It was a path-breaking development when in 2009 Krones unveiled it at the drinktec: since it enabled PET containers to be produced, labelled and filled in a unique machinery concatenation. And the response was swift: the ErgoBloc L was being enthusiastically received by the beverage industry. Now after around nine years, Krones is delivering the 250th machine of this type. And the success story continues.
In the early years, the entirely innovative concept of the ErgoBloc L still had to struggle for acceptance with the clients, but only a short time later demand rose significantly. Meanwhile, annual sales have settled down at around 50 systems. The ErgoBloc L has definitely arrived in the beverage sector – since its advantages are persuasive:
- Because an area of just 18 times 12.5 metres suffices for the entire wet end, the system as a whole proves to be very compactly dimensioned.
- Footprint reduced by up to 30 per cent compared to a conventional block.
- Thanks to a quick-change system for the moulds in the Contiform 3, change-overs to a different container shape and size require only a minimised time.
- A single operator suffices for labelling and filling the containers.
In recent years, Krones has continued to design-enhance the ErgoBloc L. One of the major advantages for our clients is the fast change-overs using LineXpress L. This program for automatic product change-over reduces the previous change-over times from 30 or 45 to merely about ten minutes. Because when a product change-over is scheduled, the system calculates the remaining fill quantity and matches the number of preforms, closures and labels required with the remaining quantity of product. As soon as the last bottle has been filled, the change-over routine will begin: all machines are changed over to the new product in full or semi-automation, with the concomitant material change-over also effected on the fly. This enabled the time required for this process to be dramatically reduced, with a corresponding gain in OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
ErgoBloc LM – the “Little brother”
Since the 2017 drinktec, the ErgoBloc L has also had a little brother: in the shape of the ErgoBloc LM, Krones has developed a wet-end block that has been designed solely for bottling still water. For the ErgoBloc LM, the development people have not simply strung some individual machines together, but conceived it right from the start as a holistic organism: essential functions like control system, drive and operator interventions are grouped in a central unit. This not only reduces the block’s capital investment costs and footprint, it also significantly downsizes the operator’s workload and the amount of maintenance required. The system is manifestly following in the footsteps of its “big brother”, because 20 of them have already been sold since the market launch.
250th block goes to Niagara Bottling
ErgoBloc L Number 250 was in November 2018 delivered to Niagara Bottling in Mexico. The company found this concept persuasive right from the start, bought its first system of this type back in 2011, and so far has ordered dozens of them. This ErgoBloc L is the first able to produce formats ranging from 0.236 to 1.5 litres at speeds of up to 84,000 containers per hour, which makes it the world’s fastest of its kind.
The 250th system also features something special: here, for the first time, the new Contiform 3 Speed has been integrated. The high-performance stretch blow-moulding machine produces PET containers at impressive speeds, and simultaneously scores excellently in terms of low energy consumption and a minimised footprint.
