Krones LineXpress L product changeover automation system

Krones’ LineXpress L enables a product changeover to be automated throughout, including all process steps, and thus be performed reproducibly in 10 to 15 minutes, improving the line’s availability.

The LineXpress automatic flying product changeover capability is available for the Krones Contiform Bloc and the ErgoBloc L.

Changeover time is defined as the period elapsing from the last bottle of the old production run to the first bottle of the new production run. The automatic flying product changeover routine for non-returnable PET lines covers changing the beverage, the closure colour and the preform colour.

A flying product changeover routine with simple intermediate rinsing will take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the equipment design involved. Make-ready work for handling parts, components (eg, capping cone, etc) and manual adjustments will lengthen the changeover time correspondingly.

In the case of a product changeover involving a CIP system, the filler and the mixer will automatically go into CIP readiness. The CIP system will continue to be controlled by the CIP-Master.

With the system, users can increase available production time ie, the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). This can reduce total operating costs and improve profitability due to the additional contribution margin per unit sold.

According to the company, the system can reduce losses in terms of product and packaging material, and enable users to plan on the basis of stable and reproducible changeover times.