Processing and packaging is what dairy processors do, and for most dairy products the second part of the equation is done with filling equipment. Whether it’s a gravity fed rotary filler for gallon jugs of milk, a volumetric ice cream filler or an in-line cup filler for yogurt, the filler is the integral packaging component in most dairy lines.

Fillers have become faster, more precise, and more hygienic over the years. The latest models offer sophisticated integrated controls and engineering that enables ease of maintenance and changeover. 

This doser from Harpak is suitable for filling bread crumbs, any type of granular products and cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, both shredded and diced. The speed of the feed and dosing belts are variable control. The VF/SPM is suitable for dosing liquid and semi-liquid products containing solid pieces up to .5-in. cubed.

Harpak Inc.
508/238-8884
www.harpak.com

The Vemag and its attachments are available in a variety of sizes and capacities to meet any output requirement – from smaller production runs to fully automated, high-speed production lines. Vemag Cheese Filling/Coextrusion Systems are suited for producing all types of cheese-filled products, including cheese-filled meatballs, kievs, dumplings, breadsticks, pockets, croquettes and more. The systems can also produce a continuous stream of filled product onto a belt for downstream freezing and dividing. Also from Resider is the Repak horizontal form, fill, seal packaging machines are constructed of stainless steel, designed for complete wash downs. Two 4-point lifting stations can generate up to five metric tons of closing pressure for reliable sealing and more uniform forming. Repak’s rapid air forming system allows the use of thinner films while maintaining thickness in package corners. The programmable and fault-finding diagnostic software is user friendly.

Reiser Intl.
781/821-1290
www.reiser.com

Designed to meet the particular needs of small and medium-size ice cream producers, CAF 24/36 are compact rotary filling machines available in two sizes. CAF 36 is intended for the production of cups, cones and squeeze-up products and the CAF 24 for bulk products.     

Gram Equipment
+45 73 20 17 00
www.gram-equipment.com

Elopak

The Pure-Pak U-S80A is a flexible, high-speed machine for aseptically filling products in Pure-Pak Classic and Curve cartons. It can fill three sizes at the same time, (e.g., quarts, pints) at speeds up to 8,100 cartons per hour. The system uses a combination of UV light and hydrogen peroxide to achieve sterility with minimal hydrogen peroxide consumption. The double diaphragm filler is highly accurate, even with products containing soft fruit pulp.

Elopak Inc.
248/486-4600
www.elopak.com

The RUF-Filler can handle a variety of ice cream products: cones, cups, containers, squeeze-ups and cakes. Up to 10 operating stations are available for dispensing, filling, lidding and ejecting. The product boasts short change-over time between ice cream products.

Waukesha Cherry-Burrell
800/252-5200       
www.spxprocessequipment.com

Fogg

The Fogg F6.2 is the latest version of the F6.1 model. This filler has been loaded with upgrades, including improved bottle registration and a sloped base for improved drainage. The feedscrew is directly clutched to protect the machine from damage. It has OSHA-compliant guarding to prevent underneath access to rotating parts. The number of critical (wear) parts has also been reduced, which makes the model easier to service.  

FOGG
616/786-FOGG
www.foggfiller.com

Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. Inc. offers several automated solutions for packaging gable top cartons into corrugate cases. These case packers can be designed as a horizontal, or a top or bottom load vertical case packer, and will pack half-gallon gable top cartons at speeds up to 33 cases per minute, depending on pack pattern. The high-speed horizontal case packer is designed for repeatable, rapid changeovers from the 3-pack convenience case to the 4- 6- and 8-pack case for half-gallon style cartons. Schneider has other machine designs to accommodate half-pint, pint, quart, and gallon cartons.  Features include, Allen Bradley Logix controls, a multiple case size magazine, touch-screen operation and diagnostics. Accessible construction in stainless steel (carbon steel available) and NEMA 4X construction (NEMA 12 available) are features.

Schneider Packaging Equipment Company
315/676-3035
www.schneiderequip.com

OK International offers its new Superfiller SR2 and SR4. These fillers are high speed, high accuracy digital fillers and weighers for bulk semi liquid oils and fats, such as shortening and margarine. All are equipped with Allen-Bradley controls. Non-drip nozzles permit cleaner, accurate filling without moving parts above the product.

OK International
508/303-8286
www.okcorp.com

The Tetra Pak A3/Speed filling machine was designed to reduce operating costs for large-scale manufacturers utilizing the Tetra Brik Aseptic packaging line. The increased production capacity extends beyond 12,000 packs/hour, while the unit requires less floor-space than previous lines, and reduces personnel, maintenance and utility costs.

Tetra Pak
847/955-6000
www.TetraPakUSA.com

Hassia’s THM 16/48 thermoform fill and seal machine is for dairy products with nominal outputs that can exceed 1,440 cups per minute. This all servo-driven machine, in non-aseptic and aseptic versions, is efficient, flexible, and ensures accurate high speed filling of liquid to highly viscous products. Also in-mold labeling, spot/side or wraparound, is available.

IWKA Packaging USA
732/536-8770
www.iwkapackagingusa.com

Model 817 is the newest addition to the Tindall Packaging line. The new model is designed for non-round half gal containers. It runs at speed up to 1,800 containers per hour, it’s air operated, and features all stainless steel construction. The filler is mounted on wheels and offers continuous fill and speed synchronization to freezer. It also features a positive container denester and automatic lidding system, and  accurate volumetric fill with no stopping of product. This machine is simple to operate and no preventative maintenance is required. Optional equipment includes a three-flavor divided filling nozzle, one-or two- flavor variegators, and a flip rotator to turn over  every other container.

Tindall Packaging
269/649-1163
www.tindallpackaging.com

The new Model 704-PF is an in-line machine designed to handle products like potato salad, sour cream, and cole slaw. It can handle container sizes ranging from 48 oz. to 3 gal. and is intended for applications not requiring a tamper-evident heat seal. Featuring an improved  piston-filling feature, the PF features direct-acting controls. The unit is ideal for the manufacturing facility that favors an in-line layout, rather than rotary.

TD Sawvel
877/488-1816 or 763/479-4322
www.tdsawvel.com

High-speed production can be achieved on Evergreen’s linear indexing bottle filling systems at speeds up to 54,000 bottles per hour or 16,000 cph on a carousel platform. Clean (sterile air cover), ultra clean (Extended Long Life), and aseptic applications with multiple dosing stations for both liquids and particulates allow for more flexibility. Multiple bottle configurations can also be run on the same machine. Domed bottles are fed into the machine, and an integrated neck trimmer splices off the injection-molded head. The bottles are already within the clean area of the filling machine, which prevents the bottle from being recontaminated. The bottles move through a combination thermal and chemical sterilization process. They are then filled, have a foil lid applied and sealed on the bottle, and are sent to a downstream capping machine. 

Evergreen Packaging Equipment
319/399-3306
www.evergreenpackaging.com

Modern Packaging designs and manufactures precision packaging systems for the dairy industry. All units are 24-hour production machines that are servo or cam driven, have stainless-steel construction and can be either aseptic or positive clean air pressure filling systems. Systems are either straight line or rotary with custom features.

Modern Packaging Inc.
631/595-2437
www.modernpackaginginc.com

Huhtamaki’s new filling machine, model FC-2320 Filler/Capper, is specifically designed to meet the needs of the frozen dessert industry. This machine is capable of filling a range of frozen dessert packaging—round or non-round tapered containers. Features include speeds up to 150 containers per minute; stainless-steel construction; and simplified conveyor construction to allow easy cleaning of conveyor belt.

Huhtamaki Americas
913/583-3025
www.huhtamaki.com

The Hoyer Comet range from Tetra Pak Hoyer consists of two in-line machines, the Hoyer Comet N1 and Hoyer Comet C2 and one rotary model the Hoyer Comet R-C1. Except for the small Hoyer Comet R-C1 rotary model all Hoyer Comet machines are equipped with PLC control systems to provide accurate control of production parameters and easy changeover through pre-programming facilities. Quick-lock lamellas and readily mountable equipment also keep product changeover times to a minimum. Hoyer also produces two semi-automatic fillers: the Hoyer Comet CF-C1 Bulk Filler and the Hoyer Comet TEF Time Elapse Unit for filling cups.

TetraPak Hoyer
262/249-7400
www.terapakhoyer.com

Osgood Single Lane indexing machines are designed for filling and closing of 1/2 gal round/rectangular tapered or straight-walled ice cream containers with recessed or flat bottoms. Servomotor driven mechanism lifts the container to the extrusion filler nozzle with operator set-point adjustments for highly accurate fill volumes of each flavor. Machines come complete with a lid unscrambler and a lid detection/rejection device for up-side-down lids. Options include: roll stock heat seal, revolving variegate, and Neapolitan flavors. Osgood Industries Inc. specializes in packaging machinery and can build machinery to fill all preformed containers with any product. The company has many standard machine models, which can all be configured to meet individual filling needs.

Osgood Industries Inc.
813/855-7337
www.osgoodinc.com

Van Meurs offers both aseptic and non-aseptic bag-in-box filling machines for filling of dairy products to include cheese sauces, yogurt, and beverages. These machines can be configured with single or multiple filling heads, and offer easy and quickest change-over times. All brands of bags, closure types, and the ability to pre-vacuum the bag prior to filling are benefits. These machines utilize a PLC controller that provides low maintenance, smooth operation and filling capacities in excess of 1,427 gal. per hour.

Van Meurs
856/241-9970
www.mpegroupusa.com

Norse Dairy Systems introduces the Turbo 1091, an upgrade to its ice cream sandwich filler.  Available to customers who use NDS wafers, the Turbo 1091 produces 180 sandwiches per minute.  The touch screen, menu-driven Turbo 1091 offers registered poly-wrap and paper-wrap capability.

Norse Dairy Systems
800/NDS-CONE
www.norse.com

The Gemini from DariFill is designed to fill cups and cones at rates up to 300 pieces per minute. This portable filler allows flexibility in the dairy while its rugged design provides reliability and consistent production. Quick change over and state-of-the-art controls improve efficiency and increase available production time. The Gemini fill valves can introduce syrup stripes and patterns and multiple flavor fills. Available options include dry topping dispensers, wet topping dispensers, heat seal lidding, spoon dispensing, pump carts, chocolate tanks, and cup packing. DariFill, Westerville, Ohio, also  supplies paper and plastic containers and cones.

DariFill Inc.
614/890-3274
www.darifill.com