New combined line for disposable and two-way PET bottles at Adelbodner

Mineralquellen Adelboden AG, founded in 1948, is tackling the next stage of modernisation at its bottling plant in the Bernese Oberland. The company initially erected a new bottle storage hall and is now replacing an existing PET line with a new combined line from Krones handling disposable and two-way PET bottles and rated at 26,000 0.5-litre bottles per hour.

Adelbodner has been part of the local utilities company Licht- und Wasserwerk Adelboden (LWA) since 2021. In addition to the new PET line from Krones, the company also runs a glass bottling line.

The mineral water bottler produces both the premium brand Adelbodner and the low-priced Adello range. The Adelbodner brand is filled in returnable glass bottles and PET containers of various sizes, and comprises an array of beverages, ranging from still water, spritzers and lemonades right through to juices. The Adello brand is available as still and carbonated water and as iced tea in PET containers. The mineral water company also fills various private labels for Swiss retailers and offers a contract-filling service.

In addition to the drinks listed above, Adelbodner also offers four different shots, something that is rather unusual for a mineral water bottler. They are available in two different flavours, with and without alcohol.

Project:	Turnkey PET line for disposable and two-way containers
Customer:	Mineralquellen Adelboden AG
Location:	Adelboden, Switzerland
Commissioning:	Early 2024
Scope:	The turnkey line consists of: ErgoBloc L wet-end block, with Contiform 3 Speed stretch blow-moulder, including a PET-View inspection system and a Contifeed RS preform roller sorter Ergomodul labeller with Contiroll station Modulfill VFS filler Two packers from the Variopac Pro series, for producing both shrink packs and cardboard trays Modulpal Pro 2A palletiser

All the process technology kit will also be supplied by Krones and comprises:

VarioClean system
Contiflow mixer
VarioFlash J pasteuriser
UniPure product filtration system

The new line in detail:

The line will be equipped to handle disposable PET containers and two-way PET bottles in returnable crates. This requires a combined palletiser, which is fitted with two infeed tables: For shrink packs with disposable bottles, the Modulpal Pro 2A features a shutter-type head that pushes the layers onto the pallet. For two-way containers, the palletiser uses a hook gripper head. The shrink packs are produced on a Variopac Pro FS with integrated handle applicator. As an option, shrink packs of four disposable bottles, for example, can beforehand be put on trays on a Variopac Pro T.

The line fills ten different container types, ranging in size between 0.5 and 1.5 litres. It fills carbonated beverages into bottles with a 28-mm neck finish and still beverages into 38-mm wide-neck bottles. Quick-change mechanisms are provided for neck-handling clamps and preform mandrels, for example. The Modulfill VFS filler has been designed without lift cylinders, for product feed from above.

The plant in Adelboden is located at an elevation of 1,350 metres, which makes it one of the highest filling facilities in Europe. The pressure conditions in the Contiform 3 Speed blow-moulder had to be specifically calculated to suit this altitude above sea level. It was not least the layout, which has been optimally matched to the space constraints in the hall, that really won the customer over. This configuration was made possible by the small footprint of the ErgoBloc L, in particular, which also requires fewer operators.