After more than ten years of equipment debugging, what I love to think about most is the "heart" of the filling machine - the high-precision filling valve. Although it is not big, whether the sauce and detergent filling lines produced by our factory can achieve "no leakage and no difference in gram weight" depends on its ability!
Model selection is more about "equal status" than dating
Last month, Mr. Zhang, an old customer, complained to us: "The new filling machine always leaks, and the floor cleaning on the assembly line is busier than production every day!" Our technical team went to the site to check and found that the problem was the high-precision filling valve - the valve they selected had a high nominal precision, but the material was not acid- and alkali-resistant, and the sealing surface was corroded in less than half a year after filling corrosive liquids.
This reminds me of the iron rule of the filling machine selection guide that the factory director often talks about: "First look at the medium characteristics, then talk about the accuracy parameters!" When our factory makes plans for customers, we will first ask the customer's laboratory to measure the fluid viscosity, particle content and even pH value. For example, when filling fruit juice containing fruit particles, you have to use a valve with a self-cleaning scraper; for highly corrosive chemicals, ceramic valve cores are the best.
With proper maintenance, the valve can "live ten more years"
During the inspection last Friday, I found that the valve action of the No. 3 filling line was a bit "sloppy". When it was opened, the sealing ring was stained with solidified chocolate sauce - this was the result of the operator being lazy and not doing daily cleaning according to the regulations. To be honest, the maintenance of high-precision filling valves is like a physical examination for people, and you have to pay attention to "look, smell, ask and feel":
Look: Check the valve stem for crystals hanging on the wall before starting the machine every day;
Smell: When filling organic solvents, if you suddenly smell a strange smell, you must be alert to the aging of the seal;
Take: Turn the valve body by hand every month, and if you feel a jam, it means that the grease should be replaced.
Our factory is now promoting the "three-piece valve sealing maintenance kit" - customized cleaning agent, food-grade grease, and emergency sealing components. Last time, Sister Li from the food factory reported that after using this tool kit, the filling error control accuracy has been maintained for a year without attenuation!
The "pits" we stepped on in those years
I remember that the year before last, I renovated the production line for a pharmaceutical factory, and the customer insisted on pursuing ultra-high-speed filling of 0.1 seconds per bottle. As a result, the valve started and stopped frequently, and dripping occurred in less than three months. Later, we readjusted the filling machine selection plan, found a balance between speed and precision, and added a buffer damping module. Now the equipment has been running stably for more than two years, and customers always praise it: "This is the real thousandth precision!"
Written in the end: Precision is cultivated
Now when you walk into our workshop, there is a cartoon of "Five-step Valve Maintenance Method" on the wall, and maintenance signs of different colors are neatly stacked in the toolbox. The new intern Xiao Zhao asked me: "Engineer Liu, is it so serious?" I pointed to the equipment that was filling high-end skin care water and asked him back: "Do you know how expensive the essence in this bottle is? If the valve in our hand shakes, the customer will lose half a month's profit!"
In the final analysis, a high-precision filling valve is like a delicate artist - you have to understand its temper when selecting it, follow its temperament when using it, and take out the patience to serve the old man when maintaining it. Next month we will also hold a "valve disassembly and assembly competition". Come and have a look at it, and I will let you see what the real skill of "man-valve integration" is!
