Filling Lines – Filling modules
Aseptic filling modules
The filling of sensitive beverages demands high levels of hygiene and safety. GEA aseptic filling modules manage any possible risk to the product by paying special attention to environmental control and optimizing performance in terms of speed, accuracy and flexibility.
The GEA aseptic filling modules are enclosed in a microbiological isolator in which the environment is cleaned and sterilized prior to production. The sterility is maintained during production with overpressure sterile air that’s supplied by an air management system equipped with double HEPA filters.
They can all be paired with GEA PAA-based or H2O2-based aseptic sterilization systems.
Our latest generation of aseptic filling modules introduces three key innovations designed to maximize hygiene, efficiency and reliability.
A design that delivers hygiene
Our new aseptic line design combines sleek aesthetics with advanced hygienic engineering. Smoother internal and external surfaces allow for easier manual cleaning, and wider doors and improved accessibility simplify maintenance. Following EHEDG guidelines, the new design guarantees a safer, cleaner product environment because, in aseptic filling, hygiene is performance.
Boosting up time with smart control
Our new 24" AI-assisted HMI panel, now directly integrated into the aseptic filler, revolutionizes troubleshooting. With a wider, more intuitive display and smart alarm management, it identifies the root cause of issues and suggests prioritized solutions based on real-world data from global installations. This means faster interventions, reduced downtime, and smarter operations.
Always visible, always ahead
The new upper display, clearly visible from up to 20 meters away, keeps operators constantly informed, even when they're not near the machine. With real-time color-coded status, area-specific alarms, and proactive alerts for upcoming tasks, it helps prevent unplanned stops and boosts overall line efficiency. It’s smart visibility that keeps your production flowing.
Benefits of GEA aseptic filling modules:
- Automatic dummy bottle insertion and extraction for closed-loop clean-in-place (CIP) and sterilize-in-place (SIP) procedures
- Redundant HEPA filters supply sterile air to the microbiological isolator to offer the same protection level required by FDA regulations
- On-board tank design reduces product loss during changeover
- Bottle format changeover can be done without losing sterility
Volumetric electronic filling modules
The range of aseptic volumetric electronic filling modules, supplied with magnetic flow meters, is suitable for a wide range of still and carbonated products.
Fillstar FX
The Fillstar FX series is suitable for high or low acid, clear or viscous products, and those with pulps, fibers and/or pieces up to 6 x 6 x 6 mm in size.
Product is gravity fed to the filling valves from a sterile buffer tank located on top of the filling carousel. Each filling valve is equipped with a magnetic flow meter that regulates the quantity of liquid according to the container size. A dual-speed design (slow speed mode is used at the beginning and end of the filling cycle) enables foam-sensitive products to be filled without unwanted turbulence.
The product filling circuits are steam sterilized; the system – with no contact between the nozzle and the bottle during filling – allows for safe and reliable aseptic production.
Fillstar CX
The Fillstar CX filling module can fill both still and carbonated drinks in aseptic conditions, including clear products and those containing pulps and fibers. It is optimized to aseptically fill carbonated liquids (with contact between the bottle and filling nozzle), as well as the aseptic filling of still liquids (with no nozzle-to-bottle contact).
The Fillstar CX can switch from a “no-contact” filling process to a “contact” one – and vice versa – without the need to shut down the system for mechanical adjustment. Changeover times that typically take more than 3 hours are effectively eliminated.
The filling parameters related to the specific product are predetermined and can be recalled using the machine’s control system without interrupting the sterile bottling process.
GEA’s Aseptic Dual Fill System
The GEA Aseptic Dual Filling System opens the door to a new generation of premium beverages containing pulp, fiber, fruit chunks, cereals and other large particles. Designed for sensitive, high-value products, it enables precise handling of solids and liquids via two independent aseptic streams, preserving natural freshness and delivering outstanding product quality. Whether you're bottling aloe vera pieces or mandarin sacs, the GEA Aseptic Dual Fill ensures each component is treated with the care it deserves.
Aseptic-smart-doser
At the heart of the system is the GEA Aseptic Smart Doser. It uses a magnetic actuated piston system to first dose the solid particles, thereby minimizing product damage and optimizing dosing precision. After the particles are dosed, an aseptic electronic volumetric filler completes the process by dosing the remaining liquid, whether still or carbonated. This provides infinite possibilities for creating unique, sensitive beverages.
The GEA Aseptic Smart Piston Doser gently and accurately doses solid particles up to 10x10x10 mm, even in small volumes – ideal for today's “food in a bottle” trends.
Dedicated thermal treatments
The GEA Aseptic Dual Filling System requires a two-stream process line: one dedicated to the thermal treatment of the pieces and one for the clear liquid that preserves their organoleptic and nutritional properties.
Thanks to extensive experience with this type of application, GEA can offer an effective solution by combining the GEA Smart Doser with GEA thermal treatment technologies to optimize both solid particle dosing accuracy and integrity.
Benefits:
- The GEA Aseptic Piston Doser handles the whole bottling process, eliminating the need for downstream heat treatment or beverage overheating.
- Energy costs are dramatically reduced.
- Extreme flexibility when preparing products containing fruit, hard or soft particles, pulps and fibers.
Magnetic filling valves
The GEA aseptic filling valve portfolio now benefits from the newly designed solution fit for filling a large variety of still sensitive beverages, including pulps and particles. It features magnetic actuators thus bringing flexibility and accuracy to a higher level and enhances versatility when filling high level carbonated sensitive beverages.
Benefits
- Reduced maintenance solution with no dynamic sealing (such as bellows or membranes) to separate the aseptic zone from the external environment
- High reliability valve sealing solution without additional gaskets and no off-flavor retention
- Easy and fast change over with simple replacement of the terminal nozzle allows to switch between high level carbonated products to still products clear or including fibers
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