Automatic bottle filling and capping by using PLC

Project Title

Automatic bottle filling and capping by using PLC

Project Area of Specialization Mechanical EngineeringProject Summary

Filtec Automation offers a range of Rotary Nett Weight Fillers, to fill a wide range of products from food and beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical applications. Each machine can be configured to handle a variety of products and packaging sizes to ensure maximum flexibility and productivity.

The Nett Weight fillers are offered with options such as, a Foil Capper, “Pick 'n Place” or “On the Fly” capping options utilising Screw Cap, Snap Cap and RO Capping heads, as well as servo controlled capping heads for torque specific applications as well as cap orientation, either vibratory or rotary cap unscramblers with cap elevators. Controls are via touchscreen HMI and can incorporate fully automated height adjustment when changing bottles as well as adjustable CIP operations.

The Nett Weight Filler tares the bottle prior to filling then measures the weight of the bottle as it is filled shutting the nozzle when the desired weight is reached.

The filling principle is extremely simple with an infeed scroll and star wheel moving the containers into the filling area. The containers are lifted on a cam, onto the nozzles, which can be either, 2 stage filling nozzles with a fast and slow filling cycle, or single stage nozzles, which then fill the bottles to the desired volume before transferring to the capping turret and onto the exit conveyor.

The Rotary Capper is available in a number of options including, servo controlled capping turret, conventional screw capping turret with variable torque magnetic clutches and “Snap-Cap” turret, is a Pick 'n Place or on the fly Capper and is supplied complete with cap unscrambler. The machine is supplied complete with one set of change parts. All change overs are very quick and easy as the change over requires no special tools. Change parts are simply replaced and height adjustments are made before production can resume.

Product is generally pumped to the manifold on the filling turret in order to create a pressurised fill, which is fully adjustable from the HMI Touchscreen to suit any application, to minimise the filling time and thus maximise production. The pump is also used during the CIP cycle to ensure that the required fluid velocity is achieved to properly clean all pipework.

Machines are available in both standard configuration for the food and general applications as well as a GMP compliant configuration which maximises cleanability for pharmaceutical applications.

Project Objectives

:To reduce human effort and save time .

:To achieve more accuracy and higher production rate.

Project Implementation Method

The above project made with the help of Programmable Logical And Controller was to contribute to the industry so that 
the demand could be accomplished. The above project will help to cap and to fill the bottle by using the new technology. 
The development of this project would involve the contribution to the improvement in the life of an individual. The PLC 
introduced in this project(which is also the brain of this project).
On installing of the jet nozzle and using the strong solenoid valve in the above program, the time to fill the bottle and to cap 
it get’s reduced to that which takes the time to fill and cap the bottle in the above described project. Since the time 
decreases, the efficiency and the productivity of the project will also get increase. The labour work was reduced to the 
installation of the PLC.
In the capping section which was introduced after the programmed filling section part, the nozzle positioning to the neck 
of the bottle should be taken care and with more concentration. If the system gets redesigned by increasing the hardware 
size and timer, the bottle size can be increased to fill more fluid inside the bottle.[8]
The project given above could be more efficiently and effectively worked when we use different other types of PLC like as 
MITSUBISHI, SIEMENS etc. Since their programmed algorithm is much complex, they do many complex operation(if 
performed in this project like shaping etc.)could be more effective. The project can also be simplified and structured if we 
use PLC with SCADA(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).

Benefits of the Project  Benefits of Using an Automatic Filling Machine

Investing in automatic packaging machinery creates a number of different benefits for any packaging company. Below are five of the most common benefits procured from adding automatic fillers to a packaging system.

Higher Production Speeds

First and foremost, automatic filling machines allow packagers to produce more than could be produced by hand filling products. From thin free-flowing products to high viscosity items such as jelly or paste, automatic bottle fillers allow multiple containers to be filled with each cycle. With up to sixteen fill heads, inline systems can reach speeds of up to 120 bottles per minute, allowing thousands of bottles to be filled each day.

Reliability & Consistency

Hand filling containers can lead to variances in the amount of product in each bottle. While certain measuring devices may help to lower such variances, using such devices will also add time to the process. In addition to speed, automatic filling machines will allow for a repeatable, reliable and consistent fill with each cycle, whether that fill is based on a level, volume, weight or other measurement.

Versatility

Automatic filling machines are not always built for one single container or even for one single product. Automatic bottle fillers can be set up to handle a range of container shapes and sizes. In addition, many machines can handle multiple products, with some able to fill both thin and thick liquids. For companies that package multiple products in multiple containers, the versatility of the packaging equipment may be the biggest benefit of all.

Simple Controls/Lower Operator Interaction

Though automatic liquid fillers may seem to entail lengthy setup at first glance, nothing could be farther from the truth. Once in operation, filling machines will require simple hand adjustments to change from one bottle to another. But crucial settings such as fill times, indexing times, pump speeds and more will be set on a centrally located, touchscreen interface. And once settings are entered for a bottle and product combination (usually done at the LPS site prior to delivery) operators need only recall a "recipe" from the PLC and all times will be recalled!

Upgradeable Machinery

Finally, filling machines can grow with a packager's company. An automatic machine may start with four, six or eight fill heads. As production and demand increase, more fill heads can be added to the machine. With most machines, a maximum of sixteen fill heads can be placed on the nozzle bar, allowing sixteen containers to be filled with each cycle. Different machines may have different limits and top speed will depend on factors such as bottle size and shape and the actual product being filled

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Automatic Bottle Filling Machines are most commonly used in beverages and soft drink industries. These machines use a conveyor belt which is an economical and fast way to fill bottles. Mostly PLCs are used for Automatic bottle filling machines, but you can make a very basic and versatile bottle filler using an Arduino. You can program the Arduino to automatically detect the bottle using IR or ultrasonic sensor and allow the bottler to fill by stopping the conveyer belt for some time. Then again move the belt and stop when the next bottle is detected.

Here we are going to design a prototype for Automatic Bottle Filling Machine using Arduino Uno, conveyor belt, solenoid valve, IR sensor, and Stepper motor. Belt conveyor is driven by a stepper motor at a constant preset speed. The stepper motor will keep driving the belt until an IR sensor detects the presence of a bottle on the belt. We used the IR sensor as an external trigger. So whenever the IR sensor goes high it sends a trigger to Arduino to stop the motor and turn on the solenoid valve. A preset required delay is already entered in the code for bottle filling. The Arduino will keep the solenoid valve on and stepper motor off until that specified time. After that time, the solenoid valve turns off the filling, and the conveyor starts moving so that the next bottle can be filled.

Capping machines are used to cap the filled with material.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry FoodOther Industries Medical Core Technology OthersOther Technologies RoboticsSustainable Development Goals Good Health and Well-Being for People, Affordable and Clean EnergyRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	45405
pLC,stepper motor,Relay selenoid valve,IR sensor,A4988 motor driver,	Equipment	9	5045	45405