Regular greasing is normally required for blow molds to work well because of the friction generated by moving parts. This demands two minutes of weekly maintenance per blow mold and can cause grease splashes or deposits, which are sources of persistent dirt.
Sidel has therefore developed Kohlox, a self-lubricating material, to cut out the greasing step.
The equipment supplier has so far used Kohlox to create grease-free wear rings for mold bottoms and female studs, both of which have been tested on an industrial scale in partnership with Nestle Waters Est France.
Productivity
Regis Leclerc, technical coordinator for Nestle Waters, said the new parts have helped the company save on mold maintenance time and improve cleanliness.
“We have saved about one hour of maintenance time on an SBO 20 thanks to the new molds with Kohlox parts,” said Leclerc. “This significant time gain allows use to produce more or to perform other maintenance operations.”
Cleanliness
As for cleanliness, Leclerc said: “Mold maintenance requires good training for operators, so that they can apply just the right amount of grease to keep the bottles clean and ensure good production hygiene.
“By eliminating the greasing step, we avoid the risk of non-quality problems associated with handling the molds and the other essential blow molder components.”
Another advantage of Kohlox, highlighted by Sidel, is that it is four times lighter than steel, and therefore helps lighten the mold base to accommodate new blow molder speeds of 2,000 bottles per hour per mold, and reduce mechanical wear on the machine itself.
Kohlox parts are available as an option for most new molds and can also be adapted to several existing molds for all types of Sidel blow molders.
Following the successful testing of Kohlox, Nestle Waters plans to order nearly 100 more molds equipped with the new parts and also adapt some existing molds.