Innovative generation of Innofill Glass Micro fillers now also for the wine and sparkling wine sector
SMEs profit from high-performance, tried-and-tested KHS systems
In the Innofill Glass Micro KHS recently launched a new series of fillers to market that have been specially designed for small and medium-sized beverage companies. The brewing and soft drinks sectors were the first to profit from the system which can be used as a platform for various computer-controlled KHS filling machinery. The Innofill Glass Micro is now available to the wine and sparkling wine trade. Here, too, the need for hygienic, top-quality filling systems for the low to medium capacity range is constantly growing worldwide.Customers who procure an Innofill Glass Micro machine will profit from KHS' vast experience in top-performance filling technology. Many of the established components found in high capacity machines and subject to permanent further development are utilized here, among them filling systems, drive and control systems, capping and corking elements, rinsing stations, and lifting elements. Plant operators will also benefit from the use of a number of highly developed KHS technologies which can give them the added extras of very low oxygen filling with low consumption of CO2 and extremely high filling accuracies, for example. The Innofill Glass Micro for the wine and sparkling wine sector can be fitted with 24 to 60 filling stations and fill between 3,000 and 20,000 bottles per hour, these holding from 0.1 to 2 liters. Both glass and PET bottles (optional) can be processed. The machine is available in three different sizes.
The DPG Trinox filling system has been implemented here, permitting both balanced pressure and pressurized filling. Operators can switch between the two by simply pressing a button. Prior to filling, on the DPG Trinox single or multiple pre-evacuation is possible with an interim purge of CO2 or nitrogen. If pressure filling is selected, there is a pressurization process before filling begins. In the DPG Trinox the product is deflected down the inside walls of the bottle via a swirler gas lock; the plastic spreader rings previously used as a deflecting system and which protruded into the bottle neck are no longer needed, ensuring maximum hygiene and product safety. The filling phase is completed when the product rising in the bottle closes the return gas tube. Another important aspect is that product, gas, and CIP media are fed in through hygienic seals, membranes, and expansion joints that prevent the formation of any deposits or biofilm. Utilizing the proven Trinox process in the DPG Trinox filler also enables precision fill levels to be achieved. The process is as follows: from the Trinox channel a pressure is built up on the level of the product in the previously overfilled bottle which is 0.3 to 0.5 bars higher than the set filling pressure, both in the case of balanced pressure and pressurized filling. This positive pressure ensures that excess liquid is forced gently back into the ring bowl through the Trinox tube positioned in the center of the bottle and filling valve. The process ends exactly at the moment that a minimum defined gap is produced between the level of the product and the end of the Trinox tube. The extremely precise fill levels produced by Trinox technology help to save money for product and also allow natural corks to be processed. Another huge plus of the Innofill Glass Micro is KHS' twin-valve control system. To date the DPG Trinox filling setup required three pneumatic switching functions per filling station, these being one gas cylinder apiece for evacuation, snifting, and the Trinox function. As a result, three solenoid valves, three pneumatic hoses, three electronic outputs, and three sets of wiring were also required per filling valve. The filler with 60 filling stations thus had 180 gas valves, 180 solenoid valves, and 180 electronic outputs with hoses. In the twin-valve control system two filling valves have been combined to make one processing unit, therefore cutting down on gas valves and solenoid valves and halving the number of electropneumatic control units. In turn, this reduces the complexity and maintenance of the machine, the number of spare parts needed, and costs for operation. Up to three different closure systems can be monoblocked as required with the Innofill Glass Micro DPG Trinox, with natural corks, aluminum screw caps, or PE stoppers all doable. This innovative filler can also be monoblocked with an upstream rinser if necessary.
All told, the Innofill Glass Micro for the wine and sparkling wine industry is a filler for the low to medium capacity range that provides outstanding filling quality and also helps to save both product and costs. In addition, it is also extremely flexible, easy to changeover, and consistent in its hygienic design.
