Magic brings new blow molding equipment, automation to K

With an all-electric technology focus, Magic MP SpA (Hall 13, C33) has brought three new machines to present at this year's K show.

The Besana, Italy-based company has covered all the bases this year in the world of blow molding by bringing an extrusion blow molding prototype, an electric injection stretch blow molding and a robotic automation machine.

"This year we are going to take at the K Show three products that cover all the categories of equipment that Magic provides and offers to customers," said Pietro Spiga, the North America sales and marketing manager.

The first machine Magic brought is a prototype extrusion blow molding machine with all-electric technology and artificial intelligence. The new EBM Model ME-T18-800-S with AI will be a machine that will have real time, automatic changes to the production of bottles being produced with the machine, the company said. It will have features such as the calibration being updated automatically once the machine is assigned a task.

"This show is not always something that we always commercialize," Spiga said. "It's also a time to expose our extreme research and development, that in the years we will maybe have small advances in."

The next machine Magic is showcasing is an ISBM machine with a packaging solution. The ISBM Model MTM 170 will have a liner packing system integrated into the machine. Magic presented this machine at the last K show, but this year there are new features added.

The last new thing being presented at K is a robotic packaging automation line for bottle picker and palletizer. While this product is not new, it will be Magic's first time presenting it to the public since it was developed during COVID-19 in 2020. This product is a part of Magic Robotica, a division of their company that combines blow molding and automation. The equipment can detect different types of bottles and be able to sort them into different boxes. It can differentiate between bottle shapes or colors on a single belt conveyor.

"First, customers trust Magic. So, they want the full package," Spiga said. "Second, also because now it is a challenge for customer to find the people, so this is a solution."

Customers having a hard time finding labor are interested in automated systems, he said.

The company makes 70 percent of its components internally and sources the remaining 30 percent, mainly electrical and pneumatic components. Internal production helps keep costs down, Spiga said. Magic produces around 100 machines a year worldwide, with 10-15 machines per year being exported to North America. It has annual sales of about $50 million to $60 million.

"The real advantage of having an electric machine compared to hydraulic is the energy consumption is 50 percent less in full production," Spiga said. Electric machines also have less maintenance cost, he said.

Magic introduced electric machines in 1997 and has not sold any hydraulic machines for seven years.