cently the welded cladding around the
upper parts in the standard version
has consisted entirely of stainless
steel. Ferrum systems F12 and F18, designed
for the high-performance
range, are therefore a useful addition
to the KHS Innofill Can DVD can filler.
Partnership with vision
In the future KHS and Ferrum will further
intensify their cooperation. “Our
machines are already very well coordinated
with one another. However, we
want to offer our customers even more
integrated systems,” states Zubler.
Härtel nods in agreement and adds
that this also applies to the extensive
range of consultancy and other services,
where the two partners aim to
function even more strongly as a unit
in the years to come. 1
Protection against flavor
carryover
In view of the increasing number of
beverage variants being processed,
during development special attention
was paid to the hygienic machine design
and providing protection against
flavor carryover. In the product area
the filling valves on the KHS can fillers
are thus equipped with PTFE expansion
joints (Teflon) in place of conventional
seals. The sliding seals in the
bell guides have also been replaced by
Teflon expansion joints to create gapless,
hygienic seals. These effectively
protect the product from contamination
and are easier to clean. Moreover,
the electropneumatic lifting and positioning
of the bells when sealing cans
further contributes to a safe filling
process. “Also doing away with water
lubrication in the filler carousel area
shortens exterior cleaning intervals by
up to 20%,” Härtel says.
As an option, the Innofill Can C can
also be fitted with a HEPA filter that
removes potential bacteria from the
air in the machine interior. Another
option available on request is warm
filling. This prevents condensation
and thus microbiological contamination
such as mold from being formed.
Sophisticated hygienic design
also for seamers
Like KHS, Ferrum makes the highest
demands of the hygiene of its machinery.
The greatest importance is attached
to the hygienic design of all
components in both the ferruBasic
and FC series with seamers FC06
(15,000 to 45,000 cans per hour) and
FC08 (19,000 to 60,000 cans an hour).
“When developing our seamers, we
consciously went for an open design
without cladding. This makes the components
easy to clean and the machine
readily accessible to operators,” explains
Jörn Winkelmann, process engineer
and hygiene expert at Ferrum.
In the FC series – that is incidentally
perfectly compatible with the KHS Innofill
Can C – the use of several different
angled levels allows condensation
and other unwanted liquids to easily
run off and not enter the open beverages
Smart technology:
both KHS can
fillers and Ferrum
seamers are
equipped with
modern HMI
panels that
considerably
facilitate the work
of the operating
personnel.
cans. For the same reason the conveyor
segment features regularly
spaced openings and the components
have an extremely high surface quality
to prevent microbiological deposits.
Another item of note is the design of
the seals that are easy to sanitize as
they are installed on the exterior of the
machine. The seamer section is made
entirely of stainless steel and provides
maximum durability even when aggressive
cleaning media are used. In
this market segment most cleaning is
performed by hand; only the gas injection
system and bubble breaker are
foam-cleaned in a fully automatic process.
Cleaning for the product area is
also available as an option. In order to
perfectly maintain hygienic conditions
both inside and outside the machine,
Ferrum supports its customers
with extensive training for personnel.
For can seamers F12 (35,000 to 105,000
cans per hour) and F18 (51,000 to
150,000 cans an hour) in the ferruBasic
series, the Swiss company provides optional
hygiene packages whose components
are largely installed in the FC
series as standard. These include,
among other things, installation of an
inclined base plate (on the F12 only)
and various adaptations to tools that
have a positive impact on the machine
hygiene. Furthermore, since very re-
During development
of the Innofill
Can C, special
attention was paid
to the hygienic
machine design and
providing protection
against flavor
carryover. The
filling valves are
thus equipped with
PTFE expansion
joints (Teflon).
Manfred Härtel
Product manager filling
technology
KHS
www.khs.com
Marc Zubler
Head of Sales and
Product Management
Ferrum
www.ferrum.net
(Pictures: KHS Group/ Ferrum)
BREWING AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY · 2/2022 27
/www.khs.com
/www.ferrum.net
