High performance and maximum hygiene for bottling milk

One of the first dairies in the US to expand into ESL (extended shelf life) products. The company has integrated a new turnkey ESL line from Krones in Phoenix, Arizona. A key factor leading to the dairy’s choice was the availability of Krones Inc. as a US base for full service and technical support. The new line fills 8, 12, 32, and 62 ounce HDPE bottles at 24,000 bph.
According to the company’s specifications, the sterilization and rinsing processes are carried out in a rotary system within a rinser-filler bloc in order to achieve a high degree of sterilization.

• Sleevematic labeler
  A shrinkable film sleeve is applied to cover the entire surface of the empty containers in two labeling stations. The bottles are then transferred to the steaming tunnel, where the labels are shrunk to fit the containers’ contours.
  
• AirCo air conveyor
  The sleeved bottles are passed to the rinser-filler bloc via a neck handling air conveyor. The advantages of the air conveyor are high speed and secure, stable bottle transport.
  
• Rinser-filler bloc with
  
  Double-channel Variojet rinser
  Prior to filling, the bottles are treated with disinfectant and sterile water in the Variojet rinser. The bottles are turned upside down and flushed.
  
  Sensometic VPGW weighing filler
  The 54-head Sensometic weighing filler ensures low-foam filling at high flow speeds, smooth product feed to the valve, and non-contact filling in a smooth stream. The separation from the plant environment and formation of a large clean room with HEPA filters provides optimum hygiene. The filler meets all criteria for 3A certification on the US market.
  
  Sealer and capper
  In the bloc, the bottles are safety sealed before moving to the capper, where they can be fitted with a variety of functional caps or special closures.
  
• Checkmat inspector
  Once they’ve been labeled, filled, and capped, an x-ray device checks the bottles for fill level, aluminum foil seal, and cap. Defective bottles are removed from the line.
  
• SynCo conveyors
  Bulk conveyors then carry the containers to the packer. The bulk conveyors can transport more bottles at a lower speed. This reduces the risk of bottles tipping and generates less congestion, which results in higher performance.