May 7th, 2013
Within the last few years, there has been a growing buzz over the new smoking device that has been introduced in markets worldwide called the electronic cigarette, also known as the e-cigarette. The purpose of the e-cigarette is to make smoking healthier by leaving out tobacco and other carcinogens. Instead, there’s a mechanism that heats up liquid nicotine, which turns into a vapor that smokers inhale and exhale. These devices also help smokers quit as well by allowing as much or as little nicotine as desired to be put into the cartridges. There are even cartridges that don’t contain any nicotine, for those who want the sensory experience of smoking without its effect. Each electronic cigarette is comprised of five parts: the cartridge, or mouthpiece, the heating element, the battery, the LED cover, and the vapor cap. As these e-cigarettes are becoming more popular in the markets, electronic cigarette manufacturers are customizing these devices to appeal to the masses through various colors and flavors of the liquid nicotine. The flavors range from Piña Colada and Peach Schnapps to Apple or Banana.
According to Michael Felberbaum, Associated Press at NBC News, first marketed overseas in 2002, e-cigarettes didn’t become easily available in the U.S. until late 2006. Now, the industry has grown from the thousands of users in 2006 to several million worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also found that the number of smokers who have tried e-cigarettes has doubled in just a year amid heavy marketing — from 10 percent in 2010 to about 21 percent in 2011. The numbers also doubled for former smokers. Because of these numbers, some of the nation’s largest tobacco companies have branched into the e-cigarette market.
A handful of E-Cigarette manufacturers have come to Filamatic with their need to fill e-cigarette cartridges or small bottles of nicotine liquid. Stay tuned for more information on these applications including the type of machines that we have been selling to these manufacturers in Part 2 of our blog!
Tags: E-Cigarette, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, filling and capping, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, news, packaging equipment
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April 17th, 2013
A customer from the Food industry had previously sought out Filamatic with their new application. They wanted to fill hot and foamy liquids into their glass containers at high speeds with their Automatic Model H-748-CE Hot Filling Machine. This liquid filling machine was to fill five various sized glass bottles at a rate of 140 bottles per minute.
Solution:
After testing out a few ideas, the technical service team came up with a solution. The hot, or molten product liquid filler, was designed to operate in a continuous motion mode in order to achieve the desired fill rate. By using a timing screw in order to separate the bottles, the throughput increase. The filling nozzles were mounted on a walking beam assembly which tracked the movement of the containers through the filling area. The walking beam diving nozzle bracket was also used to fill the glass bottles from the bottom up, which eliminated foaming of the hot liquid. All pumps, tubing, and nozzles used were placed in a heat controlled enclosure that maintained product temperature.
To help you better understand how this process works, here is some background information:
The hot fill technique allows liquids such as solids or liquefiable solids such as stick deodorant and lipstick to be filled with ease. This is accomplished when the filler maintains the elevated temperature, up to 200°F, of the incoming product. Hot filling utilizes the bottom-up filling technique in order to eliminate splashing and minimize foaming during the filling process. The nozzles of the pump are inserted into around 1/2″ from the bottom of the container before slowing withdrawing them as the liquid fills the container.
Tags: automatic machines, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, food and beverage, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, nozzle, nozzles
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April 1st, 2013
I have worked for an equipment OEM for more than 20 years, and I have become a staunch proponent of networking the manufacturing environment such that we realize maximum efficiency from the same. That is not to say that I am unaware of the security implications of doing so. Rather, I believe the gains far outweigh the risks when such networking is done properly and securely. I especially like the model where the individual control systems collect and forward data to a “disinterested”, i.e. uninvolved central server for storage. The data storage usually includes some form of a relational database allowing that nonmanufacturing system to sort, parse, analyze, present, and finalize for release.
Very few manufacturing processes can exist in isolation, and even fewer can do so efficiently. Intelligent decisions rely on underlying data, presented in ways so that ambiguities are absent, while in a form that fosters intelligent decisions. However, in order to have data available we must routinely and consistently collect, validate, process, and store it. We can’t afford the burden of performing these tasks manually. We must rely on computer systems to do that work.
Therefore, we must network systems—industrial control systems, too —in order to bring the data collection notion from an idea to reality. My experience as an OEM is that those in manufacturing do not want the information technology folks muddling around in their systems; nor do the techies want the manufacturing equipment networked on their hardware and infrastructures. Subsequently, each group walls off its perceived territory, ultimately creating an environment where both sides often forget they’re on the same team.
If we want to remain competitive, we need to build a door in that wall. I have heard many arguments supporting the “you cannot do it safeli guesy” mantra, and I have read more than one argument that legislation is required in order to ensure that these critical systems are safe. Since building and maintaining safety in computer systems is difficult, many simply use those sorts as arguments to avoid ever trying. Then, the machines and systems remain data islands and they rarely, if ever, serve to their fullest potential.
There are solutions dedicated to solving the problem of protecting critical systems while allowing a data stream to flow outwardly from them. One fine example is the DataDiode from Fox IT. This is a simple, yet elegant solution. Data is produced, it cannot be consumed, and therefore the threat model is reduced to only an internal one. (An internal threat model always exists, whether or not systems are connected.)
That aside, what I am asking for is the factory floor and information technology to get on the same side of the wall and work together. Simply buttoning up your area and hunkering down behind the wall isn’t the answer. I’m asking for us to share resources, knowledge, and solutions. When we work together, we will all learn, create more effective solutions, and share in the benefits of the same.
About The Author
Jack serves as the Chief Electrical Engineer for Filamatic. He loves new technologies and routinely engages in automation projects of varying sizes and complexities.
He can be reached at: Jack.Chopper@filamatic.com or you can find him on Twitter: @JackChopper
The following article can be seen at: http://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com/Doc/information-and-automation-let-s-work-together-0001
Tags: electrical, engineer, engineering, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, news
Posted in Electrical Controls, Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Liquid Filling Packaging System, OEM | No Comments »
March 20th, 2013
Filamatic will be receiving patent protection for its Semi-Automatic Liquid Filling Machine, the AdaptaFil™.
The AdaptaFil™ Benchtop gives users a level of functionality and versatility seen only in fully automatic filling systems. Its patent pending technology features include four easy-changeover metering systems (piston, peristaltic, gear, and lobe), electronic networking capabilities and sophisticated, user-friendly controls all in a small and sleek stainless steel package about the size of a microwave. This allows for packagers to buy one machine with the capability to run four different pumps, instead of purchasing multiple machines with different pumps, ultimately saving time and money. The multiple pump options also make this machine ideal for filling mLs to gallons and product viscosities that range from aqueous to viscous.
Additional features include Servo Motor Driven Technology, Tool-less Changeover in approximately 5 minutes, and an HMI touchscreen. The HMI touchscreen allows you to create, save, and copy 100+ recipes as well as perform data transfers. This liquid filling system is well designed for those using laminar flow hoods.
Additional capabilities include weight compensation and batch counting.
Tags: AdaptaFil, benchtop filler, dispensing equipment, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, HMI, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, news, semi-automatic benchtops
Posted in Benchtop Fillers, Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Liquid Filling Packaging System, Machine Capabilities, Metering Systems, Piston Pumps, Uncategorized | No Comments »
March 14th, 2013
One of the most hotly contested issues in the packaging world involves the delta between the application and the removal torque of the Nalgene container. Nalgene diagnostic bottles are small volume bottles for sampling, storage, and shipping and are guaranteed leak proof, often making them good for packaging reagents. The “leak proof” nature of the Nalgene containers can lead to challenges if overlooked, especially in cap/container combinations where deformation happens to ensure that the container is “leak proof.” By design, the application torque for a Nalgene container is specified at a level 25 – 45% greater than what is typically required for standard caps. On the one end – you have the long list of people that come before the end user, the designers, the engineers, the technicians, & the packaging equipment manufacturer who all have input to the creation of the primary packaging. And, on the other end, you have the end user – who may simply judge the quality of the package by how easy/hard it is to open.
Typically, when a customer comes to us and wants to process either pre-sterilized or standard Nalgene containers, we spend a fair amount of time delving into this issue with them. Filamatic’s servomotor-operated torqueing function does provide precise control of the application torque that is applied to the caps. However, the determining factor of the removal torque for each cap is a function of the fit/finish between the inner surface of the cap and the outer surface of the neck of the container.
In my experience, the first thing is that too little attention is paid to the Nalgene Cap tightness issue during bottle cap design. During this early phase, the main focus of the cap tightness issue should be if the seal achieved by a specific application torque is going to be sufficient between the cap and the bottle throughout the container life cycle, and then as applied can the cap be removed by the end user? Focus on these two criteria when determining the specific application torque for each of the cap container combinations and then make sure that your packaging equipment can provide those application torques in a repeatable manner. Any other approach or lack of attention to these two simple criteria , seal tightness and the ergonomics of cap removeability, will cost everybody a significant amount of time and energy.
Happy Capping!
Tags: automatic machines, Capping, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, filling and capping, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, nalgene, packaging equipment, pharmaceutical, Technical Service
Posted in Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Liquid Filling Packaging System, Machine Capabilities, Technical Service | No Comments »
February 21st, 2013
A customer had previously sought out Filamatic with their new application. They wanted to accurately sort, feed, and label a tall unstable test tube on their double- index Monobloc liquid filling system. This liquid filling machine was to fill, cap, and label two different container sizes at a speed of 60 containers per minute.
Solution:
After testing out a few ideas, the technical service team came up with a solution. The sorting and feeding processes would require two sorting bowls with discharge conveyors. Each discharge conveyor would feed the oriented tubes (bottom leading) to a vertical drop chute and escapement mechanism. The tubes would then be loaded into the pockets of the Monobloc’s indexing turret.
After the filling & capping functions were completed, the tubes would then be labeled. Since the tubes were unstable, labels would be applied on a “trunnion roller” labeling system. A two-axis robotic pick ‘n place device would remove two filled tubes from the turret, rotate the pair of tubes from a vertical to horizontal plane, and place them onto the trunnion roller infeed conveyor of the labeler.
To help you better understand how this process works, here is some background information:
This technique places the empty containers below the fill nozzles by the indexer. The nozzles are held in a stationary position just over the openings of the container while the product is dispensed from the filling units. During the capping process, the containers are transferred to the feed system where the turret places the caps onto the bottles and turns the caps so that the thread of the cap is joined with the thread of the bottle’s neck.
After being filled and capped, the unstable test tubes are transferred to the labeling area where they are horizontally positioned. The labeling technique allows the filled and capped tubes to be transferred to the labeling next machine horizontally positioned that they can be labeled with ease.
Tags: automatic machines, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, filling and capping, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, liquid filling system, machine, Monbloc, nozzle, nozzles, packaging equipment, pharmaceutical
Posted in Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Machine Capabilities, Pharmaceutical, Piston Pumps | No Comments »
February 13th, 2013
Filamatic will be exhibiting at this year’s Interphex show held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, NY on April 23rd-25th, 2013. Filamatic’s booth 3464 will be displaying an interactive experience targeted towards the pharmaceutical industry. Attendees are encouraged to bring any projects or applications that they might have and search through the interactive touch screen for applications similar to their own. Filamatic engineers, sales team, and management will be present to answer any questions and discuss current and potential projects.
Filamatic will be showcasing the AdaptaFil® — the versatile, semi-automatic HMI touch screen Benchtop filler. The AdaptaFil® has the ability to accommodate four pumps (piston, peristaltic, gear, and lobe) on one base, allowing the user to change the pump depending upon the application. This Benchtop filler provides capabilities typically seen on automatic equipment such as saving and copying recipes, data transfers, and servo-driven technology—all in a compact footprint. The multiple pump options make this machine ideal for filling mLs to gallons and product viscosities that range from aqueous to viscous.
The AdaptaFil® will use our peristaltic pump which is ideal for Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Diagnostic, and Medical applications where clean/sterile fills are required. With a peristaltic pump, fluid is contained within a flexible tube fitted inside a circular pump casing. Since the pumped fluid contacts only the inside surface of the tubing, complete disposal of the fluid pathway allows for quick and easy clean-up. The peristaltic pump is best used for moderate to large (50 mL to >1100 mL) fill volumes with an accuracy rate of +/- 1%.
Stop in to Booth 3464 and click the image below to register for free for Interphex!
Tags: AdaptaFil, benchtop filler, fillers, filling, Interphex, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, news, pharmaceutical, semi-automatic benchtops, tradeshows
Posted in Benchtop Fillers, Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Machine Capabilities, Pharmaceutical, Trade Show | No Comments »
February 6th, 2013
A customer had previously come to us with a new application. They wanted to have their new piston pump Monobloc liquid filling machine accurately place a dip tube, or pump, into their bottle’s small neck opening and crimp the closure onto their bottle. The bottles were around 10ml and 25ml in size and glass.
Solution:
After trial and error, our technical service team came up with a solution. The dip tube/pump was to be sorted, oriented and positioned in a discharge nest. A two-axis servo driven arm would move over a filled bottle and a funnel mechanism would help guide the dip tube into the bottle. Then, two stage crimping collets would secure the dip tube/pump to the glass bottle. The heavy gauge aluminum closure requires both downward force for proper seating and a two- step crimping process to form and finish each closure.
To help you understand this process, here is a little background information:
During the crimping process, the crimping devices firmly attach the pump assemblies to the containers. This technique positions the containers in pairs below the fill nozzles while the nozzles are inserted to a point just inside the necks of the containers. By lowering the nozzles into the necks of the containers, product splashing is eliminated and foaming is minimized. During the crimping process, the tubes are guided into the mouths of the container by the funnel mechanisms which open to allow the pump to rest on the container openings. The containers are then indexed to the crimping process.
The capping technique allows for the actuator/dust cap assemblies to be loaded into the feed bowl via the chute. The pick and place mechanism then transfers two actuator/dust cap assemblies onto the containers held in position by the turret.
Tags: automatic machines, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, filling and capping, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, Monbloc, nozzle, nozzles
Posted in Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Machine Capabilities, Nozzle, Piston Pumps | No Comments »
January 17th, 2013
Have you heard the phrase “we live in interesting times” uttered lately? I have—and more often than I’d like. Technology is moving so fast these days that it’s very difficult for most of us to stay with it. In our everyday lives, most of us use only a small percentage of the technology that’s available to us, and yet we keep pushing manufacturers to do more with less, make things smaller, more intelligent, etc. It’s as if we don’t realize that we fail to use much of what we already have available. We always want newer, brighter, faster and shinier.
A brief snapshot:
- Google now has a driverless car. Some Ford models can parallel park without assistance from the driver.
- A typical sedan now has a minimum of 6 air bags.
- A standard offering from a satellite company offers 200 or so channels. Complete packages deliver 4 to 5 times that.
- Standard television sets connect to the web and do so wirelessly.
Secure check printing struggles to keep up with printer technology (the resolution continues to rise on both).
- Digital x-rays are no longer cutting edge.
- The camera-phone combo is now more than 20 years old
- A full-length hi-definition movie can be streamed in less time than it takes to make microwave popcorn.
- Standard incandescent light bulbs won’t be around much longer—they’ve already been banned in some parts of Europe for more than three years, due to their inherent energy inefficiency.
While the tidbits listed above are all good things, the fact that most items are designed and manufactured to last only for a particular life-cycle might disappoint some of us.
As new models replace old models, and parts to repair the ones currently in service often become scarce, we sometimes find ourselves in a bit of a pickle. On one hand, we want things we buy to last as long as we plan on keeping them, and yet we generally don’t want to pay higher prices to make them last longer. We also expect those things to work properly during their entire life cycle. That equation means that we must remain aware of those life expectancies, and replace things at the right time.
If we’re willing to pay higher prices, and are able to resist the urge to buy the newest, shiniest gear on the day it’s released, the current paradigm might shift. But—don’t hold your breath—new technology almost always wins, primarily because of the efficiency it offers. Product lifecycles continue to shrink because of technology.
As a packaging machinery OEM, Filamatic is aware of these struggles; we work very hard to design and build modular equipment that is robust, long-lasting, and lends itself to upgrades such that new technology can be incorporated as it evolves. We want our customers to get the most out of the solutions we provide, and we work with that goal in mind as we go about our daily business.
Written by Chief Electrical Engineer Jack Chopper
Find him on Twitter: @JackChopper
Tags: engineering, lifecycle, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, news, technology
Posted in Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Machine Capabilities | No Comments »
January 2nd, 2013
Filamatic’s Automatic V Series vertical liquid filling machine is more popularly known for filling viscous products such as creams and shampoos. However, its capabilities do not end there. The V Series is able to fill foam blocks with water that also is overwrapped and used as a type of insulation to transport temperature sensitive products.
The ability to dispense a free flowing liquid onto various sizes of foam blocks is a unique capability that can be completed by the V-480 volumetric-type, automatic liquid filling system. This packaging system allows the foam blocks to be received in a single file fashion from the conveying system. They are then held in position in the filling area by a foam block locating and/or indexing mechanism. During the filling process, the nozzles drop just above the surface of the blocks and the liquid is dispensed onto the foam block so that the free flowing liquid can be absorbed by the foam block. Once the fill is complete, the nozzles rise and the indexing mechanism releases the filled blocks to travel downstream to be overwrapped.
The challenge for this application was to properly fill up to two different foam blocks with water without exceeding the desired water saturation level. Filamatic’s solution was to use a spring loaded shower head nozzle which would allow enough pressure to be placed onto the foam blocks. This would ensure the water to fill the foam blocks to the preferred water saturation level. These nozzles were also equipped with a nozzle blow timer. This allowed a source of air to blow any residual water off of the nozzle in order to reduce dripping.
Tags: automatic machines, dispensing equipment, fill/finish packaging system, fillers, filling, liquid filler, liquid filling, liquid filling equipment, liquid filling machines, machine, nozzles
Posted in Liquid Filling, Liquid Filling Machine, Machine Capabilities, Nozzle | No Comments »
