Monobloc piston for food filling machines

Scenario

In the food industry, machine manufacturers are increasingly looking for technical solutions that allow greater cleaning of the plant, limiting as much as possible areas of product accumulation and so potential encrustations.

Challenge

«Attianese & Zito srl» a manufacturer of machines and systems for the food industry specialized in the processing of tomatoes, their derivatives and sauces, asked us to develop a solution for its filling machines. In particular they needed a solution able to reduce the accumulations of product to keep the plant clean and avoid  abrasion and consequentely seals’ premature wear.

 Previously the customer used opposing lip seals.

Solution

The analysis of the application highlighted the need to have a material as compatible as possible with the many dense products treated such as creams, sauces, ready-made sauces and mayonnaise. For those products, in addition to a broad chemical resistance, it was also necessary a high resistance to ‘usury. 

Operating data:

• Operating temperature 70/90 ° c
• Pressure 8/12 bar
• Vertical alternative handling
• Stroke 180 mm
• Diameter72 mm
• Cleaning cip / sip

Our designers  studied and developed a monobloc piston made of Sintek® TV-HT, a material certified according to FDAcfr21 178.2010, cfr21 178.3297, cfr21 177.1520. The solution was very reliable as the piston, in addition to boasting the initially required chemical resistance characteristics, proved to be resistant for short periods, (eg during the cip processes) even at high temperatures up to over 90 ° C.

This allowed the use of the monobloc piston even with hot-filled products. The characteristics of high wear resistance have finally made it possible to lengthen the times between piston maintenance even in the presence of tomato processing, a product usually known as one of the most abrasive in these applications.

Testimony

“The solution proposed by ATP has allowed us to guarantee our customers high qualitative efficiency as well as constant production quality. The results achieved represent our strength. The monobloc piston in Sintek® TV-HT has also allowed us to obtain excellent dosage accuracy, minimize wear on both the material and the counter-surfaces, and achieve a genuinely unexpected versatility. ”