Renovating the white glass line at the Pöchlarn plant

A brand-new utilisation concept for the white glass lines in Pöchlarn and Kremsmünster was developed in order to make maximum use of the two Austrian white glass furnaces and optimise line utilisation at both plants. In Kremsmünster, the line was also converted for triple-gob production, meaning that items with large batch sizes can now be moved from Pöchlarn to Kremsmünster. The Pöchlarn white glass line has been redesigned so that in return, suitable items can now be relocated from Kremsmünster to Pöchlarn. These changes enable us to better meet the increasing demand for white glass.

Reconstruction of feeder

The large-scale renovation work on the white glass line in Pöchlarn began on 21 September 2020 with the demolition of the fireproof material on the feeder and the entire infrastructure. The fireproof material on the feeder was replaced, equipping it for the higher tonnage required. The line’s machine bed was lowered, which also adjusted the incline of the annealing furnace. Working on the line is now much more ergonomic for the employees.

Occupational safety increased

The installation of a blank side barrier system minimizes the risk of reaching into the station while it is in operation. The good view of the operating status remains unchanged. The Pöchlarn plant is the first in the Vetropack Group to be equipped with this safety system. The installed lubricating robot is the newest of its kind.

Modernisation at the cold end

Four new Symplex testing machines recognise the binary mould code of the glass containers via the barrel camera. Pleats and bubbles on the body of the container are easier to detect and any mould-related errors are reported to the hot end using real-time images. An update of both Check+ testing machines, four glass orientators and new glass scanners at the packer to detect shards of glass on the pallet complete the new infrastructure on white glass line.