Hot filling and CSD in a single solution

Belonging to the latest generation of isobaric electronic fillers, a monobloc supplied to Morocco can process up to 24,000 cans/hour in the most popular formats. The Sacmi ECF, a filling solution for both carbonated and still canned drinks, is the ‘star’ of a key order for that country.

The Group, which operates in Morocco through a dedicated branch – Sacmi North Africa – established as part of a joint venture with the leading local bottler. The solution is designed to handle both still products (juices, etc.) and fruit-based CSDs that also contain pulp and fibre.

The supplied monobloc – which includes the seamer that seals the can after filling – has a centre-to-centre of 167 mm and operates with 27 filling valves, downstream from which there are four seaming stations. This solution can handle “regular” or “slim” cans in the most popular 250 and 330 ml formats. Thanks to the container handling system – which operates by supporting containers from underneath – and advanced electronic-volumetric filling technology (each valve is equipped with a magnetic dosing unit that controls filling electronically by measuring the volume transferred to the bottle) the system provides precision and high speed, which in the supplied configuration can reach 24,000 cans/hour.

Depending on the drink to be bottled, the system operates at high temperature (hot filling, 85 - 90 °C) when filing with fruit juice or at ambient temperature for CSDs. A key feature of the solution is that the filling system does not move the cans upwards towards the filling valve: instead, it is the filling unit that is lowered onto the can, thus ensuring a perfect valve-can system seal and, therefore, maximum process efficiency, giving production waste of less than 0.01per cent. In the hot filling option the decompression manifold is used to recycle the product and the valve that normally manages low filling speed operates as a recycle valve.

The filling unit which moves towards the can and not vice versa eliminates any need to install lifting jacks and reduces the number of moving parts, thus minimising maintenance. Furthermore, the machine is extremely easy to wash thanks to a single ground-mounted tank that receives the product from the mixing system; dummy bottle insertion is, in order to proceed with washing operations, fully automated.