Rotary wheel technology blow molding machines

GRAHAM ROTARYWHEEL BLOWMOLDING SYSTEMS

Worldwide, only one name issynonymous with the massproduction of superior qualityplastic bottles on rotary extrusion blow moldingmachinery. That name isGraham EngineeringCorporation.

Our rotary wheel blow moldingequipment is the result ofadvanced technology developedand refined on hundreds of

wheel systems installed since 1968 on four continents.Graham rotary machinesprocess virtually any thermoplastic.

Graham wheel machines offermaximum flexibility for thedelivery of ideal packagingsolutions.• Single and multi-cavity molds• Monolayer structures and

coextrusion up to seven layers

• In-mold labeling• View stripe • Aseptic blow molding • Systems for bottles as small

as 60-110 ml• Systems for bottles as large

as 30 liters• Turnkey engineering and

installation• Other key advantages include

bottle lightweighting, unsurpassed energy efficiency, and labor savings.

The MINI™ Wheel is Graham’slatest breakthrough. It isintended for mid-sized blowmolders and emerging markets. It is small enough to ship in a standard freight container, but can producecoextruded plastic containers(up to seven layers) of exceptional repeatable quality.

Our equipment conforms to all national andinternational safety and operating standards with ANSIcertification and CE capability.

Our sales and service professionals work closely with customers to identify andinstall optimal productionmachinery solutions and to provide responsive 24-hoursupport for reliable, consistent production line performance.

THE TECHNOLOGYOF CHOICE

Graham Engineering’s wheelsystems are used extensivelyfor the production of HDPEand PP extrusion blow moldedcontainers. Their high outputcapability established themas the technology of choicefor producing motor oil bot-tles, household and industrialchemical containers, andmany other high volumepackages. Graham wheels are also popular for the production of juice and dairybased bottles. Grahamwheels are configured to produce both conventionaland aseptic dairy packages.

KEYADVANTAGES

• Graham’s proprietary parisonprogramming requires only a small, simple hydraulic system

• High repeatability of theblowing process

• Ability to run two differentbottles on one wheel systemin some cases

• Lowest possible bottle costswhen properly applied

• High speed production up to 8.5 RPM (7 second cycle time)

• Neck-to-neck molding capability

• Patented positive bottle takeout

• Wheel machines provide themost accurate multilayersystem technology requiringonly one or two parisons

Flowhead Technology• All Graham rotary machines

are available with multi-layer production capabilities,up to seven layers of material distribution

• Graham multilayer coextrusion systems facilitate use of in-processor post-consumer recycledmaterials

• Graham’s patented remotedie adjuster allows operatorto fine-tune flow head forprecise sidewall distribution,operating without tools andwhile wheel is running

Wheel ProcessingConsistency• 100% controlled parison,

held at both ends, with tolerances reduced to anabsolute minimum and target layer thicknesses easily reduced

• Graham is experienced atengineering for high speedmelt flows and very fastreaction times of parisonwall thickness control

• Melt pumps may optimizeflow consistency

Wheel IML• Labeling usually occurs with

no loss in cycle time and with precise, consistentplacement accuracy

• Runs up to 60-65 strokes per minute

• Dual placement units position labels in two cavities at a time and doubles placement rate

Conveying, Trimming, andReaming• Graham rotary machines

require no reorienting —bottles exit machine uniformly on a single conveyor

• Variety of in-house and third-party trimmer equipment can be integrated by Graham on our manufacturing floor

Wheel Models for EveryCapacity Requirement• MINI Wheel (12 molds) —

for emerging markets, smaller production requirements and ideallysuited for coex applications

• Compact (9/12 molds) —for general duty smaller sizefood applications

• Regular wheels (9/12 molds)— general duty wheels for avariety of applications

• Super (12/14/16/18 molds)— for handleware (detergent bottles) and oilbottles (quart/liter size, neck-to-neck)

• Mega (18/20/22/24 molds)— for high output production of small bottles

• Mighty (9/11 molds) — for large parts, quart oil bottles (4/cavity = 44 bottles), high clamp force,and long parison lengths

Graham MINI Wheel

XBM NAVIGATOR™:PC-BASED CONTROLSDEVELOPED BY BLOW MOLDERSFOR BLOW MOLDERS

The efficiency of a productionline is closely linked to theaccuracy and ease of use ofits controls. That is why everyGraham blow moldingmachine uses the XBMNavigator™, a proprietary PC-based system designed byus. The hardware is a standard, 24-volt industrialPC, which eliminates anyneed for manufacturer-specific components or system expertise. The man-machine interface is aflat panel color display withtouch screen capabilities. Butthe real beauty of the systemlies in its Windows® platformoperator interface software— it is a package developedby Graham, whose years ofblow molding experienceensure that set-ups, trending,analysis, and troubleshootingfunctions will all be intuitiveto the operator. • All machine control

parameters and process variables are easy to callup, check, and adjust

• 100 or 180 point parisonprogramming can be added

• Remote diagnostics viaEthernet connection —enables fast, easy trou-bleshooting by Graham'stechnical support team

• Swing arm mounted operator station (optional)allows for improved line-of-sight setup and operation

• Graham’s equipment manuals represent a valuable added resource for customers. Available inpaper and electronic formats. Manuals can beaccessed from themachine’s PC as clickablePDFs offering helpful photos, schematics, andparts lists.

Graham's XBM Navigator™ PC controls utilize intuitive, graphical screens, allowing operators tocome up-to-speed quickly. The graphical approach aids insetup and troubleshooting; for example, the color of theheater bands changes to red when heat is applied, and toblue when cooling is applied. Multiple access levels allowdifferent levels of control for operators, technicians, andmaintenance personnel. The screens can be switchedbetween dual languages with the touch of a button. Other features include remote diagnostics, trending of keyvariables, and complete logging of process changes.

XBM Navigator,™winner of

Control Design’s2008 Innovator

Award

Graham Engineering Corporation • 1203 Eden Road, York, PA 17402-0673 • USA Tel: 717-848-3755 • Fax: 717-846-1931 • www.grahamengineering.com • sales@grahamengineering.com

SUSTAINABILITY

Graham rotary wheel machinesoffer unsurpassed lightweighting capability for extru-sion blow molded packaging.With low conversion energyand high efficiencies, wheelmachines are at the forefrontin offering the industry bestmanufacturing practices andmaterial conservation.

Wheel machines offer the ability to incorporate PostConsumer Recycle (PCR) resin,either in a single layer, or as amiddle, buried layer. Scrapgenerated as part of the manufacturing process can beimmediately recycled into subsequent containers. Andwith coex capability up toseven layers, lightweight containers can be produced to

replace traditional glass bottles, reducing shippingweight and breakage.

Graham wheel machines compare favorably with any type of shuttle EBM system:• Lower resin consumption —

bottle weight reduction madepossible by 100% control ofthe parison and upward extrusion. Graham wheelmachines program the parisonthickness, using up to 180increments per log. And withconstant parison length and positioning, bottle weights aretightly controlled.

• Lowest weight tolerances fromcavity to cavity — allowingoperators to set minimalweight median targets

• Very energy efficient operation — the wheel is driven by only one or twosmall electric motors, providing all energy requiredfor mold opening, closing, and clamping force

• Quieter, cleaner and more efficient through completelyelectro-mechanical hybridoperation. Cam driven, notimers, and no hydraulics(except for a small, low-flow unit for the parison programmer)