Page 51 - AMEFT Journal 2021-2

PROCESSING & PACKAGING
reproduced at all times. This reduces the time for format changeovers by up to 40%.
Optional flexible servo capper
Instead of one drive for all ten capping heads, each capping head is equipped with two servodrives apiece. While the first drive lifts and lowers the capper cone, the second drive controls the capping rotation. The servodrives are programmed on the HMI. Automated conversion and the reproducibility associated with this allow different caps to be used, thus increasing flexibility without the operator having to make any manual adjustments. The parameters needed for correct capping of the PET bottles are stored in what are known as cap recipes; each cap used can be indivi- dually configured.
Improved bottle fixing
Bottle grippers act as an anti-twist lock that holds the container in place just above its base while the screw capper screws the bottle cap closed. KHS has now replaced the previous circular rubber bumpers held by one arm respectively by much larger half- shells that are attached to two arms each. The effect is similar to holding a bottle with two hands instead of with four fingers: the larger contact surface reliably prevents unwanted rotation of the container. The bottles are correctly capped; the number of leaky containers channeled out and thus the reject rate are reduced.
Switching valves for optimum filling behavior
Increasing product diversity in the beverage industry means that some products are more challenging to fill than others because of their foaming properties. Flexibility is called for here. A new switching valve controls the volume of the inflow to the actual filling valve and thus permits a total of four different infeed speeds. The infeed speed is stored in the product recipes; there is no need for manual conversion. This improves filling accu- racy and means that the filling volume
can be more easily reproduced.
New ring gap filling valve for pulp and fibers
If the portfolio requires it, beverages with pulp and fibers can be processed by the new ring gap filling valve wit- hout any loss of performance. Pro- ducts with fibers 15–20 millimeters long and a high pulp content can even
One of the leading manufacturers of filling and
packaging systems for the beverage
and liquid food industries, the
KHS Group with numerous subsidiaries has achieved a turnover of around €1.260 billion.
be filled without the machine beco- ming blocked or clogged. As opposed to the usual filling valves with a gas lock, on the new valves the valve cone is placed directly at the discharge so that nothing sprays or drips. What’s more, the filling jet is so homogenous and streamlined that a lot less foam forms in the bottle.
Longer maintenance intervals
Whereas in the past maintenance
was required at relatively short inter- vals for microbiological reasons, with each session lasting five to eight hours, maintenance intervals have now been lengthened so that machines only need to be serviced once or twice a year. Thanks to improved hygiene, in- creasing experience in the operation of machines and modern materials such as PTFE (polytetrafluorethylene or Teflon), KHS has been able to redu- ce its safety buffer down to a reasona- ble level. Now four times longer, these intervals follow on from one another and include all tests previously perfor- med during maintenance. This gives beverage producers much higher ma- chine availability. Operators also pro- fit from cost savings for maintenance and overhauls of up to 20% within five years.
Aseptic filling technology from KHS is complemented by an extensive portfolio of proven process enginee- ring machines. “We provide systems and solutions from a single sour- ce. These range from the blending of components in the syrup room through deaeration and aseptic flash pasteurization just before filling to chunk dosing in a dual-flow process,” Härtel emphasizes.
The Dortmund company thus pro- vides the full bandwidth of technolo- gies and services needed to make the increasingly popular beverages in the sensitive product segment – from ac- ceptance of the raw material concent- rate through design of the bottles and their components to filling and packa- ging of the product.
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AMEFT 2 2021 51
Improved bottle grippers: With their larger contact surface, improved bottle grippers prevent unwanted rotation of the container during capping.
(Source: KHS Group)