Netstal Maschinen AG (W223) will demonstrate how its CAP-Line machine can crank out 26-millimeter water bottle closures in a 128-cavity mold in less than 2 seconds.
The Näfels, Switzerland-based injection press maker's CAP-Line 4500 has 450 tons of force with an all-electric clamping unit and a cycle time of 1.9 seconds, which Netstal claims is a world-first accomplishment. The machine is based on Netstal's Elios platform.
The CAP-Line can be pre-configured for closure applications, which can "speed up the consultation and quotation process so that delivery times for the machine are as short as possible," Horst Kogler, head of the caps and closures unit, said in a news release.
The machine that will be running live at the show is identical to production systems used by contract manufacturer Alltrista Plastics LLC (S22065) of Greer, S.C. The 128-cavity mold is designed to be as small and light as a 96-cavity mold, allowing for a smaller column distance. The entire production system measures less than 540 square feet.
Kogler said Alltrista produces more than 3.1 billion closures a year with two lines.
"More output per square meter of production area is currently not possible," he added.
Netstal is being acquired by packaging and bottle machine maker Krones AG of Neutraubling, Germany, for $183.7 million. Netstal currently is owned by KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH of Parsdorf, German, near Munich. KM, in turn, is owned by state-owned China National Chemical Corp. (Chem China) of Beijing.