How much and what sort of damage can be done to a company's reputation and finances by one defective or incorrect batch of caps? How much of their precious time should workers continue to dedicate to complex settings and troubleshooting when everything could, instead, be managed via automatic cutting-edge controls, reports and feedback? Think of how crucial these questions are and you'll soon see the significance of Smart Pack, the new generation of advanced controls that SACMI provides on its CCM compression press range.

Next-gen extruders, integration with slitting and folding machines, computer vision and automation for every single stage of production. Following the previous episodes, which focused on specific aspects of SACMI's new 4.0 cap and preform line, we now preview Smart Pack, a key solution being offered on our CCM compression press range. Smart Pack focuses on three crucial aspects of 4.0 manufacturing: re-action, feedback on the process, and prevention-prediction.

New CCM 48 SD with Smart Pack. The solution presented here - which visitors to the fair can learn more about together with the SACMI team - is a next-gen CCM press, natively equipped with the new Smart Pack. The package includes advanced hw/sw controls that help customers handle at least four aspects of the process, aspects that take the form of important daily tasks.

Pellet insertion. The first of these is insertion and correct positioning of the pellet. Digital control of every single operating parameter lets producers monitor this phase via an extremely user-friendly interface. Faster, easier machine set-up - especially when a change of size or resin is required - provide enormous advantages and can reduce task completion times by up to 50%. Secondly, accurate monitoring means prevention of any malfunctions that might stem from an incorrect setting.

Hydraulic system. Hydraulic oil is the life-blood of the machine. Hence the importance of this second set of controls, which concern hydraulic oil quality and contamination. If the oil gradually decays or is contaminated, the machine detects any drift and predicts when this will become a problem, making maintenance tasks more effective and easier to plan.

Thermoregulation. Careful monitoring of molding/cooling thermodynamics yields several benefits. The most important of these is the ability to identify any thermal drift in advance before it actually becomes a problem at process level. In this case, the result is not only higher molding process quality but longer machine component lifespans, thus lightening the operator’s workload.

Similarly, the fact that condensation is prevented from forming on the molds plays a pivotal role in extending the working life of these critical components.

With this strategy, then, the approach to mold maintenance is a distinctly ‘predictive’ one, as is the approach to problems linked to any decay of the liquid in the cooling circuit.

More plant availability = immediate economic benefits. This formula encapsulates the main advantage of the system, which translates into an immediate increase in plant availability and, therefore, tangible and measurable economic advantages for our customers.

But that’s not all. With Smart Pack, SACMI CCM presses automatically ‘know’ when an incorrect resin has been loaded. Matching the set recipe with the rheological characteristics of the incoming resin ensures the press automatically recognizes any wrong material. And the time needed to do so? Well, while that varies according to the rheological characteristics of the specific resin, the key thing is that there’s always enough time to prevent the disastrous domino effect of an incorrect production set-up and the consequent damage to the customer’s reputation and finances.

Once again, everything is designed to make the operator's work as simple and effective as possible. If problems arise, in fact, the machine issues a warning: if the operator fails to intervene, it blocks the process, preventing insertion of the wrong resin.

Also on existing CCMs. Let’s see which ones. Many customers will be wondering whether this package can be used on existing presses, of which China has a great many (hardly surprising as SACMI has a 70% share of the cap-making market there).

The answer is two fold. First, availability of the new package is not tied to the purchase of the advantageous new CM-Flow extruder, described in previous instalments. Second, the package is generally available on all current-generation presses and can be installed on the following models: CCM24SF, CCM32MC, CCM48SD and CCM64MC.