Installation of a bottle filling machine for beer – filling technology in the smallest of spaces
At the right time, the Gampertbräu brewery made the decision in the Corona year 2020 to invest in a new bottle filling machine with higher performance. Since the installation, sales for the brewery have risen sharply due to the pandemic. The brewery’s 50-strong team brews eleven different types of beer at the Weißenbrunn location.
The brewery continuously invests in new equipment, the current focus is on the bottle cellar. The first step was implemented with the new bottle filling and closing machine.
The decision to replace the bottle filling machine was not an easy one for the Höfner brewery family. Due to the limited space, the challenging loading and unloading situation as well as the many interfaces, one was aware of the complexity of the project right from the start. With a new filling machine, however, one expected more efficient processes, lower consumption and higher product quality. The challenge of finding a suitable supplier was that they had to offer a space-saving machine solution and at the same time take on the entire project implementation.
After an extensive offer and planning phase, the choice fell on the company Hormes. The key factor for the decision was, in addition to the long-term good cooperation, the sustainable and customer-specific machine concept. For many years, Hormes has offered high-quality, modernized filling machines from well-known manufacturers.
The modernized filling machine with a filling capacity of approx. 15,000 bottles per hour combines robust and proven filling technology with modern automation. In addition to the latest control and safety technology, the machine’s drive train was implemented with highly efficient servo technology. The advantages of this technology in this area of application include higher energy efficiency, increased machine safety by reducing crashes and their consequences, the option of preventive maintenance with continuous torque monitoring and simplified maintenance.
Hormes Bottle Filling and Capping Combination.
Despite Covid-19, the filling machine was completed, installed and put into operation on time in the factory. Bringing in the new machine turned out to be a particular challenge. The filling machine, which weighs around 13 tons, had to be lifted into the feed opening at a height of around 6 m using two cranes. Thanks to the skills of the assembly team, the crane operator and the good preparation by the brewery, everything went smoothly.
In addition to the installation of the filling machine, a space-saving buffer table with a discharge for bottles was integrated, the bottle washer was overhauled, conveyors were optimized, and the floor in the area of the filling machine was renewed. In retrospect, the brewery is very happy to have implemented the project. The machine’s internal consumption data recording attests to very good energy efficiency, water consumption has been reduced by approx. 45 percent and an independent institute attests to the comparatively low oxygen uptake during the filling process.
