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Shemesh’s Asterra includes 16 filling stations specifically designed to fill a wide range of low and high viscous liquid with particulates (viscosities from 500 to 400,000 CPS). It is suitable for a wide range of products across varied market sectors including food & beverage, nonwovens, cosmetics, chemicals and household products.
The Asterra features a proprietary mechanical cam with built-in bottom-up Shemesh nozzles and portioning technology. And a programmable portioning speed graph for anti-foaming and drip prevention.
Mechanical-cam based, Asterra’s technology also results in higher accuracy as the filling process itself does not depend on auxiliary air pressure, which may be unstable or sometimes liquid contaminated. Additionally, with this filling method, the portioning process is faster and more consistent - yet results in less waste and spillage. Due to its proprietary nozzles and mechanical cam technology, unlike other more common pneumatic based rotary piston fillers, Asterra can also easily fill highly viscous liquids, including particles such as sauces with fruit pieces inside, peanut butter, pastes, etc.
There are also no trade-offs when it comes to hygiene: the new Asterra is constructed of 304/316L stainless steel and USDA/FDA approved materials, sanitary welds, giving customers complete peace of mind. The mainframe, slat chain conveyor and construction base are made of 304 stainless steel, while all pistons and 170-litre smart liquid tank are constructed from 316 electro polished stainless steel. Tri-clamp sanitary nozzle connections are designed for quick cleanup and maintenance, a 'tool-less' cam mounting system saves valuable time when changing production and product specifications: less than 30 min for the complete changeover.
Featuring top of the line SEW motors, this rotary filling machine is fully controlled by Siemens Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) unit (Allen-Bradley controls platform is also optional). Fill speed and portioning trajectory is adjusted simultaneously for all pistons via the touch panel. The user-friendly interface software provides a wide range of functions, controls, monitoring and traceability for improved production efficiency.
The Asterra has interlocks on all access panels wired through a category IV safety controller, emergency stop buttons and a traffic light status beacon.
