Nature MultiPack From KHS: Sustainable Packaging System Now Suitable for the High-Performance Range

Nature MultiPack™ from KHS combines beverage containers with easy-to-remove dots of adhesive instead of shrink film to form stable packs, thus saving up to 90 percent in packaging materials. The ecofriendly packaging alternative is also available for the high-performance range.

In order to accommodate the requirements of the beverage industry, KHS also offers the Innopack Nature MultiPack for the high-capacity range. Running at overcapacity, it can reportedly process up to 108,000 containers per hour, with a maximum of 90,000 containers produced every 60 minutes at nominal capacity. Depending on the format, the machine outputs up to 450 packs of four a minute.

In the orientation module KHS has revamped the entire carousel: instead of four this now has six drives that no longer rotate four but three plates apiece. This change makes time for alignment of the containers. Here, a camera takes 400 images of a container on the first reference run while this is turned 360 degrees about its longitudinal axis.

A fast algorithm compares this single image to the 400 taken previously and in doing so determines the current position of each single can or PET bottle. This is then used to calculate any necessary correction to the container’s position, performed by the activated motor in a matter of milliseconds until the container is aligned as required.

In the next module application heads ‘shoot’ half the dots of adhesive onto the left and right can or bottle respectively. During application the container itself stands completely still for a fraction of a second so that the adhesive is applied with the utmost accuracy.

The containers are then passed on to the compression module. Here, KHS dispensed with transfer stars with fingers and switched the conveyor system over from chains to toothed belts. The new modular design reportedly enables the curing segment to be halved and the entire machine to be shortened by three-and-a-half meters.

After compression any packs where a dot of adhesive is missing or incorrectly applied are channeled out. This can be further improved by an optional air-drying module that makes sure that there is no more condensation or condensation water in the machine.

For more information, visit https://www.khs.com.