Forum -> Machinery related discussions -> Fillers ->Volumetric piston filler, chunky products with sauces

[VG]

Has any one got experience in terms of running chunky chicken or meat product with sauces, stews on volumetric piston fillers? What sort of accuracies one can achieve?

Which companies can provide filling solutions for this sort of product?

[George]

Usually on fast speed production lines chicken or meat pieces are dossed by a multi-head weigher and the sauces are deposited by the piston fillers.

At few places, I have seen meat with gravy being deposited through a piston filler, but the meat particulate size rarely exceeds 30-35 mm and sauces are pretty thick so the product remains suspended during filling operation. The filling accuracy achieved by this means is +_2 to 5%, depending upon the target weight, product consistency etc.

Riggs Autopack from UK & Makkum in Australia make good piston fillers for this purpose.
http://www.autopack.co.uk/
http://www.makum.com/food-packaging-mac ... on-fillers

[VG]

Thanks, George.

Really appreciate your help.

Cheers!

[Ferrara]

George, Have you got any experience with those volumetric depositors where chunky pieces are fed along with the sauce?

Doesn't the sauce gets sucked more initially and then as the production progresses, the meat pieces become more dense?

How do you ensure almost equal amount of sauce within each dose for the whole production run on these volumetric depositors?

[George]

Yes, Ferrara. Sometimes, there is impact on sauce and particulates ratio at the start and the end of the run.

Although, the agitator in the hopper helps a lot in terms of keeping the particulates suspended in the sauce, especially with variable speed agitator and intermittent change in rotation direction.

[vijay]

Good info.

Thanks for sharing.

[ChristopherH]

Really good info here! Loved reading it. More knowledge for me!!

[ChristopherH]

Really good info here! Loved reading it. More knowledge for me!!