May/june 2007
RL

Fifteen years of experience, 76 installations of complete aseptic filling lines for PET bottles, a comprehensive range of versatile and user-friendly solutions, from 12,000 to 60,000 bph: these are the numbers of Procomac aseptic technology.

The Unibloc concept, aseptic technology without cleanroom, was designed by Procomac to get reliable and user-friendly aseptic lines, thanks to the full integration into a single control and supervision system of the sterilisation functions for containers and closures, filling, process fluid control, aseptic packaging management. The range of products these lines can deal with is quite wide and it includes milk-based drinks, UHT milk and fruit nectars, tea, isotonic drinks, tomato juice, herb and fruit infusions.

Contamination control
A peculiar characteristic of Procomac aseptic lines is the contamination control of the sterilisation/rinsing/filling/capping block got by using a microbiological isolator eliminating the need for inserting machinery into a clean room. Procomac was a forerunner in applying this technology in the bottling field in 1995 and it planned its adaptation to the rotary machines for the purpose of simplifying the staff job and of protecting the sterile environment from any possible outside contamination. Special gloves enable the staff to intervene on the machines, by using dedicated systems for the introduction and the extraction of equipment and bottles and pre-serving the aseptic filling environment.

Reliable bottle and capsule treatment
Procomac has implemented a container treatment for its aseptic lines based on the spraying of peroxide solutions and subsequent rinsing with sterile water. This system enables to constantly monitor the critical process parameters (temperature, capacity, titration, sterilising solution, spraying pressure) and it demonstrated, with 76 installations worldwide, to ensure top performances in time. This treatment was used on 20 filling lines for low-acidity products (like milk-based drinks) keeping its performances in time unaltered.

Maximum hygienic filling
Procomac Fillstar FX is an electronic filler designed for filling sensitive liquids such as milk, in top hygienic conditions. These machine's main characteristics are:

1. no contacts between bottle and filling valves (the end section of the filling valve is designed so that the liquid jet can be directed into the bottle without touching it);
2. a very linear product track: the product is pushed by the inert gas overpressure into the external product bowl with no feeding pumps;
3. volumetric electronic filling heads with magnetic flowmeter: once the preset amount of liquid has been achieved, the closure of a membrane electro-valve stops the filling phase;
4. possibility of adjusting the filling speed by reducing the transit product section: it is possible to start and end filling with reduced speed to prevent an excessive foam formation.

Procomac Fx fillers got the 3A certification for the use with dairy products.

Process installations integration
The company produces and guarantees all the preparation, control and fluid control systems needed for the appropriate operation of the aseptic system and CIP systems. This integration meets the control needs of the process’s critical points according to the HACCP analysis.

Advanced supervision
The innovation of the supervision systems enables to control the whole line from a single operator panel and from a remote station, thus dramatically reducing the times for the identification of a potential hazard and reaction times and to bring back the line in optimum operation conditions.