Time Flow Filling

• The variation in time flow volumetric principle that Biner Ellison uses is the pinch bar. The majority of filling machinery manufacturers use pneumatic or electronic controlled valves. By utilizing a pinch bar system, the contact parts of the filling machine remain minimal and extremely sanitary. The contact parts include the pump, the manifold, the tubing, and the nozzles. The pump can be upgraded to a sanitary stainless steel pump. The standard manifold and the nozzles are stainless steel. The standard tubing is silicon and can be upgraded to floroelastomers. Both floroelastomers and silicon are autoclaveable. There are no “dead” spots in the flow path for bacteria or particulates to build up or grow. If the cleaning and sanitization techniques used on the machine are sound, there is little chance of exposure to unwanted bacteria or contaminants.

• An operator can monitor the product for changes in viscosity, temperature, and other variables that will affect its flow rate and make adjustments to compensate for changes in the product.

• Different types of products require different nozzle designs and sizes. When the nozzle diameter matches the surface tension of the product, a film or bubble is naturally formed in the tip of the nozzle at the end of each fill. This keeps any material left in the nozzle from dripping out. If the nozzle diameter is too large, the film cannot form and there may be a few drips at the end of each fill. This can make it necessary to either run the process slower so that all the drips are caught in the container or to require frequent cleaning of the containers and the machine. Screens may also be mounted inside the nozzles to break up foamy products so that they will flow smoothly. Biner Ellison has a large selection of nozzles available, and not any one of them is appropriate for all products. The best way to select a nozzle for filling a new product is laboratory testing with a number of different types of nozzles to find the type and size that works most efficiently and effectively. Using an improper nozzle can cause slow operation, loss of product, uneven fills, and a messy machine.

• Some other considerations that need to be made are selecting the appropriate materials for the contact parts on the Pinch series machines. Contact parts include the Product Tubing, the Manifold, and the Pump. Chemical compatibility for the elastomers in the pump as well as the tubing must be tested. Different fill temperatures and product abrasiveness will also determine the proper elastomer used. Some common types of elastomers used are: 
• floroelastomers 
• Buna 
• Silicon 
• Encapsulated Silicon 
• Teflon

Pump specifications must also be considered. The two pump types commonly used with the Pinch series machines are Positive Displacement and Centrifugal.

Centrifugal pumps may be used when a higher degree of sanitization is needed by using a stainless steel pump head. High temperature may also require the use of a brass or stainless steel pump head. Centrifugal pumps do not usually need to have a pressure by-pass kit upgrade added but they usually need to be primed and cannot run dry.

• Positive Displacement (PD) pumps are used when high temperature or high sanitization is not required. PD pumps can also be configured for pneumatic operation very easily. PD pumps usually do not have to be primed and can run dry for short periods of time and some models have a pressure by-pass kit built in.
• Pressure by-pass kits are needed when a pump is used that continues to build pressure when the pinch bar is shut. Since the pump output pressure needs to remain constant for accurate filling, the by-pass system relieves the excessive pressure back to the supply tank, surge tank, or pump head inlet. This is done with a pneumatic or electronic logic kit coupled to the PLC or using pressure relief valves. If the pressure is not relieved, it will cause the fill volume to be inaccurate and may cause the product tubing to burst.

Automatic Models 
• Automatic models come standard with a heavy-duty stainless steel base, a 10′ variable speed conveyor, a pump, a six-head stainless steel manifold, and an automatic bottle-indexing unit.

• The heavy-duty stainlesss steel base is standard with four height adjustable, articulating feet but can be upgraded with heavy duty, locking casters for easy movement. The machine can be moved from one filling line to another in a matter of minutes to accommodate different existing container, labeling, and capping setups.

• The 10′ variable speed conveyor can be upgraded to a 15′ or 20′ variable speed conveyor to allow for auxiliary equipment such as cappers, labelers, safety sleeve placers, heat tunnels, or induction sealers to share the conveyor with the filler. This solves the problem of equipment that does not come standard with its’ own conveyor, matching speeds with numerous conveyors or transferring containers from one conveyor to another.