Nissei ASB Machine, a world leading manufacture of machines for injection stretch blow molding of PET and other plastics, will exhibit at the drinktec 2017 exhibition (Hall A4.322), to be held in Munich, Germany from 11 to 15 September 2017.

Live molding will be demonstrated on ASB’s 215 square meter booth together with a display of some of the most interesting recent updates in injection stretch-blow molded packaging technology.

Held every four years in Munich, Germany, drinktec provides the role of world economic summit for the beverage and liquid-food industry.  As such, in its role as world leader in one-step molding technology Nissei ASB takes great interest in not only monitoring but also in contributing to the industry trends on show at the exhibition.  In 2013, the exhibition saw a 14% growth in attendance over the 2009 event with 66,880 visitors from 183 countries to view exhibits from 1,433 companies representing 76 countries.

At drinktec 2017, Nissei ASB will be debuting its ASB-150DPX model with daily live molding demonstration of a complete molding system.

The newly developed ASB-150DPX expands the company’s flagship ASB-150 based models to three variants;

– ASB-150DP – Single row molding up to 16 cavities, for very large bottles and jars

– ASB-150DPW – Double row molding of medium sized bottles and jars up to 32 cavities

– ASB-150DPX – Triple row molding of small bottles in 36 or 48 cavities

All models are built on a common architecture so factory layout, key functions, spare parts, maintenance and operator training are common to all, however the newly added DPX model has specific design features to maximize efficiency in small container molding;

1. Injection clamping stroke is optimized for short cycle small containers.

2. Upgraded hydraulic components provide faster cycle of injection clamping while maintaining smooth machine movement.

3. Servo hydraulic pumps offer up to 30% reduction in energy consumption.

4. Blow air circuit is optimized for small container production offering up to 50% reduced air consumption over standard systems.

Although these features were introduced for the ASB-150DPX, items 2, 3, and 4 are also planned to be available in future updates of its stable-mates ensuring that the entire model range maintains its lead over the competition.

This introduction of triple row one-step injection stretch blow molding is another in a long line of global firsts that Nissei ASB has achieved throughout nearly 40 years at the forefront of the PET container industry, with several areas of the machine design having patents pending or already approved.

At drinktec, the ASB-150DPX will be conducting daily molding demonstrations of a 100ml, 5.3-gram yoghurt drink container.  This lightweight container design requires a very short preform that would be impossible to handle and re-heat in a two-step system so the one-step molding process, where the container is formed directly from resin within one machine and held securely by its neck throughout, is the only practical choice.  The smaller the container is, generally the more advantageous it is for production using a large one-step machine with high outputs.

With its triple row molding layout allowing 36 blow cavities, and at a cycle time of 6.4 seconds the ASB-150DPX will achieve a production rate in excess of 20,000 bph.  Even if a container design such as this could be molded by re-heat blow molding, the required floor area for a similar capacity two-step production unit is typically 3-4 times greater, so this one-step solution provides not only technical superiority and enhanced quality, but manages to achieve it in a significantly reduced production space.

With the recent rise in prices of PE/PS materials, demand for PET conversion of this type of small container is increasing with numerous specific inquiries from major food manufacturers so the company is confident of good demand for this new model.

The exhibit will also be demonstrating a full line of matched molding ancillary equipment that ASB is able to supply, such as resin dryer, chiller, mold dehumidifier and mold temperature controllers.  An in-house custom designed pick and place take-out unit with conveyor system will also be demonstrated allowing prospective customers to easily install the molding machine up-stream of a filling line.