A combination of economics and higher efficiency are the
key factors that underline the success of Air Control Industries’
bottle and can drying systems installed at InBev’s plants
in Magor (South Wales) and Leuven in Belgium.
Capable of handling lines speeds of up to 55,000 bottles/hr
and 80,000 cans/hr the ACI systems offer an increase in performance
ranging from 33% up to 75% over the original compressed air
systems, depending on the product being dried.
In addition to higher throughput, InBev also benefits from
significant financial savings resulting directly from a reduction
in operating costs. These come from substantial energy savings,
less maintenance and around a 50% reduction in the volume
of label adhesive used. All of which contribute to a return
on investment in a matter of months.
Further, the efficient drying ensures that the inkjet codes
are always clear, both because the surface is dry and because
the labels do not slip out of position prior to printing.
Yet another cost and quality advantage is the prevention
of moisture reaching the packaging stage. This guards against
degradation of cardboard cases and the entrapment of moisture
inside poly-wrapped packs, which can lead to corrosion and
bottles sticking together.
“When I showed the figures for the savings there was
no argument about the installing the ACI bottle and can drying
systems”, said Bart Simonet, Line Manager Packaging
Dept at InBev, Leuven. “The agreement was immediate.”
Flexibility is another significant benefit. This is important
because the Leuven plant, in particular, has a reputation
for operational flexibility, currently handling 385 different
product lines including Stella Artois, Leffe, Jupiler, Brahma
and some British beers. One bottle drying line can in fact
handle 8 different bottle shapes without adjustment.
The bottle drying systems installed at both plants is ACI’s
LLB04 JetPlate combined with a cap drier. In addition to drying
the bottles effectively, these totally enclosed units are
much quieter than the original compressed air systems and
contain the mist and droplets previously blown off into the
factory environment.
The efficiency and flexibility of the JetPlate’s drying
operation results from the machine’s unique plenum design
and arrangement. The plenums are box shaped with a plastic
face that has specially configured air slots that are progressively
stepped downwards. These slots deliver air that drives moisture
downwards then out and away.
In addition to the slot configuration, the fact the two facing
plenums eliminate the need for bottle guide rails permits
them to be located close to the bottles thereby ensuring maximum
benefit form the air delivered.
ACI’s Can Tunnels also employ new drying technology.
Cans passing through the Can Tunnels are exposed to air blown
from the inner ceiling via specially configured slots that
ensure no moisture remains trapped on the can surface –
whether it is the top or bottom that is being dried.
Bottle capacities passing through the ACI dryers are 33cl
and 25cl (in a range of different shapes) and the cans dried
are 33cl and 50cl.
