Packaging
With Hygienic in Mind: Second Generation Hygienic Bagging Line introduced by CHRONOS BTH, Interpack 2011
Wednesday 20. April 2011 - Chronos BTH is introducing the next generation of their hygienic filling line CHRONO-BAGTM OMLH-Series for hygienic open-mouth bagging applications of powders.
The machine was specifically designed for hygienic bagging and packaging operations for the Dairy, Bakery, Baby Food and other Food related industries. The system is also suitable for the Pharmaceutical and Chemical industries.
This second generation system was developed in accordance to the EHEDG* (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) guidelines. CHRONOS BTH is an EHEDG member and has established an in-house hygiene task force to devise and implement machine design guidelines specific for the Food Industry. All processing modules have been designed with hygiene in mind:
The overall machine design and housing has been improved
Floor support legs have been optimized.
The bag placer was redesigned.
The machine construction is in sheet metal (open structure), no hollow bodies.
The field-proven, patented bottom-up filling technology guarantees high accuracies in the powder packing process.
Electro cabling has been reduced to a minimum.
The second generation machine also features a closed bag-top transport mechanism, improved cleaning devices, fast change-over times and further minimized dust emission. The bagging system is available in full stainless-steel version or an ATEX design. The system allows the integration of optional gas flushing. The machine zone is separated from the functioning bagging zone. There are no fixing devices in the product flow, internal components and those that come into contact with bulk material are sanitary welded and the exterior machine parts have a polished finish. Fully enclosed safety guards enhance security aspects of the system.
This second generation system is available with single or double spout designs with 350 / up to 600 bags / hour. The bagging system is applicable for all common types of open-mouth bags including gusseted and pinch-bottom bags with bag filling weights of 5 up to 50kg and allows quick bag size changeovers. The OMLH-Series offers a high flexibility regarding the bag closures as sealing, stitching with or without crêpes, sealing / stitching with or without crêpes, double fold over with glue, single fold over with stitching, Pinch-top closing, square top closing and semi block top bag closing.
Optimized Functionality
The Hygienic Bagging System uses field proven Chronos BTH bottom-up filling technology. After automatic bag placing to the bird beak type filling spout, the bag is filled from the bottom up via a vertical dosing screw thus minimizing the emission of dust and reducing the aeration of the product. The vertical screw is frequency controlled so all powdery products can be dosed accurately and quickly. During bag transportation the bag-top remains closed, eliminating the risk of product contamination once in the bag. The bag transport system offers free space underneath the bagging conveyor to facilitate good access to the filling machine for quick and easy clean-out.
The new machine design has a modular structure incorporating different function zones. Wherever possible the moving components of the machine including drives, cables and control components have been separated from the functional area, where the bag is filled and sealed. This limits the possibility of product contamination and reduces potential dust traps. Each processing module has an integral power supply and controller with minimal cables routed directly from the functional area to the rear of a module. Remote I/O technology has been used to get control signals to and from the main control cabinet. The system incorporates in-house designed gross weighing technology. De-aeration probes remove air from the product in the bag, thereby reducing the volume and ensuring a stable filled bag is produced. The de-aeration system consists of a vacuum pump and micro perforated probes. The de-aeration and vibration time is adjustable in the filling menu.
There are no fasteners e.g. bolts or screws in the product flow zones. All material contact parts are sanitary welded. The machine exterior has a polished finish; the control area is separated from the functional bagging zone. The system features an ample machine access so that the cleaning can be carried out quickly and effectively. The system operation is simple, using touch panel and integrated graphical user interface with multi-language settings.
Under the slogan “People for Packaging” CHRONOS BTH will exhibit at this years INTERPACK from May 12th – 18th and demonstrate their weighing, bagging, palletizing and load securing systems and services for the Food, Feed and Chemical Industry on a 300 m² booth in hall 12, booth number D 23.