Rotary Liquid Filler

There are numerous choices offered for filling to a "level": Gravity, Gravity/Vacuum, Pressure, Balanced Vacuum, Pressure/Gravity or Balanced Pressure. The Gravity fill system is the simplest, most trouble-free method of filling water-thin products. Constant, consistent head pressure produces uniform fill levels. Heavier viscosity products run well on a Balanced Pressure system. Precisely controlling higher pressures leads to accurate fills and increased production. The balanced Vacuum system remains a good choice for glass containers. Thorough evaluation and testing of your products and containers ensures the right fill system for your requirements.

In each fill system the product is distributed to the nozzles from a centralized supply manifold. The fill cycle begins when the nozzle is crammed open by the presence of a bottle. The neck of the bottle is positively sealed by a rubber gasket to maintain pressure control while filling.

The rubber neck seal is positioned on the return tube assembly of the nozzle at a specific setting which determines how far the end of the return penetrates into the bottle.

The dimension from the bottom of the neck seal to the end of the return tube establishes the fill level in the bottle.

This setting is adjustable for the neck seal can be positioned anywhere on the return tube. The greater the penetration into the bottle, the fill level is lower, the lesser the penetration, the fill level is higher.

As the fill cycle begins and product flows into the bottle, the air, trapped inside by the neck seal, is forced out through the nozzle into the return manifold. It is important for the air to escape quickly so that product can occupy its space. When the product level rises to the end of the return tube the bottle is full. Excess, or overflow, product is naturally siphoned out of the bottle up through the return tube and into the return manifold. This overflow product is directed to the inside wall of the return manifold to create a laminar flow to reduce the chance of sudsing or airation.

Unique and innovative fill system and nozzle design give our customers the accuracy, flexibility and versatility they need. Heavy-duty construction, attention to detail, and prompt support assures our customers years of efficient, trouble-free production. That's why L/H liquid fillers are the choice for our customers.


Overflow Diagram

L\H neck star and guide provides precision positioning of the containers, eliminating the need for centering bells. The nozzle enters the container while still under the control of the infeed starwheel and similarly the container discharge starwheel controls the bottle prior to the complete withdrawal of the tip of the nozzle.

Tangential Discharge
For even gentle transfer where high, hot fills are required L\H offers tangential discharge. Here the filled containers are transferred directly to the capper conveyor without sloshing.

Monoblock Construction
L/H offers monoblock construction utilizing most major brands of capping turrets. Container transfer from the filler to the capper is accomplished by dual starwheels and both machines utilize a single drive for synchronous operation.

BENEFITS OF THE LAUB\HUNT SYSTEM

  • LAUB\HUNT Packaging Systems offers: Gravity, Vacuum, Pressure or combination filling such as Pressure/Gravity or Gravity/Vacuum in adjustable or balanced systems.
  • No tools are required to change starwheels, center guides and gide rails. Minimum tools are only necessary for a complete size changeover including container height and feed screws.
  • Customized construction to accomodate special requirements for each application providing maximum versatility for our customers.
  • Direct carousel drive on top of filler.
  • Fixed rotary table design. (a system better suited for high speed bottle handling than the rising platform designs).
  • Positive container handling.
  • Specially desgned nozzles are supplied for each application to handle foamy or other hard to handle products.
  • Nine frame sizes, from 4x6ft. to 10x12 ft. with up to 120 nozzles. Heavy duty square steel tube frame construction, on food or pharmaceutical machines all welds are ground to sanitary design standards.
Fill Accuracy of ±1/32"(±0.79mm) (on round containers)
Precision cams and nozzle components assure accurate and repeatable nozzle positioning. Laminar flow design reduces turbulence and foaming inside the bottle. The nozzles discharge the product under pressure deep inside the container; they do not squirt in from above allowing fluid droplets to be blown out by escaping air as the fluid goes down in the neck.

Stainless Steel Fill System
Basic Machines for product such as detergents utilize epoxy painted mild steel frame with plastic and stainless steel components in the product delivery system. Where greater levels of sanitation are required or when or when corrosive products have to be handled T304 stainless steel frames are quoted. For food grade sanitary application T316L stainless steel components are used exclusively. For bleaches and other highly corrosive products titanium nozzles and PVC lined system is employed.

Washdown Capable System
By having all drive motors on top, the machines are inherently washdown capable. The standard NEMA-12 electrical system can also be upgraded to NEMA-4X, or NEMA-7 if explosion-proofing is required.

Versatility
Fillers are designed to accommodate a wide range of containers sizes from 1/2 oz. to 5 gallon. They can handle products from water-thin, to syrups.
Size Range: Container diameters (or lengths) up to 6.5" by 12" height on standard machines with up to 11" diameter by 19" high and special.
Container types: Glass, plastic, metal or fiber containers

Dual Stage Poppet Nozzle The Poppet Nozzle Incorporates an upper stem with an orifice through which the product flows. With no bottles present, this orifice remains closed and does not allow incoming pressurized product flow into the nozzle. As the nozzles finish the filI the Poppet Stem is cammed closed while the Product Return Sleeve is left open, allowing the product pressure and overflow product to escape, relieving stress on the container before the neck seal is broken and eliminating product splashing and surging at the end of the fill.

Nozzle Design
L\H offers over 100 nozzle types, specially designed nozzles for sudsy liquids, for bleaches (titanium), for top and bottom fill, nozzles which create laminar flow to prevent air pockets, nozzles which drain themselves, and even nozzles for our competitor's machines where they perform better than the original supplied.

CIP (Clean-in-Place) Internal Product Flush System
A manual CIP system is standard and an automatic CIP system is available as an option. Inserting a simple horseshoe spacer under each Poppet Stem, the nozzle circulates internally; elminating the need of inserting a bottle under each nozzle.

DIMENSIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS

PITCH DIAM FRONT TO CTR A LENGTH B WIDTH C TABLE DIAMETER D STATIONS AVLBLE
inch mm inch mm inch mm inch mm inch mm
48 1219 47 1194 77 1956 60 1524 54 1372 6 to 20
60 1524 53 1346 89 2261 72 1829 66 1676 12 to 25
72 1829 59 1499 101 2565 84 2134 78 1981 15 to 30
84 2134 65 1651 113 2870 96 2438 90 2286 20 to 35
96* 2438 71 1803 125 3175 108 2743 102 2591 24 to 48
108* 2743 77 1956 137 3480 120 3048 114 2896 24 to 54
120* 3048 83 2108 149 3785 132 3353 126 3200 30 to 60
132* 3353 89 2261 161 4089 144 3658 138 3505 40 to 100
144* 3658 95 2413 173 4394 156 3962 150 3810 50 to 100
*Frames over 8 ft are subject to special dimensions based on design

Standard Features
  • Steel frame construction
  • T304 stainless and plastic fill system
  • No container/no fill system
  • Individually adjustable nozzles
  • Prewired NEMA-12 electrical system
  • Product return system
  • DC Drive with safety clutch
  • Safety guarding with clear polycarbonate
  • 10 ft. stainless steel conveyor channel with 4.5" delrin chain and half round guide rails with plastic adjusting knob
  • Manual Clean-In-Place system
  • One-year warranty
Options
  • All stainless steel construction
  • T316L stainless and JIC teflon hose assemblies
  • Titanium nozzles for bleach, frame painted with DuPont "Omron" epoxy
  • NEMA-4X washdown capable a electrics
  • NEMA-7 explosion proof electrics
  • Bottom fill nozzles for foamy products
  • AC inverter drive with PLC
  • Infeed/discharge safety clutches
  • Magnetic safety interlocks
  • Clustered lubrication
  • Automatic central lubrication system
  • Independent conveyor drive
  • Synchronized discharge conveyor
  • Infeed diaphragm pump
  • CIP-Automatic Clean-ln-Place system
  • Tangential discharge
  • Alert light tower with sound alarm
  • Down stream photoeye

LAUB\HUNT Packaging Systems is proud to announce our newest upgrade on Pressure/Gravity filling systems - SEGMENT MANIFOLD.

The upgrade includes replacing the product supply manifold bottom plate, which is made out of material compatible with the product. In case of bleach, it is made of Kynar. The top surface is machined and lapped to a smooth finish. Against this surface is the Teflon segment which contacts the bottom plate at 120 degrees of rotation, allowing the machine to stop the incoming product while keeping the nozzles sealed. It also allows the overflow manifold to siphon any excess foam, product or head pressure from the bottle.

On top of the machine is a TEE fitting which houses the 3/4" diameter shaft that protrudes down through the center pipe and connects to the segment. A hand wheel on the top is clearly marked showing position of the segment. Ideal flow control can be achieved by adjusting the position of the segment to start the product shut-off at the best location. An overhead "bridge" is supplied to clamp the 3/4" shaft to hold it in position.

There are several advantages with this SEGMENT MANIFOLD upgrade:

  • Eliminates the pressure built-up in the head space of the bottle to assure a smoother fill process without product splashing and surging at the end of the fill.
  • Replaces the function of original "poppet" head nozzles. By controlling the product flow at the manifold, it reduces the product pressure at each individual nozzle. The "poppets" are set in the open position using the horseshoe spacers; thus creating a static seal instead of dynamic seal to make it much more durable and low-maintenance.
  • Produces more accurate and clean fill through precise controls of product flow at product supply manifold.
Installation of this upgrade can be done in a 8-hour shift at customer's plant by a Laub\Hunt technician.

With over 50 years of experience serving the packaging industry, Laub\Hunt Packaging Systems is dedicated to our customers' needs for technical and engineering services. We look forward to working with our customers to provide the best solutions to their packaging needs.

For more information on SEGMENT MANIFOLD upgrade, please contact:

Jeff Hunt or E.J. Daniel
Tel: 888-671-9338 or (562) 802-9591
Fax: (562) 802-8183
E-Mail: info@laubhunt.com