GEA Procomac SpA

Via Fedolfi 29
43038 Sala Baganza (Parma)
Italy

+39 0521 839411
+39 0521 833879
www.gea.com

Company profile
News
Downloads
Contact
Back
Company profile

Profile

ABF (Aseptic Blow Fill) system

As the preform is made of thicker material than the bottle itself it’s possible to increase the temperature of the treatment without risk of shrinkage that would affect the shape of the bottle. This allows the weight of the bottle to be kept to an absolute minimum.

A key design feature of the ABF is the blowing of the preforms ‘upside down’. This enables all non-cleanable components to be located outside the sterile zone. All surfaces in the sterile zone are accessible and are very easy to clean.

The ABF is validated for both high acid and low acid products.

ABF system concept

Lightweight aseptic PET bottle - A light touch in safe hands

ABF decontaminates the preforms with an H2O2 dry process: as the preform is made of a thicker material than the bottle itself, it’s possible to increase the temperature of the chemical agent with no risk of shrinkage. This allows the weight of the bottle to be kept to the very minimum.

This ability is illustrated with the introduction of a new 12g PET bottle, specifically designed by GEA Procomac for the aseptic filling market.

Sterilcap VHP R cap steriliser

The 6th generation of PAA (Peracetic Acid) based sterilising solution

Modulbloc is the right choice even when limited space is available since it includes a sterilizer, a rinser, a filler and a capper carrousel all on a single base frame, and the ancillaries, aseptic process units and the cap sterilizing machine are located on top of the machine.

ECOSpin2 Zero and Modulbloc can be equipped with the complete range of filling valves designed and manufactured by GEA Procomac: from the FX range for any still products (clear, viscous and those with pulps, fibers and pieces with dimensions up to 6x6x6 mm) - up to the CX valve suitable for both still and carbonated drinks including clear products and those containing pulps and fibers. By installing a PX aseptic dosing machine on the in-feed carousel of the aseptic filler, it is possible to fill products containing pieces of fruit and cereals up to 10mm3.

ECOSpin2 Zero and Modulbloc are suitable for HA and LA beverages; they can reach a production speed from 6,500 up to 72,000 bottles per hour on 500 ml bottle, and allow a line availability of 165 hours without the need for intermediate SOP cycles during production.

Both ECOSpin 2 Zero and Modulbloc are FDA validated.

GEA Procomac supplies ABF technology to Amul Dairy in India

GEA Procomac is installing in these days its revolutionary ABF (Aseptic Blow-Fill) technology to Amul Dairy in India. GEA has already supplied Amul with its first aseptic filling line for PET bottles that improved productivity at the plant while changing forever the image of flavoured milk drinks, drinking yoghurt and milk shakes with young consumers in India. The new line will provide Amul with the ultimate in aseptic filling technology

The Amul Dairy in Gujarat is a leading producer that has become a model for the Indian dairy industry. Its products are marketed under the popular Amul Kool and Amul Lassi brands. Moreover the possibility of package in PET bottles pushed Amul to explore new flavors and products such as Amul Pro and Amul smoothies.  PET bottles made milk drinks contemporary and glamorous allowing them to compete on equal terms with colas and other carbonated drinks on retail shelves. Generally the Amul sales are increased since the Amul product in PET bottles were introduced in the Indian market.

The new ABF technology from GEA builds on that principle by allowing even lighter-weight bottles to be used with more complex designs that are not distorted during the sterilization process.

The new ABF line is expected to be commissioned by summer 2015.

Liquid Dairy products bottling

White & Safe bottle

UHT milk in PET is a rather new concept, as only some years ago it was not possible to ensure the proper light barrier to the UHT milk using PET. Thanks to new additives available on the market that can provide one, GEA Procomac created a new PET bottle specifically designed for ESL and UHT liquid dairy applications.

Designed in collaboration with P.E.T. Engineering and Novapet for the UHT dairy market, the GEA Procomac barriered PET bottle features ‘total light barrier’ (over 99.5% of the visible light spectrum), while guaranteeing over nine months shelf life and significant advantages over previous materials.

Barriered PET in addition to a flexible and modular light barrier functionality, offers the potential to allow lightweighting in exactly the sasme way as ordinary PET, and a significant reduction of material costs with the same recyclability potential as for normal PET.

The level of light protection provided by the bottle can be simply customized by adjusting the dosage (%) of concentrate (DCU® by Novapet) in the preform to match the needs of each individual product, with a level of control over operating costs that has not been possible to date. There is no need for dedicated technology for the injection process. With little investment the preforms can be produced by a high speed standard mono-layer injection machine at whatever DCU dosage (%) is required without any risk of delamination during blow molding process due to the single-layer technology.

“White & Safe” bottle weighs only 21 g for a 1,0 l size, features a 33/15 neck finish and its shape gives the bottle a good performance in terms of top load and resistance to the vacuum.

New trends: beverages with fruit pieces

The Piston Doser PX is simple but effective. A cam-driven piston first draws into a cylinder the prescribed volume of solid particles, before injecting it into the awaiting PET bottle. The bottle then moves onto a standard volumetric, electronic filler to add the liquid juice and complete the aseptic filling process. The dual fill system requires a two-stream process line: one dedicated to the thermal treatment of the pieces and the other to the thermal treatment of the clear liquid.

Aseptic filling, in a book

Back
News
Back
Contact

No contact data available