Welcome to Armfield's Fact File newsletter for R&D professionals in the food, beverage, dairy and pharmaceutical industries.

Optimise your R&D processes with Armfield

The Armfield range of miniature-scale R&D technology offers flexible solutions for R&D applications ranging from beverages to ingredients, with a modular design allowing you to combine equipment to create a complete miniature-scale production line in your laboratory.

In addition to our standard range of equipment, Armfield also offer a range of accessories and modifications to support specific processing parameters. In this issue:

• The new accessory to the FT102X Carbonator/Filler/Capper, the FT104X
• The new FT94X HTST/UHT Mini Pilot System with bag-in-box filler

Extend your carbonation and filling capabilities
with the new FT104X Filling Station

The FT104X is a new accessory to the FT102X Carbonator/Filler/ Capper, the laboratory-scale system for carbonating and filling a wide range of products including soft drinks, beer, milk and juices.

Using the FT104X and FT102X (pictured right), developers can simultaneously run different filling scenarios, use different types of package or container, and increase output from the laboratory system - making the process of producing packaged product samples even faster and more efficient.

The Armfield FT102X and FT104X are designed specifically for research and development purposes. The systems are used to establish precise and repeatable parameters when carbonating and filling in the laboratory, allowing developers to quickly and easily produce packaged product samples while recording results representative of pilot or production-scale processes.

The FT104X Filling Station integrates seamlessly and provides an additional, independently controlled filling head. This operates concurrently with the filling head fitted to the FT102X, effectively doubling output.

The FT104X accessory also allows developers to define specific filling variables for each filling head, and simultaneously fill to different types and sizes of package or container. Each filling head is controlled via a seperate colour touch-screen control panel, providing an intuitive interface for the control and automation of a range of parameters.

The systems feature premix and postmix capabilities, with fast test procedures at throughputs of up to 60LPH. The FT104X can be easily added to an existing FT102X system, or they can be purchased together as part of a complete package.

By providing the knowledge required to scale up to pilot or production plant, the system has been shown to dramatically improve the speed with which new products can be developed.

For further information, please contact us at sales@armfield.co.uk

The new FT94X HTST/UHT Mini Pilot System
featuring bag-in-box filling capability

This new modified version of the FT94X HTST/UHT Mini Pilot System has been developed in partnership with Rapak, and supports aseptic bag-in-box filling of product samples.

The system combines the Armfield FT94X HTST/UHT Mini Pilot System and Rapak Intasept 2200 laboratory filler, providing an integrated facility for aseptic processing and bag-in-box filling of process batches of as little as 15 litres.

Designed specifically for fast, economical production of packaged product samples, the system is suitable for a wide range of applications including beverages, liquid foods, dairy products and pharmaceuticals. From a cold start, steady state operation is achieved in a matter of minutes, and the unit is capable of continuous and batch operation at process temperatures of up to 150°C. A number of options are available, including plate and/or tubular heat exchangers, and upstream and downstream homogenisation capabilities.

The main service unit contains the services, controls and instrumentation required to operate the tubular and plate heat exchangers, including a 20cm colour touch screen control panel, variable speed progressing cavity product feed pump, steam-heated hot water system for product pre-heating and indirect steam for final heating, with automatic steam control valves and facilities for CIP and SIP.

The Intasept 2200 filling module accepts a variety of Rapak bags and films, ranging from 0.75 - 30 litres and in various barrier materials, offering an effective and environmentally friendly alternative to many traditional packaging materials. The semi automatic, single head filler is available with either a 16mm or 32mm filling head, with an option to enable the user to switch between sizes.

The gland, or filling port, heat sealed into the barrier bag wall, features a specially designed dual barrier membrane. The unique design provides full interface sterilisation, filling and resealing without the need to remove the bag from the filling head. This ensures that, throughout the process, product is not exposed to any potential sources of contamination.

A sophisticated data logging package allows the user to measure and record essential process data, including temperatures, product and steam pressures, feed pump speed and many other sensor values, providing the knowledge required to scale up to production plant.

For further information, please contact us at sales@armfield.co.uk

Other products in the Armfield range

For full specifications of all Armfield products, please view the datasheets on our website or contact the sales team direct at sales@armfield.co.uk.