Clean in Place Systems for Automatic Filling Machines

Automatic liquid fillers are normally manufactured for companies with higher daily production demands.  Though not every machine will be pushed to full capacity on every given day, the machinery is meant to make the filling process efficient and reliable.  When companies are packaging more than one single product, changeover from one product to another can cut into production time.  Even for companies with a single product, clean up at the end of the production day can mean precious filling time is lost.  Changeover and clean up time can be shortened by using a clean in place system on an automatic filler.

 

Filling machinery will arguably take the most time to clean or changeover due to the fact that the equipment handles the actual product being packaged.  The product pathway and plumbing may require disassembly to properly cleanse the machine and avoid product build up, caking, contamination and other issues.  In many cases, a clean in place system removes the need for such disassembly, reducing downtime significantly.

 

A clean in place system for an automatic filling machine will generally flush the fluid pathway of the machine with a cleaning fluid or hot water, depending on the product and needs of the packager.  A spray ball in the supply tank allows the tank to be cleaned and a supply pump, or a separate pump, will be used to move through the product pathway, piping and nozzles as well.  The clean in place system can be set up to work through the product infeed system to flush and clean the supply line and will normally be controlled via the operator interface on the automatic filler, though separate CIP systems can also be integrated into the packaging line depending on the needs of the packager.  A good clean in place system removes the need for the operator of the filling machine to do anything more than set up the cycles and times on the control panel. 

 

The operator interface of the PLC will include a separate screen for the control of the clean in place system.  Reached from the main menu, the simple to use controls will allow the operator to set delay and duration times and then start the clean in place cycle or cycles with the push of a button.  Again, the configuration and the actual controls may vary depending on the needs of the packager and the machine itself.

 

Different configurations can be added to filling equipment for different needs or custom filling machinery.  Even manual systems can be added to semi-automatic liquid fillers to speed up the cleaning process.  The clean in place system is only one of the many attributes of an automatic filler that can save production time.  Other features include a recipe screen on the operator interface to recall indexing times, fill times and other information to make set up quick and simple, hand knob adjustments for nozzles and rails, drip trays to contain excess product and other optional features.  Our Packaging Specialists are always available to discuss your packaging machinery needs and help to identify the ideal solution for each individual project.