Krones PET line runs hot and cold for Suntory Garuda

In Indonesia, increased purchasing power driven by the country’s buoyant economy has led to a rise in demand for PET-bottled drinks. Responding to this demand, beverage company Suntory Garuda has introduced a number of new tea-based beverages, manufactured at its facility in Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java.

In 2012 Suntory Garuda launched green tea beverage Mirai, following it in 2013 with Oolong tea-based Mytea. Together with the carbonated tea beverage Mountea Sparkling, these products have proven very popular in Indonesia. Both Mirai and Mytea are packaged in 450 mL bottles, while Mountea Sparkling is sold in 330 mL bottles.

There is one significant difference in the production process for the three beverages: the still teas, Mytea and Mirai, are sensitive beverages and as such have to be hot-filled whereas the carbonated Mountea Sparkling is cold-filled.

Dual capability: hybrid line for hot- and cold-filling

To maximise efficiency of their operation, Suntory Garuda chose a hybrid line from Krones in 2014. The technology combines hot-filling of teas and cold-filling of carbonated soft drinks.

The hardware comprises a blow-moulder/filler Contiform monobloc for CSDs and hot-filled products. The electropneumatically controlled filling valves of the Modulfill VFS work with two filling speeds, for both hot- and cold-filling, first fast and then slow. A swirl insert has been installed at the valve’s outlet, which guides the product to the container’s inside wall, reducing turbulence in both the liquid film and foaming while providing higher accuracy.

The hardware used to implement this hybrid filling technology comprises a blow-moulder/filler block for CSDs and hot-filled products.

The PET containers are pressed against the valves for filling. The cold-filling function for CSDs is preceded by CO₂ pressurisation, followed by a settling phase, and completed by container snifting. For hot-filling of still beverages, pressureless filling is also possible. So the filling valve can handle soft drinks, juices and water, both still and carbonated, plus hot-filled beverages and drinks with a pulp content. The fill quantity is determined volumetrically, using flow meters, with any surplus product returned directly into the valve.

36,000 containers/h

The Contiform H blow-moulder for hot-fill containers is supplied with preforms by a Contifeed preform feed unit, into which a rotary preform inspector has been integrated. The blow-moulded containers are passed to the filler by servomotor-driven starwheels on Monotec columns.

The Modulfill VFS, with its 96 filling valves, has an hourly output of 36,000 containers. Downstream of the Contiform Bloc, a Checkmat FM-X inspects the containers for correct fill level using gamma-rays.

Complete dry end from Krones

The full containers are turned by 90° and briefly transported lying on their sides, so that their head space as well as the closure’s inner side are sterilised by the hot product.

The bottle flow is then distributed among two tracks, before being fed into a Linadry drier and the downstream Sleevematic labeller to apply full-body sleeves which are shrunk onto the containers by a Shrinkmat steam tunnel. The finished containers are dried then fed into a Variopac Pro W carton packer creating 24-bottle cartons.

The Sleevematic labeller applies full-body sleeves

The hybrid line replaced an existing 10,000 bph PET line and has coincided with a weight reduction of the 450 mL hot-fill bottle from 26.5 to 21 g.

The Krones hybrid line operates at peak times with an efficiency of 92%. Since the Mirai and Mytea products are both filled in identical hot-fill bottles, all that needs to be done at a product changeover is to run a CIP procedure. When the line is changed over from hot-fill to cold-filling the carbonated Mountea Sparkling drink, the moulds in the Contiform also have to be replaced with those for the 330 mL bottle.

Originally published here.