The KDF 2NEO is Hauni’s future-proof successor to the world’s best-selling filter machine AF-KDF 2/2ER. Many established solutions offer limited potential for meeting the production requirements of future innovative products. The KDF 2NEO is not only capable of producing all the standard and special filters available on the market today – its modular design also offers the technical features that the market will demand for expansions in the next ten or 15 years.
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New filter makers: investing pays off
Money matters
Budget is one of the key factors that manufacturers must consider when deciding whether to invest in a new machine or continue to use existing equipment. “However, the purchase price is not the only issue at stake,” explains Andreas Johannsen, Product Manager Filter Making. “The key question is how quickly the savings from new purchases exceed the initial acquisition costs.” Here, the numbers for the KDF 2NEO are more than respectable: with older filter machines, more than four percent of production is often lost as waste during the manufacturing process – resulting in costs of around EUR 187,500 for a production facility making 1.5 billion sticks per year. Overhauling an older machine to keep it in operation adds a further EUR 280,000 in costs. “Purchasing a new KDF 2NEO eliminates these overhaul costs and reduces waste to less than 1.5 percent, for an annual saving of around EUR 140,000,” explains Johannsen. “It ensures a return on investment within three years – not even including the reduced handling and maintenance costs.”
Technology for the future
The KDF 2NEO’s simple operation and troubleshooting systems offer considerable potential for additional savings, e.g. rapid troubleshooting via VISU+, low downtimes and reduced demands on operating personnel. Its output exceeds that of older machines by around a quarter with an efficiency level of greater than 90 percent. Alongside its consistently high output and quality levels, the machine’s excellent reliability and state-of-the-art programmable logic controller (PLC) and sensor system will make the KDF 2NEO the technology platform for the next decade and beyond.
For example, the low-noise filter rod maker’s hardware and software are designed to facilitate the future integration of new sensors. It is also simple to connect up with AREO and all common IT security systems. “The machine’s extensive data analysis options are another plus point,” says Johannsen. “Easily accessible shift reports and statistics boost performance through targeted error analysis.”
lWith the KDF 2NEO, customers are buying a future-proof but also highly cost-effective solution – it’s not for nothing that we guarantee an ROI within three years.r
Andreas Johannsen, Product Manager Filter Making
Flexibility for success
When designing the KDF 2NEO, Hauni put a strong focus on flexibility – and not only in terms of future filter production requirements. “By using individual drives and eliminating a main gearbox, the KDF 2NEO dramatically reduces the conversion time required for format changes. The conversion for a filter length change is completed in one hour, the conversion for a filter diameter change in three hours. Existing AF-KDF 2/2ER format parts can still be used with an adapter plate,” reports Johannsen. “Outstanding flexibility, quality and efficiency of the machine were our benchmarks when developing the KDF 2NEO. After all, the challenge was nothing less than to design a successor to the world’s most successful filter maker.”
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