles are blown. With these insights, operators can
quickly identify the malfunctioning blowing station and plan
any maintenance so it has minimal impact on production.
Even if a maintenance need is identified, production still
remains qualitative.
The embedded machine intelligence of the Sidel Matrix
blower enables high quality safe packaging that meets exact
bottle specifications. In addition to the consistent results obtained in the blowing process, the Sidel blower also incorporates unique bottle neck protection in the oven to maintain
bottle performance. Furthermore, it lowers labour and control
costs significantly by reducing the amount of maintenance
or manual operations required. With Intelliblower, manufacturers can enjoy high performance and increased insight
into their production equipment. Or in other words, greater
performance consistency and better brand value.

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