French have a weigh with electronic filling

THE latest equipment for electronic weigh filling and capping has been unveiled by Integrapak, of Alton, UK agent for French manufacturer PACK Realisations. Targeting mid-speed users at around 50 bottles/minute, the continuous motion Compact series is suitable for the oil, food and chemical sectors filling liquids into containers from 0.25 to 25 litres.

THE latest equipment for electronic weigh filling and capping has been unveiled by Integrapak, of Alton, UK agent for French manufacturer PACK Realisations. Targeting mid-speed users at around 50 bottles/minute, the continuous motion Compact series is suitable for the oil, food and chemical sectors filling liquids into containers from 0.25 to 25 litres. The rotary PACK R PR8V model, shown for the first time in the UK at last month's PPMA show, features eight filling stations but only two capping heads - the normal ratio is 2:1 - and this set-up is instrumental in creating a compact footprint, since the capping section does not have the bulk of a traditional monobloc rotary starwheel system. Instead, filled bottles leaving the weigh-cell platforms enter a small spacing starwheel that is driven through a vertical spindle, part of which forms a gear drive to a separate spindle that carries two capping heads set opposite each other. Above the starwheel is a cap reception plate that equally spaces four caps fed from an inclined chute. The gear mechanism provides the second spindle with a vertical and semi-rotary pick and place motion. One cap head picks up an awaiting cap while the second caps a bottle. When the bottle is capped and heads for downstream operations, the second cap head rotates through 180° to cap the next bottle in turn.