Some Problems You Will Meet When Picking an Auger Filler

Flour, milk powder, food additives, etc., are common dry powdered food in our lives. As people’s awareness of consuming safety continues increasing our daily bread, the requirements for powdered food packaging, quality, and safety are increasing. Dry powder products have special packaging equipment requirements due to their characteristics of dispersible and dust during filling. Currently, the dry powder filling machine on the market mainly adopts the auger metering method.
When you choose a suitable auger filler with many factors. Zhengzhou Vtops Machinery Co Ltd is a Top 3 Powder Filling Machine Manufacturer in China, and we offer different high-quality auger filler machines. VTOPS summarizes the following factors to help you make the right choice.

Basic Structure

The primary dry powder filling machine comprises an auger filler and an optional screw conveyor feeder. The outlet of the screw conveyor feeder is connected to the top of the hopper of the auger filler by a soft connection. The dry powders in the hopper of the screw conveyor feeder will be conveyed to the hopper of the auger filler by screw feeder blades.

dry powder filling machine

Dry Powder Filling Machine

Basic Structure of Auger Filler

1, Drive Motors; 2, Hopper 3, Blender 4, Auger 5, Funnel (Tube)

Double blender blades mounted inside the hopper of auger filler and arranged at 180 degrees. The blender-blades are in constant rotation when loading and filling. To ensure dry powders uniformed distribution in the hopper of auger filler which powders delivered from the hopper of screw conveyor feeder. And the dry powders uniformly enter the auger under the influences of gravity and blades, thereby ensuring the filling precision and continuity of the dry powders.

Closed Design

In addition, we know that most of the dry powders are microcrystalline powders with smaller particle size. When conveying and filling in the packaging process, they are easy to leak out through the form of dust, which causes waste of finished materials and it is also not good for workers’ health. Therefore, the filling of dry powder requires a relatively closed space to ensure that the dry powder does not leak. A dust removal device can be added if necessary.

Dust Removal Equipment

Dust Removal Device (Dust Cover)

A dust removal device can be added if necessary.

Ways of Filling

Fill By Volume

FILL-BY-VOLUME is also called VOLUME-BASED FILLING or OFF-LINE SCALE WEIGHING FILLING. For everyday applications, every food packaging has a net content weight. The constant filled weight is the result of our often-called quantitative filling.

Fill By Weight

FILL-BY-WEIGHT is also called WEIGHT-BASED FILLING or IN-LINE SCALE WEIGHING FILLING. For customers with high precision requirements, they often care about error as low as 0.1%. So, the high precision research and development has always been the unremitting pursuit of professional auger powder filling machine manufacturers.

Vtops Machinery newly designed and developed a high-precision double-head auger filler which has the function of online weighing system, and the filling error is within 1 gram for 1kg. At present, the high-precision double-head auger filler has been exported to German and Australian milk powder manufacturers and received excellent feedback.

Fill By Vibrating

Some powders are relatively bulky have a low density. Vibration occurs during transportation will cause the powders to become tight, which increases the density of the dry powders and increases the space in the container. After the customer purchases the product, the customer will have a bad shopping experience when saw the half of the containers are empty. Therefore, for such low-density bulky packing manufacturers, an auger filler with Filling-by-Vibrating characteristic will be necessary.

Hopper

Different hoppers have different functions. So far, VTOPS company have three types of hoppers: Primary Hopper, Monitorable Hopper, and Split Hopper.

Primary Hopper

The primary hopper is a powder storage container made of a complete stainless steel coil. This hopper has been eliminated by us.

Advantage: Lower cost.

Disadvantage: Can’t see the state inside the hopper, poor quality.

Monitorable Hopper

The monitorable hopper is made of transparent plexiglass and 304 food-grade stainless steel to form the inverted cone hopper. All auger filler machines of VTOPS are currently equipped with the monitorable hopper or an upgraded version of this hopper.

Advantage: The clear plexiglass allows the operator to easily and clearly see the level of powder in the hopper, and more importantly, it is easy to replace the screw.

Disadvantage: Can’t see the state inside the hopper, poor quality.

Easy Clean hopper

For some initial entrepreneurial customers, there are usually several or dozens of different dry powders. And the initial entrepreneurial customers do not have enough funds to buy different machines for different dry powder. For such dry powder packing manufacturers, an easy-to-clean auger filler machine will help them solve big problems and save manpower.

Having an easy-to-clean hopper in an auger filler machine offers several advantages, such as high flexibility that can meet the requirements of flexible production, especially in industries where hygiene and product purity are critical. Here are some key benefits of having a hopper that is designed for easy cleaning:

  1. Reduced Risk of Contamination: Easy-to-clean hoppers are less likely to harbor product residues, which can lead to cross-contamination between different products. This is particularly important in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, where product purity is essential.
  2. Faster Changeovers: Quick and efficient cleaning of the hopper simplifies product changeovers. When switching from one weight to another weight, it only takes 2 minutes to replace the different diameter metering auger parts if necessary. It will not affect the normal operation of the entire production line of the factory.
    In addition, when switching from one product to another, operators can clean the hopper more rapidly, minimizing downtime and improving production efficiency.
  3. Maintains Product Integrity: Some products can be sensitive to moisture, temperature, or foreign particles. An easy-to-clean hopper ensures that the previous product is thoroughly removed, reducing the risk of product contamination or degradation.
  4. Compliance with Regulations: Many industries have strict regulations and standards regarding equipment cleanliness and hygiene. An easy-to-clean hopper can help companies meet these regulatory requirements more easily.
  5. Extended Equipment Life: Regular and thorough cleaning of equipment components, including the hopper, can help extend the lifespan of the auger filler machine. Removing product residues and preventing buildup can reduce wear and tear on machine parts.
  6. Improved Product Quality: When a hopper is cleaned thoroughly between batches, product quality is maintained at a higher level. This is especially important for industries that rely on consistent product quality and uniformity.
  7. Reduced Product Waste: Easy cleaning reduces the amount of product left in the hopper after each batch. This means less product waste and cost savings over time.
  8. Enhanced Operator Safety: Cleaning equipment can sometimes involve exposure to cleaning agents or potentially hazardous materials. An easy-to-clean hopper can make the cleaning process safer for operators by minimizing their contact with the product.
  9. Quick Inspections: Easy access to the hopper simplifies visual inspections, allowing operators to check for any signs of wear, damage, or contamination more easily.
  10. User-Friendly Maintenance: Maintenance tasks, such as lubrication and inspection of mechanical components inside the hopper, become more straightforward with an easy-to-clean design.

In summary, an easy-to-clean hopper in an auger filler machine contributes to better product quality, compliance with industry regulations, reduced downtime, and improved equipment longevity. This makes it a valuable feature in industries where cleanliness and hygiene are of utmost importance.

Filling Motor

Servo Motor

High Precision and Accuracy: Servo motors provide precise control over the auger’s rotation, allowing for extremely accurate filling. This precision is crucial in industries where even minor variations in product quantity can lead to quality issues or regulatory non-compliance.

Consistency: Servo motors maintain a consistent speed and torque, ensuring uniform product dosing throughout the filling process. This consistency leads to reliable and repeatable results.

Machine self-protection: Servo motors equipped with overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and undervoltage protection have enhanced safety and reliability features to safeguard the motor and the connected equipment. These protection mechanisms help prevent damage to the servo motor and ensure its proper operation.

Stepper Motor

Stepper motors also have their advantages when used in auger filler machines. While they differ from servo motors in terms of operation and characteristics, stepper motors offer specific benefits that can be advantageous for certain applications. Here are the advantages of using stepper motors in auger fillers:

Cost-Effectiveness: Stepper motors tend to be more cost-effective than servo motors, making them an attractive choice for businesses with budget constraints. This cost savings can be significant, especially in smaller or less complex packaging operations.

Simplicity: Stepper motors have a straightforward design with fewer components and do not require feedback devices like encoders, which are common in servo systems. This simplicity can lead to easier installation and maintenance.

It’s important to note that stepper motors may not be as suitable for high-speed and high-precision applications as servo motors. The choice between stepper and servo motors depends on specific application requirements, budget considerations, and the desired level of control and precision. Stepper motors are often favored in simpler, cost-conscious auger filling setups, while servo motors excel in more complex and demanding applications where speed, accuracy, and flexibility are critical.

Convert of Metering Weight

It is worth mentioning the conversion of the filling weight for the dry powders. One simple-direct operation mode depends on the professional operational interface. The operation comfort of the touch screen is better than the button control. And the operation mode of the touch screen should conform to the user’s operating habits.

Filling Weight & Funnel Diameter

In addition, the range of filling weight is also worth considering. Because the diameter of the funnel determines the speed and accuracy of the filling.
For example:
We are familiar with the water faucets and their diameters have a difference.
A water faucets with thick diameter have a fast flow rate, but have poor accuracy.
A water faucets with thin diameter have a slower flow rate, but have higher accuracy.

So, Vtops Machinery recommended diameter of the funnel (Diameter of Auger Fillers) is following:

Fill WeightRecommended Diameter of Funnel
1g-5gCustomize
5g-10gφ20mm – φ25mm
10g-50gφ25mm – φ30mm
50g-100gφ30mm – φ35mm
100g-500gφ35mm – φ45mm
500g-1000gφ45mm – φ55mm
1000g-5000gφ55mm – φ65mm

Tips:

  • 1, All funnels are replaceable with each other. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to Contact us.
  • 2, The above table was updated in November 2021.

Accessories

According to the customer’s needs, different dry powders can be additionally equipped with dust device. And the auger accessories can be replaced when there is a need. And suitable for the filling of fine particles and ultrafine powder materials.

How does An Auger Filler Work?

Playlist

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Conclusions

The above common problems will meet when picking an auger filler. With the development of science and technology, the scale of the auger filler market is getting bigger and bigger. The functions of the auger filler are becoming more and more abundant, and the types are also gradually refined and the more targeted. But users have more choices. Zhengzhou Vtops Machinery Co Ltd has many years of manufacturing experience since 2001. “There is no best, only better” are not just words to us but a way of life. Vtops are able to better meet and exceed your diverse product needs by providing designs that are exactly suited to your requirements. Your satisfaction is Vtops Machinery motivation.
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