Equipment Technology: Filler Showcase

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.

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

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

WCB Ice Cream fillers are designed to handle a wide variety of ice cream products- Squrounds, pints, cups, cones, squeeze-ups and more. A complete spectrum of heat seal capabilities and other tamper-evident methods are available. The RUF rotary filler in single lane and the Futura in-line filler in 2-lane are the standard solution for filling the square-round carton. WCB Ice Cream fillers are designed to easily accept change parts for different size and/or shape cartons and lids. Very robust construction and simple drive mechanism mean very low maintenance requirement and no lost production due to breakdowns. WCB Ice Cream fillers are built to the highest level of sanitary design, and they are built to operate in a dairy type environment.

WCB
215/425-4320
www.wcbicecream.com

Norse Dairy Systems' new 1091 Rapid Pack System uses robotics as an integral part of the production process. Robotics means faster operating speeds for greater productivity and a smaller, more cost-effective, operating team, the company claims. The NDS 1091 Rapid Pack System handles the repetitive task of loading wafers quickly and consistently. Robotics also speed the packaging of finished ice cream sandwiches from two fillers via an integrated top-loading cartoner.

Norse Dairy Systems
614/421-5330
www.norse.com

Filler Specialties introduces the FSI-1LB Monobloc Filler & Capper Series. This sanitary series includes the GWFS-248, AWFS-3612 and AWFS-4515 filler models. They are ideal for fluid milk, and drinkable yogurt. Features include patented ESL Clean-In-Place filling valve technology, optional pick-and-place capping turrets, and machine enclosures, including FSI's Ultra-Clean enclosure with HEPA filtration.

Filler Specialties Inc.
616/772-9235
www.filler-specialties.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.

Ice Cream Filling Equipment from Big Drum is built for demanding applications that require high throughput and efficiency with capabilities for multiple fills and decorated products. The machines are capable of filling large containers, extruded products, novelty cups, ball-top and other cones, push-style tubes and squeeze-up tubes.

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

Fogg Company of Holland, Mich. has introduced a new turnkey, fully-integrated filling system designed specifically for low-alcohol, dairy-based alcoholic beverages. The compact configuration, which integrates a high performance rotary rinser, filler and capping system in a safety enclosure, requires a small footprint. External controls can be programmed for specific containers, allowing the operator to change bowl, rinser and capper heights with the push of button. Dynamic CIP technology, activated automatically or manually from the external control panel, cleans the filling bowl and valves while the bowl continues to operate. More stringent sanitation technologies, such as HEPA cleanrooms, are available.

Fogg Company
616/786-3644
www.foggfiller.com

A Pure-Pak® H90-UC filling machine from Elopak Inc. has increased flexibility and improved shelf life for Farmers Dairy in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The H90-UC fills 9,000 gable-top cartons per hour (half-gallon cross-section). Since it has two lines running independently, the dairy can run different products, with caps of different colors, at the same time. It can also run half-gallons on one line and 2-liter cartons on the other. The machine is designed for fresh milk and other non-carbonated liquid products. Ultra-clean features, include a HEPA filter, carton sterilizing, and a CIP system.

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

Hassia offers the SAS 20/30 Aseptic Stick-Pack Form/Fill/Seal Machine, a multi-lane machine to package low-acid food products aseptically, increasing their shelf life

to a year without refrigeration, the company claims. After being processed aseptically, foods such as cheese and puddings can be packaged on the SAS 20/30 under commercially sterile conditions. The self-contained SAS 20/30 automatically manages its own pre-sterilization and sterilization processes then constantly monitors all critical parameters to ensure that an aseptic packaging environment is always maintained.

Hassia
732/536-8770
www.hassiausa.com

The new Model 704-PF from T.D. Sawvel is an in-line machine designed to handle products like potato salad, cottage cheese, cole slaw, salsa and similar prepared foods. It can handle container sizes ranging from 48 oz. to 3 gal. and is intended for applications not requiring a tamper-evident heat seal. The PF, which features direct-acting controls, is suited for manufacturing facilities that feature in-line layout rather than rotary.

T.D. Sawvel
877/488-1816
www.tdsawvel.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

Modern Packaging designs and manufactures precision packaging systems for the food, dairy, cosmetic, and drug industries. The SL series cup filling systems from Modern Packaging feature single or multiple filling capabilities, no-cup-stop or no-cup-fill options, filling speeds from 40-720 cups per minute, 2-oz to 10-lb filling capacity, no-drip cut-off nozzles, coder option (reciprocating, Ink-Jet, etc.), and CIP/SIP options. All units are 24 hour production machines that are servo or cam driven, have stainless steel construction and can either be aseptic or positive clean air pressure filling systems. The company builds a variety of systems in either straight line or rotary with custom features that best fit the customer requirements. In addition, all systems are easy to operate, maintain and fulfill all USDA and 3A dairy standards.

Modern Packaging
631/595-2437
www.modernpackaging.com

The TBA/22 and TBA/19 from Tetra Pak are filling machines for the aseptic packaging of liquid foods. With a very compact footprint allowing processors to expand capacity in existing space without having to invest in major extensions or new plants, the TBA/22 has been designed to reduce costs and raise productivity. Savings are achieved through reduced labor costs, lower utility consumption, improved space utilization and less waste on a per package basis. The TBA/22 can achieve capacities of 20,000 packages per hour. The TBA/19 can produce various package types and shapes of portion pack volumes (from 100 to 330 ml) with a capacity ranging from 6,000 to 7,500 p/h, depending on package volume.

Tetra Pak
800/358-3872
www.tetrapakusa.com

Serac, Inc., a leading manufacturer of filling and capping equipment, offers the dairy industry monoblocked rotary net weight filler/capper machines. Some features include: no tool changeover, true clean in-place system, no bottle/no fill/no cap and stainless steel construction. The Serac unique filling process is directed by computer weight control that continuously self corrects so product giveaway in miniminzed. For over thirty years Serac has designed and manufactured premium filling and capping systems. The filling systems accommodate liquid, semi-liquid or viscous products. The United States manufacturing facility is located in Carol Stream, Ill., and employs more than 40 people including engineers, technicians and customer service personnel, and occupies over 40,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space. Other manufacturing sites are located in France, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Spain and the UK.

Serac Inc.
630/570-9343
PhaedraN@serac-usa/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

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