Oil contamination is an invisible enemy in all bottling installations and aseptic environments. Even the slightest traces of oil can result in altered or toxic product batches and health hazards for the consumers, recalls and reputation damage, as well as costly production downtime and cleanup. Atlas Copco's 40-bar ZD compressor eliminates the risks of oil contamination by virtue of the design itself.Last September 15, 2008, Atlas Copco announced in Belgium that its ZD high pressure compressors are the first in the world to offer PET packaging production the security of 100% certified oil-free air with a Class 0 certification. Risk of any contamination by oil is effectively eliminated during PET bottle blowing for the bottled water, soft drink, fruit juice and beverage industry.
Testing of ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certification was carried out by the renowned independent
Technische Überwachungs-Verein (German Technical Monitoring Association, or ‘TÜV’), using the most stringent test methods available, simulating realistic industrial environments. At all test conditions, no traces of oil could be detected and the compressed air was certified to be in the category 'Class 0' in terms of oil content. Atlas Copco is now the only compressor manufacturer to have all of its oil-free air technologies certified ‘Class 0’.
”The ZD reflects what Atlas Copco calls ’Reliability by design,’” explains Ronnie Leten, Atlas Copco's Business Area President, Compressor Technique. “The ZD's unique combination of oil-free rotary screw technology for the first two stages and piston technology for the last two stages has resulted in the best-in-class product in terms of safety, energy efficiency, reliability and flexibility.”
Reducing energy costs
The Atlas Copco ZD remains the most energy-efficient and silent 40 bar compressor available, while maintaining the flexibility and reliability required by the high-volume PET blowing market. Another innovation is the offer for an integrated variable speed drive (VSD), which is particularly useful if bottle sizes change frequently. With the VSD, up to 35% energy savings can be achieved.Reliability
The high volumes of PET production lines and their continuous operation mean that the reliability of PET blowing compressors is extremely important. Atlas Copco produces high-pressure air in four stages, achieving lower pressure ratios per stage. This means less wear-and-tear and reduced maintenance costs.
Reduced installation costs
With a model at 76.4 dBA , the ZD is the most silent high-pressure compressor available. Atlas Copco was the first company to fit all of its ZDs with silencing canopies as standard, therefore eliminating the need and cost for a separate compressor room. The ZD is delivered with a concrete base-plate to absorb vibrations, so no foundation or fixation bolts are required; handling is via forklift.The flexible ZD can simultaneously deliver both high-pressure air for blowing needs and medium-pressure air for labeling, instrumentation and capping; this eliminates the supplementary investment in a standalone medium pressure compressor. Both segments of the ZD can be installed directly adjacent to the blower. With the ZD, Atlas Copco has innovated to provide the safest, most energy efficient compressed air solution for the PET blowing industry.
