THE CLIENT
The customer is an important Italian industrial company specialised in the production of plastic packaging, technical films and flexible extrusions. With highly automated plants operating continuously, the company supplies the food and industrial packaging chain, guaranteeing excellent quality standards.
THE NEED
In the plastics processing sector, the thermal and mechanical continuity of the process is everything. Extrusion and blowing lines are based on molten polymers brought to precise temperatures: even a network micro-interruption of less than 200 milliseconds can trip the motor drives (inverters) and switch off the heating resistors.
Each micro-interruption caused:
- Line stoppage and polymer solidification: the plastic material cooled inside the extrusion screw or die, requiring hours of manual work for cleaning and restart.
- Severe material waste: entire production batches were compromised and had to be disposed of as scrap.
- Mechanical damage: restarting equipment under load generated strong stress on extruders and blow-moulding heads, increasing extraordinary maintenance costs.
OUR SOLUTION
To protect the entire plant from disturbances on the electrical network, Ortea Next installed an Oxygen Zero 1500 kVA K micro-interruption compensator.
Thanks to its impressive 1500 kVA rating and supercapacitor technology, the system provides the energy required to compensate even the deepest network micro-interruptions, intervening in less than 5 milliseconds.
The key advantages identified by the customer:
- Industrial rating and transient management: ability to absorb the strong current peaks typical of the start-up of large motors on extrusion lines.
- K configuration for maximum safety: integrated automatic circuit breakers and an interlocked electromechanical bypass guarantee service continuity even during compensator maintenance activities.
- Environmental resistance: unlike batteries, supercapacitors are not affected by the thermal fluctuations typical of plastic moulding departments, maintaining a life expectancy of over 10 years.
- Sustainability: zero lead or chemical emissions, fully in line with the company’s circular economy policies.