"Lighter, more attractive, consumer-friendlier packages." Has Krones got your attention?
How about, "energy-economical, eco-friendly and affordable production operations"?
These are the vital advantages that Krones will be putting on show at interpack, in the fields of plastics technology, container dress technology, plus packing and palletising technology.
In plastics technology, Krones has developed a new base design for PET containers that features better resistance to heat and pressure coupled with good stability during transport. It allows lower bottle weights to be used in the NitroHotfill process, even at high line speeds. In actual operation, the NitroHotfill process, which is used for fruit juices and other sensitive beverages, enables bottle weights down to an exceptionally light 15.5 grams to be achieved.
Krones will also be exhibiting a true lightweight for carbonated beverages - one that weighs 30 to 45% less than comparable PET containers on the market. The 500 ml bottle weighs just 9.9 grams and scores highly in terms of low material costs and suitability for use at high line speeds.
The square 500 ml PET bottle for aseptic filling that weighs just 12.5 grams is made possible by both the technology featured underpinning Krones' Contiform AseptBloc, and by the container's own user-friendly design. This is based on a square-rounded cross-section and a lightweight 33-millimetre neck finish.
Krones will also debut its DecoType direct printing system that achieves direct printing on the containers themselves. This method offers significantly more scope for individualised, attractive design. It is also ideally suited for supporting marketing campaigns and product launches.
In cold-glue labelling technology, Krones will be presenting a redesigned Ergomatic station, with ergonomic and functional improvements, plus reduced complexity. The Ergomatic functions accurately and dependably, is easy to operate, and can be quickly changed over to handle different label formats.
For wrap-around labelling, Krones will be exhibiting a completely redesigned station. The new Contiroll ED station has an ergonomically optimised design, scores highly in terms of improved accessibility for label change-overs, and offers enhanced operator-friendliness. A variant for pre-glued labels is also being offered as an alternative.
Krones will also introduce what it considers to be the world's most space-saving packaging and palletising solution, with the lowest energy consumption – LitePac for non-returnable sixpacks. The EvoLite pack strapping machine creates packs with an integrated looped handle. In comparison to shrink-packs and other packaging systems that use gluing, the LitePac (which comprises six plastic bottles) offers higher potential savings for packaging material and energy, with a cost reduction per pack of up to 74%. Three EvoLite machines are already up and running successfully and 15 million LitePacs have hit retail shelves to date.