Ultra-clean filling line for Berglandmilch

At the Klagenfurt facility of the Austrian market leader Berglandmilch, PET is a major component of the production programme as a package for milk with an extended shelf life (ESL) of 25 days. Optimum line performance is achieved with a Krones ultra-clean bottling line featuring a blow-moulding machine and a rinser-filler-labeller BLOC.
For the filling technology, Berglandmilch has chosen a filler that meets the requirements for hygienic design as laid down in the EHEDG Guidelines (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group).
The product is passed through a rotary manifold and then to the filler bowl. The product is fed to the valve in a stable flow through a pipe designed to ensure minimised foaming at high flow velocities, thanks to the non-contact filling function involved. The electro-mechanically actuated filling valves operate with metal bellows to avoid the need for dynamic seals.
The filler is surrounded by transparent doors, which form a large-size cleanroom fitted with HEPA filters .
The bottles are closed with a one-piece plastic screw-cap, which is sterilised in an immersion bath using disinfectant before being flushed with sterile water and sterile air.
The filer is BLOC-synchronised in the cleanroom with a Variojet rinser, which from two channels flushes the bottles with disinfectant and then with sterile water.