Unveiling Juice Hot Filling Machine: Technology, Materials, and Quality Secrets

The working principle of the hot filling juice machine is significantly different from that of general carbonated water or ordinary water filling equipment, which is not only reflected in the materials and structures of the filling chamber, filling mechanism, and control system, but also in the uniqueness of the filling process itself. Faced with various types of beverages such as juices, tea drinks, coffee milkshakes, and functional health drinks, the composition of bottled liquids is complex. Some have high sugar content, some contain pectin and theophylline, and some even contain pectin and aminophylline. Some liquids are easy to produce foam during filling, and the viscosity is extremely high.

To ensure the long-lasting freshness and stable quality of beverages, the hot filling process is particularly important here. Normally, the liquid temperature for filling needs to be maintained at a high temperature of 85-92 ℃.

In terms of design, the internal structure of the hot filling juice machine must be smooth for easy cleaning, without any CIP dead corners that are difficult to clean. The components in contact with beverages should be made of 304 stainless steel material, and the inner and outer surfaces should be polished extremely smooth with a roughness of Ra ≤ 0.8.

The filling process adopts gravity filling combined with negative pressure reflux technology. Beverages that have undergone UHT ultra-high temperature sterilization treatment will be transported to the upper storage tank of the machine and work synchronously with the PET bottles to be filled. When filling, the beverage is injected into the PET bottle through the filling valve and its upper pipeline. At this point, the exhaust fan on the workbench starts working, and the buffer tank connected to it forms negative pressure, quickly extracting the air inside the PET bottle. As the liquid level in the bottle rises, the exhaust fan will suck away the foam formed at the mouth of the bottle, and the drinks will quickly fill the vacancy to achieve the filling effect of high liquid level or even full bottle.

As one of the key equipment on the hot filling production line, the juice hot filling machine occupies a small area and has a compact structure. The flushing and filling components do not need to be connected by traditional conveyor belts, but are driven by star wheels, which facilitates fully automatic control and operation of the equipment, simplifying the equipment layout and production management of the filling room.

The exhaust fan configured on the workbench is connected to the buffer tank to generate moderate negative pressure, which helps to improve the filling speed. Its working principle is that in the state of high liquid level filling, the exhaust fan will pull away the foam from the bottle mouth, and the drinks will be filled quickly to ensure the high liquid level or full bottle filling of PET bottles. This can minimize the residual oxygen between the bottle mouth and lid, thereby ensuring the quality of the beverage. At the same time, the hot air displacement technology at the bottle mouth can also eliminate some air, which is beneficial for effectively disinfecting the bottle mouth and top surface of the bottle cap during the bottle sterilization process, further ensuring the safety and quality of the beverage.