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Filler
- Filler: The filler conveyor function starts with the carton infeed
station. The cartons are pushed into the conveyor section by means of
line pressure on the continuous conveyor. A backlog eye stops cartons
from feeding. A gate opens upon a signal from the filler. A carton is
released into the filler conveyor section.
- Filler Conveyor: The filler conveyor is a single lane lugged chain
conveyor, which indexes the pouches through the various stations of
the filler unit. A servo motor and camco gear drive the filler
conveyor. The main AC motor drives the forming ram, filler, flaring
fingers, and fin seal.
- Insert Station: In the insert section, a forming ram inserts the
pouch (made by the autopoucher) into the carton. To make sure the
pouch is inserted properly, the forming ram block flares out with use
of air cylinders as it is inserted. The forming ram retracts and
releases the pouch formed in the carton. The pouched carton then
passes through a reject station. In this station, if a pouch is not
detected, the carton is blown off by means of an air blast.
- Once in position, the pouched carton is indexed to the pouch flaring
station. The flarer unit is a vertically reciprocating unit with flare
fingers or rods which extend downward toward the pouch interior.
- After flaring, the flared, pouched carton is indexed through to the
fill station. A servo motor will lower the filler head into the pouch
for filling. If the viscosity of the cheese changes, the speed of the
lowering action can be changed. The filler is a mechanically powered
single piston that measures product by volume. The filler has four
basic functions in its operation. First, there is the fill piston
reciprocation, which is accomplished by a shaft-mounted cam. The
linkage contains a screw adjustment, which can increase or decrease
the amount of fill piston travel, thus changing the product volume as
required. The adjustment is done by a push button from the console.
The button activates a stepper motor and turns the adjustment screw.
Optionally, it can be tied to a checkweigher and adjusted
automatically from the weighed packages. The second function is a
rotary spool valve located in the hopper base. It permits product flow
from the hopper into the piston-cylinder on the suction stroke, then
upon actuation, allows the product to be pumped down through the
nozzle. A photoeye mounted before the filling station looks for a
carton. It will engage the no-fill lockout feature if the photo eye
fails to see a carton. The third function utilizes a double acting air
cylinder to activate the rotary valve on the nozzle. Once the valve
opens, the cheese is filled into the pouch. The rotary valve is used
with process cheese. For cream cheese application, a tapered nozzle
would be used. A fourth function is an optional product agitator
inside the hopper. The standard hopper is single walled and comes with
a one-piece cover. The customer can purchase a two-wall hopper where
warm water can be run between the walls to prevent the cheese from
cooling or setting. A two-piece hopper cover can be added for
simplicity in setting the level of cheese in the hopper, especially
during startup.
- Once filled, the carton goes on to the fin-sealing unit. At the fin-
sealing station, spreader fingers rotate downward and pull the ends of
the pouch outwardly. This motion is caused by a lever and control rod
system actuated by a vertical rod connected to a cam operated level
arm. After the spreader fingers pull out the pouch ends, two heated
seal bars pivot down and effect a heated fin seal on the pouch.
- The package is then indexed to a tamper assembly. The function of
this unit is to plow down the fin seal and expel trapped air from the
headspace of the package. The tamper is actuated by means of an air
cylinder.
- The package then goes to the ear sealing section. This section
flattens the pouch ears out and turns them through an upper and lower
anvil. Once the ear is between the anvils, an air cylinder brings the
heated upper anvil down to seal the ear.
- The package is then indexed to a carton conveyor. The filled
packages will be discharged to a lidding operation, or in the case of a
one-piece carton, the package will be discharged to a carton sealer.
Product Overview | Description
of Operation
| Filler
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