The wild card

Bottles with larger diameters are typically produced using IS machines at all sites, including Nemšová. At the Slovak site, the replacement of an IS machine had already been scheduled for September 2025. This machine was replaced with an AIS-K: a technological hybrid that bridges the gap between the classic IS machine and the modern AIS machine with fully parallel opening and closing movements. “The AIS-K differs from standard AIS machines in that the parallel opening and closing movements are used only on the blank side,” explains Martin Wakolbinger, Group Technology and Projects Manager in Technical Engineering at Vetropack. “On the blow side, however, it features the classic angular opening mechanism, which provides greater geometric clearance during opening.”

Greater production flexibility

This additional space makes it possible to produce containers with diameters of more than 130 mm using the single-gob process. For standard wine or beer bottles, the machine is retrofitted to double-gob production. Thanks to the stability and cooling technology of the proven AIS machines, we can maintain high production speeds while achieving consistently high quality. “That is why the industry trend is towards the use of the more modern AIS machines,” says Martin Wakolbinger. The new flexibility was put to the test immediately after commissioning. The team successfully produced a wide range of products from a broad portfolio on the machine. “This versatility is the AIS-K’s greatest advantage. We can switch between double-gob and single-gob production, and manufacture containers ranging from small to very large formats. This opens up entirely new possibilities for us,” says Michal Červený Hot End Manager in Nemšová.

Spare parts, occupational safety and ergonomics

In Nemšová, another IS machine was replaced by the AIS 211 from St-Prex. As several standard AIS machines are already in operation, the entire machinery at the site has now been fully converted to AIS technology with the AIS-K and the AIS 211. This offers substantial strategic and economic benefits in terms of spare parts management, maintenance and machine operation. “We use the same components across all our machines. This optimises our spare parts inventory, keeps tied up capital to a minimum and ensures that critical parts are available immediately,” adds Wakolbinger. As the new machines have eliminated capacity bottlenecks in the forming process, Vetropack Nemšová s.r.o. can now make much more effective use of its existing melting furnace capacity. 

The AIS-K also brings improvements in occupational safety and ergonomics. A new safety barrier in the front moulding area ensures significantly enhanced protection for operating personnel during day-to-day operations. Thanks to the hybrid design, only minimal ergonomic adjustments are required during mould changeovers, while the overall process remains entirely familiar to the team. 

“Introducing a completely new machine design always presents challenges. What matters is how quickly the team can find solutions – and in this case, cross-departmental collaboration worked perfectly,” said Červený. 

The user interfaces are also identical. Thanks to the high degree of standardisation, no extensive training was required. Machine operators can switch seamlessly from a standard AIS machine to the AIS-K. This also results in even more reliable process control. If a fault occurs on the AIS-K, the maintenance team can respond immediately, drawing on many years of experience with the existing AIS machines. The learning curve is virtually eliminated. The fact that Nemšová can fully leverage the synergies offered by the standardised and modern AIS machine family makes the site even more flexible and future-proof.