Rising energy costs remain a key issue in the container glass industry. This is why the Narrow-Neck-Press-and-Blow (NNPB) technology is still on a growth path. It is important to consider all critical success factors of this production technology.

NNPB allows thinner and more equal wall thicknesses. Weight is reduced and in consequence energy- and raw material consumption as well. But NNPB has higher requirements to the glass quality, machine settings and the moulds. Monitoring and control of the production process is fundamental. The Heye Process Control, avoiding overpressed or unfilled finishes, is a key element. The automatic Press Duration Control, allowing a stable and reproducible wall thickness, is an important extension in the bundle of closed-loop solutions.

It is obvious that modern NNPB production is more than just purchasing machinery. The larger portion is determined by expertise in procedures and the way how all the steps fit together. Only if all involved areas of the NNPB-process are properly trained and successfully implemented, a pay-back of the investment is realised. A comprehensive training by our experts also ensures to achieve the new quality standard at the best possible production speed. The production specialists from Heye are glassmakers speaking the same language as the glassmakers in the glass plants.

Service support can be achieved in the frame of a Technical Assistance Agreement (TAA), which gives wide access to experts in machine technology, maintenance and service. The experts assist in optimising output efficiency and product quality, whilst at the same time reducing overall costs. The TAA encompasses every stage of the production process.

Measurable benefits:

Consistency and continuity mark Heye’s 20-year collaboration with Orora in Australia

Throughout the past two decades, Heye has provided continuity of supply and technical support for Orora, a fact confirmed by a large new order placed with the German equipment manufacturer just before Christmas 2022.

When the glass plant was commissioned in May 2002, Heye’s 450 tonne furnace fed two 16 section double gob IS machines, which produced a yield of over 90% and sales soon exceeded the initial target of 200 million wine and champagne bottles a year. As a result, Orora added a second furnace two years later. Again, Heye supplied furnace, feeder, two 16 section 6 1/4“ DG IS machines (blow-blow process) and cold end equipment.

Training and technical support has continued to this day according to Orora Technology and Business Development Manager, Andrew Barreau, “Having a responsive world-class technical partner like Heye makes a big difference to our operations. Our plant operates 24/7, so it is critical to have consistent and reliable support, which our partnership with Heye delivers. Together we have developed some clever remote solutions and this collaborative approach to innovative solutions is key to our long and successful partnership”.

NNPB introduction

The wine industry has sustainability at its core and has been pioneering light weight wine bottles. Orora used this opportunity to diversify its glass offering and, in 2010, asked Heye to supply another furnace equipped, for the first time, with NNPB technology on its IS machines to supply the beer market as well as ultra-light weight wine bottles.

Heye IS-machine in operation at Gawler plant

The two 20 section NNPB machines were supplied with a triple gob conversion kit giving the plant the flexibility to run double or triple gob production. As Heye is the inventor of the NNPB production process, it was clearly the best supplier for the job.  NNPB is now applied throughout the plant, with commercial wine brands benefiting from 75cl bottles weighing as little as 330g.

Built on demand, efficiency and trust – a win:win situation
A combination of market demand and opportunities for operational efficiencies have kept the relationship expanding throughout its 20-year history. In the year to 2022, the flexibility built into the lines supplied by Heye helped the glass business successfully expand into new product ranges to mitigate the impacts of lower wine volumes.

The plant’s expansion and Heye’s innovative technology have made it increasingly efficient. With three furnaces, Orora became more flexible and generated more stability.

Hans-Peter Müller explains, “This is the kind of relationship we want to build with all our customers. Glass is a capital-intensive business so glassmakers seek partners like Heye who will be with them for the long haul and provide fresh solutions for the challenges they face.”

The ongoing collaboration has been a win-win-situation for both parties and has helped Orora prove to be a reliable partner for the wine, beer, spirits and olive oil industries in Australia.

Read the entire article here

The double servo shears mechanism is one of Heye's top sellers in the market. Main reasons are the cutting precision, the long lifetime and the ease of use (easy change of shear blades). A French customer has the double motor shears in operation since 1996!

One of the first dual motor shears from 1996 is still in operation today. After two overhauls in 2013 and 2019, the shears with the end number 23 are still doing their job to the full satisfaction of the customer Verallia France, usine de Lagnieu.

Statement of Verallia: “Due to the good experiences in the past, the Heye dual motor shears have completely convinced us. The safe and low-maintenance operation in particular has turned out to be a complete success.”

What made the Heye dual motor shears 2323 a role model in the container glass industry? The success of this development is essentially based on observing the requirements placed on such a mechanism:

• High, repeatable cutting speed with optimal cooling

• Stable control system

• Appropriate principle of operation

• Reliability and durability.

By using high-quality materials and standard parts from well-known manufacturers, Heye International guarantees a high and repetitive cutting. It is particularly important that the shear blades are arranged in such a way that the glass gobs are cut precisely and parallel. And that regardless of whether you drive double gob, triple gob or quad gob. An unwanted influence on the shape and the fall of the drop is thus avoided. In addition to the high cutting speed, which is essential for a clean cut, there is sufficient downtime of the knives for optimal cooling.

For more than 25 years, the Heye dual motor shears have been setting the benchmark. Depending on the conditions of use, an overhaul / revision is only necessary after six to nine years. Many shears have already had a service life of between 12 and 16 years without having undergone a general overhaul. The success of this product clearly shows that the aforementioned conditions were taken into account to a very high degree in the construction of the dual motor shears. The feedback from customers can be rated as consistently positive. The perfection, reliability and ease of use of this product leads to satisfaction and a high level of acceptance among users.

Read the entire article here: Heye dual motor shears: ingeniously simple and simply ingenious! - Glass International

Heye’s development of new inspection equipment responds to market demands, which are currently dominated by two trends: premiumisation and the journey to net zero.

Premiumisation and customisation – as brand owners seek further differentiation through packaging design – make inspection more challenging. Glass manufacturers have to meet demand for more non-round, complex shapes and more mini-ware. Those special operations like mini-ware and non-round containers are standard with Heye’s SmartLine 2.

Simultaneously, the packaging industry has to meet the need to restrict emissions throughout the supply chain. Heye constantly updates its inspection technology to deal with these challenges because increasing inspection efficiency reduces false positive ejection and energy consumption and keeps costs down for customers. Digitalisation and AI contribute strongly to the development.

Automated production driven by smart technology makes machine-powered processes more efficient, ultimately reducing raw material use, energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.

Heye uses AI extensively in the new software to train machines to read and react to different faults but also to understand when what may previously have been thought a fault is actually a design feature of the new container. This is explicitly demonstrated by the new AI-enabled Mould Number Reader KSL3.

Read the entire article& here: Driving glass inspection innovations at Heye through digitalisation - Glass Machinery, Plants & Accessories