Following the presentation of the future-oriented FormFill concept in 2017 the first system is now undergoing final acceptance in time for this year’s BrauBeviale. The new KHS technology combines the forming and filling of plastic bottles in just one process step. Operators benefit from considerable energy savings and a smaller machine footprint.
KHS first presented its FormFill concept at drinktec in 2017. Back then the ambitious plan was to sufficiently mature the technology in a good two years, enabling the first customer to then profit from its particular benefits. “We’ve learned a lot from the initial concept to the production of the market-ready system,” says Frank Haesendonckx, head of Technology at KHS Corpoplast in Hamburg, Germany. “We’re proud that we’re right on schedule. FormFill is the next stage in development for container forming and filling.”
With its technology KHS combines two processes that were previously separate. On present machinery two individual function modules stretch blow mold the PET preform and then fill the resulting bottle in separate stages. With KHS FormFill bottlers can now form and at the same time fill containers made of PET or rPET on a single machine. The system therefore takes up 40% less space than the standard stretch blow molder/filler blocks common to date. The time saved by the form/fill wheel has even enabled parts of the capping process to be integrated at this point. This then results in the machine being able to prevent product loss during container conveying.
