Alcoa Closure Systems International (Alcoa CSI) is to launch three new pieces of capping equipment at Pack Expo Las Vegas, which will be held 13 to 15 October 2003. One capping machine, one elevator sorter and two rotary cap sorters have been added to the Alcoa CSI capping equipment lineup with each offering some innovative new features.
The Series 125 capping machine is the newest addition to Alcoa CSI's line of rugged, dependable cappers and is designed for small to medium scale operations. This new capper is available in freestanding or turret-mounted design and applies closures in various production environments.
The Series 125 capper is less expensive to operate and maintain than comparable cappers in this class, giving it one of the lowest operations costs in the industry. The system can apply closures from 18mm to 110mm and bottle sizes from 5-14" tall and 1-6" wide across a wide range of container types.
The company also believes that its SE 24 capping system is a major innovation in elevator cap sorting, with improved technology and reduced cost of operation. Bottlers save utility costs with this energy efficient sorter with no compressed air required to convey the closures.
Alcoa's Quick Change Slope-Lok is an interesting feature that allows the operator to adjust closure sorting efficiency while running to eliminate upside down caps. Quick-change cleats allow the operator to adjust for cap size without significant downtime, eliminating the need for costly extra belts.
The innovative louver system engineered into the SE 24 reduces closure knock-off and improves sorting efficiencies. Bottlers will also benefit from increased output as the SE 24 elevator sorter is capable of handling up to 1500 caps per minute.
For bottling applications requiring flat caps and sports caps, Alcoa has developed the SV 32 cap sorter, which the company believes delivers versatility to easily change back and forth from the same diameter flat cap to sports caps. The SV 32 offers the widest range of cap sizes that can be sorted - from 28mm sports caps to 110mm flat caps.
Sorting the caps using an inclined sorting disk, centrifugal force and gravity, the SV 32 is able to reliably orient closures even when the closure height is larger than the diameter. The SV 32 can sort up to 400 cpm, with a larger version, the SV 50 capable of sorting up to 1000 cpm.
Alcoa CSI is a global leader in beverage closure application and capping equipment design technology. Alcoa CSI's capping system provides bottlers with a full range of high performance, reliable equipment, including headsets, turrets, freestanding cappers, auxiliary equipment and spare parts.