Suitable for
Projects that match this page decision
- Several PET bottle formats using a compatible handling concept
- Plants that can freeze drawings before design approval
- Buyers willing to define a repeatable changeover procedure
Format management / more than one SKU
Bottle Size Changeover and Adjustment Scope
A machine can be adjustable without being universally compatible. Every additional bottle and cap format should be named, reviewed and assigned either an adjustment procedure or a change-part scope.
Answer first
List all planned SKUs before quotation. Compare their neck finish, height, diameter, shape and cap. Ask the supplier to identify tool-free settings, adjustable guides, format parts, change time basis and which formats will be tested at FAT.
Not suitable for
Boundaries that need a different platform or review
- Future bottles with unknown geometry
- Assuming all 500-2000 ml bottles need no parts
- Adding a second cap family without sorter and chute review
Inputs required
Evidence to provide before confirmation
- Dimensioned drawing and sample for every SKU
- Bottle neck and cap comparison matrix
- Expected production sequence and changeover frequency
- Available storage and identification for format parts
Machine function
What happens at this machine or decision boundary
- The review separates common machine settings from format-specific items.
- Guides, transfer points and cap handling are checked across the format envelope.
- The approved method becomes part of training, spares and FAT planning.
Configuration decisions
Options that must appear in the proposal
- Manual adjustment versus dedicated parts
- Reference format for rated output
- Format-part storage and identification
- FAT matrix and changeover timing method
Interface requirements
Upstream, downstream and utility handovers
- Upstream bottles must arrive in a stable orientation for every format.
- Outfeed and downstream equipment need matching guide ranges.
- Control recipes should correspond to physical settings and parts.
Buyer risks
Questions to close before order
- Undocumented settings that cannot be repeated by operators
- Star-wheel or guide interference with a new bottle shape
- Quoting one speed and applying it to every SKU
FAT checks
How to verify the agreed basis
- Complete at least one documented format change during FAT.
- Verify correct parts, settings and recipe identification.
- Run representative small and large formats at their agreed basis.
Quotation scope
What the commercial offer should state
- Named SKU list and revision status
- Included format parts and adjustment points
- Changeover tools, instructions and training
- FAT formats, duration and output basis
Allot Tech / bottle-size-changeover
Turn this decision into a comparable machine scope
Send the bottle, cap, reference output, existing equipment and destination. Final values are confirmed in the project proposal.