Refreshment requirements reliably met – with the new PET line at Hartwall - Krones

Filling valve with stepless regulation

Fast or slow – conventional valves offer only these two filling speeds. The disadvantage: When product flows into the container too fast, it may foam. Slow filling, on the other hand, results in time losses. That was why Krones has developed the new PFR valve for the Modulfill VFS. What sets it apart is that it works with stepless regulation of the filling velocity instead of just two fixed speeds. That means that the flow velocity can be perfectly matched to suit the characteristics of the product being filled, which upgrades both filling quality and filling efficiency.

A product’s behaviour may change at a temperature of over 20 degrees Celsius. Here, too, stepless regulation offers advantages because the filling process can be better adapted to such changes. That means the beverage can be filled at ambient temperature, and it does not have to be cooled at all or only slightly after mixing. In regions with a relatively warm climate, on the other hand, it may be necessary to warm beverages up to the higher ambient temperature after filling to prevent condensation on the container’s surface. This step is likewise eliminated with the new filler.

Besides the ambient temperature, the bottle’s geometry is another factor that can influence foaming. The steplessly adjustable PFR filling valve permits the flow velocity to be appropriately matched to a bottle’s geometry as well.

“We’re observing a general trend among many beverage companies towards making products in a multiplicity of different flavours, so they tend to run smaller batches,” explains Sebastian Wittl, product manager for filling technology at Krones. But a change in recipe may result in a different foaming behaviour. “The new filler enables customers to individually match the filling process to a new recipe,” says Sebastian Wittl.

The new filler enables customers to individually match the filling process to a new recipe. Erwin Hächl Sebastian WittlProduct manager for filling technology at Krones

The new Modulfill VFS filler scores highly not only with its PFR valves. Its overall system design likewise provides further benefits. For example, beverages are fed in from above, not from the bottom as before, since the product tank, which is almost five metres high, is now installed next to the filler. The beverages are passed into the filling valves from above through the rotary media manifold. That creates a higher hydrostatic pressure, making for faster filling. Besides, all pipes are completely emptied, so that product losses are smaller than with product infeed from below, a particular advantage for customers who have to execute many product change-overs. Moreover, the filling valve descends onto the bottle directly after beverage transfer, so that filling can start immediately after a bottle has been pressed against the valve. This means higher output with the same machine size.

Above and beyond all of that, the new Modulfill VFS is even more hygienic than its predecessor due to automatic non-contact insertion of the CIP cups by means of magnets. So there are no mechanical components, which means no wear and tear – yet another benefit.