The filling system for cider

Bulmers Ltd opts for Krones filling systems when it comes to bottling the famous Magners cider.
With five lines, Bulmers is perfectly equipped here for meeting ultra-challenging requirements: to enable the export markets to be covered to optimum effect as well, two lines (Numbers 4 and 5) each feature the same machinery.
The ideal filling system for use with cider is the Mecafill VFPV-CF, which is equipped with a feature for pre-evacuating the bottles and also offers an option for correcting the fill level.

Salient features of the VKPV-CF filling system:

• electro-pneumatic level-controlled filling system
• filling valve with a swirl insert for a stable flow of product
• servomotorised drive for vent tube adjustment during the filling operation
• reduced bottle lift and elimination of the centring bell rodding and the centring bell lifting cam
• direct mounting of the venting, vacuum, correction, dry pressurisation and return air valves, plus fast, complete replaceability of the “one-part” valve.

The glass-enclosed rinser-filler-crowner MONOBLOC for cider bottling with the Mecafill VKPV-CF filling system is fitted with various features for automated cleaning, like chemical foam-cleaning of the front table during CIP cleaning or a nozzle spray system for removing product and glass fragments from the hygienically safe gable-type tabletop. The Variojet rinser is an ozone type, while the BLOC also incorporates an integrated electronic Checkmat fill level inspector. The two fillers rank among the largest that Krones manufactures, with a ring bowl diameter of 5.76 metres each. For these lines, the acceptance tests verified outstanding efficiency levels in actual operation with cider of more than 96 per cent.