Intelligent Inline Temperature Control of the Stretch Blow Moulding Process

Blow Moulding Technologies（BMT）是一家微型中小企业，向拉伸吹塑（SBM）行业销售仪器和软件，成立于2011年，是贝尔法斯特女王大学的一个分支，目前全球每分钟消耗100万个塑料瓶，因此SBM工艺 ** 需要高生产率 **。随着全球塑料瓶产量在2021年达到每年5万亿个，** 生产率受到严重的低效率 ** 的阻碍，这通常是由 ** 温度变量 ** 造成的，如操作员的主观性、材料特性的变化和环境变化，从而导致材料浪费、产品缺陷和机器停机时间。此外，** 公众对塑料瓶大规模生产和污染的日益关注 **，为从废瓶中回收的PET树脂和生物基聚合物的使用带来了 ** 巨大的市场机会 **。我们对该项目的 ** 愿景 ** 是开发突破性技术，使塑料瓶生产过程中的SBM过程能够智能控制温度。BMT与我们的合作伙伴宝洁、西得乐、Sacmi和Beverage Plastics携手合作，开发了一套采用先进红外传感器技术和控制算法的 ** 自动化数据驱动在线温度管理系统 **。加热的瓶坯将在吹制前定期自动弹出，以提供实时的内部和外部温度数据。温度数据将通过定制软件传回SBM烘箱，以便更准确地控制工艺温度。更好的温度控制将导致 ** 减少生产故障排除，减少机器停机时间 ** 和 ** 更高的生产率 **。它将优化瓶子生产，从而 ** 减少原材料消耗 **，** 减少废物产生 **，** 减少产品缺陷 **，从而 ** 提高材料使用效率 **。该系统将允许 ** 更大的产品优化 **，特别是它将允许在更窄的SBM工艺窗口内更精确地 ** 生产回收PET**。这将导致 ** 更轻更高效的瓶坯 **，仍然可以达到 ** 目标性能标准 **，如“保质期”和“最高负荷”，更 ** 容易制造。** 生产效率 ** 的节省还将导致 ** 更低的运行成本 ** 和 ** 减少的碳足迹 **。该项目通过创建无需人工操作的在线系统代表 ** 尖端创新 **。通过使用智能算法来传达加热预成型件的内外轮廓的精确测量值，能够最大限度地减少SBM过程中所有与温度相关的故障排除，这是SBM行业的一大进步。** "

"Blow Moulding Technologies (BMT) is a micro SME who sell instrumentation and software to the Stretch Blow Moulding (SBM) industry, founded in 2011 as a spin-out from Queen's University Belfast,The world currently consumes 1 million plastic bottles per minute, therefore SBM process **demands high rates of production**. As the world advances towards half a trillion plastic bottle/annum by 2021, **productivity is hampered by large inefficiencies** frequently caused by **temperature variables** such as operator subjectivity, variation in material properties and environment changes, giving rise to material wastage, product defects and machine down-time. Furthermore, **increased public environmental concern** in the mass production and pollution of plastic bottles has instigated a **strong market opportunity for the use of recycled PET resins and bio-based polymers from waste bottles**.Our **vision** for this project is to develop ground-breaking technology to enable the intelligent control of temperature within the SBM process in the production of Plastic Bottles. Working alongside our partners, P&G, Sidel, Sacmi and Beverage Plastics, BMT's proposed solution involves the development of an **automated data-driven inline temperature management system** with advanced infrared sensor technology and control algorithms. Heated preforms will be ejected automatically at regular intervals prior to blowing to provide real-time internal and external temperature data. The temperature data will be communicated back to the SBM ovens through bespoke software to allow a more accurate control of the process temperature.Greater temperature control will lead to a **reduction in production trouble-shooting, reduction in machine down-time** and **greater productivity.** It will optimise bottle production leading to the consumption of **less raw material**, **generate less waste** and **decrease product defects** leading to **greater material use efficiency**. The system will permit a **greater optimisation of products**, in particular it will allow more accurate **production of recycled PET** within a narrower SBM process window. It will lead to **lighter more efficient preforms** which can still reach the **targeted performance standards** such as 'shelf-life' and 'top-load', with greater **ease of manufacture.** Savings on **production efficiencies** will also result in **lower running costs** and a **reduced carbon footprint**.This project represents **cutting edge innovation** through the creation of an inline system which does not require human touch. The ability to minimise all temperature related trouble-shooting within the SBM process through the use of intelligent algorithms communicating the exact measurements of the inner and outer profiles of the heated preforms is **a major step forward in the SBM industry.**"