subject: Conventional Rotary Filling Machines [print this page] Conventional rotary filling machines of the type described above used in modem high-speed processing lines require relatively sophisticated drives, gearing, and control systems for ensuring precise coordinated movement between the differentin-feed and out-feed star wheels, worm gears, and so forth. Also, the star wheel assemblies take up valuable floor space in use, as a typical star wheel may be, for example, 4 feet in diameter. Further, if different sized bottles are to be run througha given filler, extra star wheels are likely needed for each bottle size, and each bottle may require two or three different star wheels to stabilize different portions of a given bottle. The extra (unused) star wheels and/or sets of star wheels thusrequire a great amount of storage space. The star wheels also require maintenance and upkeep, and generally add to the overall cost of the filling operation.
According to certain aspects of the invention, rotary filling machines are disclosed for filling containers, the machine including a rotating platform rotatable relative to a vertical rotating axis through a filling zone, and a conveyorconfigured to convey empty containers to be filled to the rotating platform for filling and to convey filled containers from the rotating platform. Cooperating elements are disposed on the rotating platform and conveyor for releasably attaching theconveyor to the rotating platform at least in the filling zone, and a filling turret is disposed generally above the rotating platform and rotatable relative to the vertical rotating axis at a speed corresponding generally to that of the rotatingplatform, the filling turret including a plurality of filling heads movable from a rest position to a filling position as said turret rotates between through the filling zone, each of the filling heads having a plurality of filling elements, the fillingelements movable into engagement with the containers as the filling heads move to the filling position for filling the containers. Various options and modifications are possible.
The filling machines may include two of the conveyors, the conveyors being guided to the rotating platform adjacent each other for simultaneous filling of conveyed containers in the filling zone. The two conveyors may comprise an inner conveyor locatedcloser to the vertical rotating axis and an outer conveyor located further from the vertical rotating axis.
