With its compressed air systems stretched to their limits, Lion Nathan - Swan Brewery Company Pty, Canning Vale, Western Australia, needed to explore alternative, faster drying methods for its bottling and canning lines.
Before looking at options to increase compressed air capacity, Swan reviewed its existing system to determine if there were means to reduce usage. It was found that one of the most significant demands on the system was the air blowers used to dry bottles and cans before labelling and inkjet coding.
After reviewing a number of powered air drying systems it was decided to adopt a system proposed by ACI’s Australian agent, Dynamic Engineering, which utilises their blower-powered, high-speed ‘JetPlate’ bottle drying system and two of the company’s high-speed can drying tunnels.
“Both the bottle and can drying lines are performing well”, said Steve Allison, Packing Development Engineer, at the Swan Brewery, Canning Vale plant. “Initially we had some reservations whether or not there would be enough air and heat to achieve effective drying. However, we have found that there is ample air flow and heat generated without the need to add a secondary heat source, saving us money.”
