Flexibility fulfilled

Lynda Searby, Packaging News, 03 April 2008

 

One word sums up current developments in liquid filling systems: flexibility. Manufacturers and contract packers want to be sure the filling equipment they invest in is going to be future-proof and able to fill a variety of products into a variety of containers.

 

Peter Kierans, sales director of Optima Group Pharma UK, says: “Today, different types of filling system can be used on the same machine frame. So the filling system can be changed if a new product is introduced on the line, and even between shifts or production runs. Some of our pharmaceutical machines are even able to switch between filling systems for liquid and powder products.

 

“In the cosmetics industry it’s also of great importance that all kinds of jars and bottles can be run on the same machine, as designs change frequently.”

 

He says this requirement for flexibility is driving demand from cosmetic manufacturers for filling systems that incorporate CIP (clean-in-place) or SIP (sterilise-in-place) systems. “Product changeovers happen much faster if the piston or other filling system stays at the machine,” he says.

 

At Interpack, Optima will show filling systems for both the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. For pharmaceuticals, the Inova H6-10 is a 10-position syringe-filling and packaging machine capable of producing 36,000 finished syringes per hour. The machine on show will include an isolator-compatible robot, which pulls the Tyvek paper off tubs and disposes of it. The Kugler Linoline is a monobloc system for filling liquid and paste cosmetics. The machine’s modular concept enables both rotary and piston pumps to be used, as well as mass flow and magnetic induction filling systems.

 

Modular versatility

Adelphi Manufacturing is another filling equipment specialist that has responded to the requirement for greater flexibility, with its Response automation system.

 

Up to four Adelphi Response bench-top pneumatic filling machines can be plugged into the detachable mobile bed of the Response automation system, giving users the flexibility to run an automatic, four-head inline filler one day, and up to four semi-automatic fillers the next. The filling heads can handle pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food products, from liquids and creams to pastes and solids in suspension.

 

“For contract packers it’s quite exciting,” says sales director Dean Willis. “One day they can have a semi-automatic system filling thin liquids into bottles, then the next they can convert it into a pouch-sealing unit. The flexibility is as good as it gets. It can fill just about any product and can match the speed of any machine running a four-head automatic filling system.”

 

Sister company Masterfil, which was acquired by Adelphi last November, will also be present at Interpack, with several flexible liquid filling systems.

 

These will include a one- or two-head volumetric filler on a frame sized for growth – extra heads can be added to match increased output requirements. Masterfil says the filling heads offer a wide range of fill volumes and can handle low- to high- viscosity liquid. The nozzles are adjustable to fill foaming and non-foaming products with multiple speed filling capacity.

 

The company’s FlowMaster flow-meter filler is said to provide flexibility and quick product changeover times. It is available in semi-automatic format with one or two filling heads or as an automatic inline machine with up to 12 heads. With no pistons to clean, changeover time and cleaning are minimised, according to Masterfil.

 

Breitner, represented in the UK by Engelmann & Buckham, is also pushing flow-meter technology on the basis that it is easy to clean and maintain. The German company will demonstrate an inline liquid filling system with flow-meter technology. Breitner says the filler is distinguished by the vast product range it can process without the need for format parts, and claims that negligible component wear, zero service requirements and easy cleaning guarantee high production efficiency.

 

Problem products

There’s no doubt flow-meter systems offer many advantages over volumetric systems: they are easier to clean, are programmable to allow flow rate to be adjusted to suit the container, offer high accuracy and, since they measure mass rather than volume, are able to handle hot fills to a target weight.

 

However, as Ian Hillaby, sales director with ADG Packaging Systems (which incorporates the brands of Albro, Dico and Gravfil), points out, their operating method requires consistent product quality, with air bubbles within the product the most common source of inaccuracy.

 

“Air often enters the product during pumping from the main storage vessels or the blending plant and may take considerable time to clear, ruling out larger-volume settling tanks as a solution,” he says.

 

At Interpack, ADG will launch its new Excel Servo inline volumetric filler, which it says provides an advanced programmable alternative to flow-meter machines for problematic product applications. A six-head version fitted with five-litre cylinders, but capable of multi-dose filling of containers of up to 20 litres, will be on show. Applications include food, chemicals, personal care products and mineral oils.

 

ADG says the use of servos enables programmable fill volume and speed control, which can be set to follow a fill profile that matches the container shape. In this way, speed can be reduced at narrow points, such as container waists and shoulders, to prevent foaming.

 

It’s not just flow-meter fillers that are profiting from the cleaning issues associated with volumetric systems. Peter Mayhew, sales manager with Ocme UK, says he has witnessed a shift in the past few years from volumetric filling to net-weigh filling for products such as household detergents, personal care products and lube oil.

 

“Weigh filling is not only very accurate, but you can also clean the machines more easily. Volumetric fillers have a number of seals on them, whereas with weigh fillers there are no internal workings, apart from a couple of spray balls and a lance, so you can clean the tank very quickly and effectively,” he says.

 

But while volumetric fillers might have their issues, they are still the most widely used filling technique.

 

“There are always problems to solve, but it’s down to us to find new ways of handling them,” says Carlo Ferrari, marketing manager with Italian company Procomac, which specialises in designing aseptic lines for beverages.

 

Improved profile

He says Procomac has enhanced its filling systems by improving the profile of the product pipe so the magnetic flow-meter is positioned to achieve a better flow and more precise metering.

 

The company has also upgraded its proprietary control software, so it takes into account the historical trend for each individual filling head, to establish the optimum closing time and achieve better accuracy. The control system also provides the user with information about the performance of the valve, including the last filling error, total filling time and valve closure time, so the user can diagnose problems and improve accuracy.

 

M&P Engineering, meanwhile, has supplied a volumetric system to a Russian firm for depositing 3g of seasoned oil into cans of fish. M&P says this involved redesigning the filling head to accommodate small-volume cylinders and valve plugs. The accuracy achieved on 3g was +/- 0.1g and the maximum line capacity was 100g. Managing director Pamela Nugent says this success won M&P another contract to supply a 24-head monobloc filler to fill hot chilli sauce into 97ml glass jars.

 

“The machine is more economical than a full-scale model, because the filling heads are much cheaper to produce,” says Nugent. “It is also ideal for 30g pots of condiments and jams, balms and other viscous products,” she says.

 

 

 

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THE RIGHT FILLER FOR THE JOB

 

Volumetric fillers

Volumetric fillers can fill a wide range of products accurately, from watery liquids to thick pastes and products with particulates. However, they are slow compared with level fillers, have lots of moving parts, require regular maintenance and are difficult to clean. They are not generally suited for products that foam.

 

Weigh fillers

Weigh fillers, which measure out a predetermined mass of product, have the advantage that there are very few parts in contact with the product so they are easy to clean and lend themselves to both small and very large fills. On the minus side, their load cells and electronics make them complex.

 

Level fillers

These are the fillers of choice in the soft drink and brewing industries but they are considered too inaccurate for oils and are also unsuitable for creams, pastes and products with particulates.

 

Flow-meters

These have all the advantages of weigh fillers, in that they have few moving parts, and don’t have the complications of load cells. However, induction flow-meters are only suitable for aqueous and uniform products. Mass flow-meters, by contrast, do not depend on a product being aqueous or uniform, but the product contact area is greater than with induction flow meters and weigh fillers and they are quite expensive. Magnetic flow-meters can also cope with liquids containing pulps or fibres. They are generally used for still drinks and aseptic applications and can be fitted in counter-pressure fillers.

 

Gravity fillers

This type of filler is cheap and simple in operation, but is not that precise. Gravity fillers are often used for food and chemicals as they are easy to clean.

 

Vacuum fillers

These machines are used for filling still products without particulates, such as wine, oil and spirits, into rigid containers. Good fill-level accuracy can be achieved, but changeovers are lengthy.