Powder

Filling
Machinery

Albro
Powder Filling Machinery
GEA Albro, a subsidiary of GEA Colby, operates from its offices in Kent,
United Kingdom. GEA Albro equipment is also distributed through the
Americas, Asia and the Far East through sister companies and agencies in
more than 40 countries. GEA Albro is recognised as a world leader for the
supply of inline and rotary powder filling machinery which is designed for
handling both free and non-free flowing products.

The GEA Albro filling principles are renowned internationally for:

• Unbeatable accuracy

• Reliability

• Cleanliness of fill

• Gentle product handling

The special dust free filling principles combined with unique porous insert technology
enable products to be handled at speeds of up to 400 containers per minute. GEA Albro
produced its first single head powder filler in 1931. Since then it has grown to become
one of the largest and most respected manufacturers of high speed powder systems in
over 80 countries.

One of GEA Albro’s existing customers currently fills over 3,000,000 cans of milk
and baby formula each day on it’s GEA Albro fillers. Everyday the world drinks over
200,000,000 cups of instant coffee from jars and cans filled on machinery manufactured
by GEA Albro.

GEA Albro has supplied well over 200 filling systems worldwide for talcum powder,
with over 50 installations to just two customers alone!

One reason for GEA Albro’s success is the special dust free filling principle which
enables virtually any container, including narrow necked bottles, to be filled quickly
and accurately. GEA Albro supply cutting edge technologies for powder filling systems.
We handle a wide range of products with minimum downtime, including powdered
milks, infant formula, nutritional products, coffee, chocolate custard, instant beverages
and talcum.
Markets Served by GEA Albro
GEA Albro filling machines have been in operation since 1931. Manufacturers worldwide
use our machines to fill an increasing variety of products in the food, cosmetic,
pharmaceutical & health care, household and chemical industries. This is achieved by
either vacuum or nett weight filling technologies.

GEA Albro offer solutions from single units to completely integrated packaging lines
specifically designed to satisfy individual requirements, backed up by comprehensive
design, manufacturing and after sales service.

Food, Dairy & Powdered Beverage

GEA Albro is internationally renowned for filling all types of food powders, by vacuum
or nett weight, into a wide variety of containers including cans, jars and lightweight
collapsible plastic. All achieved with minimal product breakdown.
Products include milk powder and milk based powders, coffee, chocolate powder, infant
formula, slimming powders, gravy granules, soups, artificial sweeteners, soft drink pre-
mix powders, powdered spices and custard powders.

Pharmaceutical & Healthcare

Major advances within our machinery development now allow us to handle a wider
variety of powdered pharmaceutical products within a sanitary environment. We now
handle products which include foot powders, medicated talcum powders, antibiotics and suspension powders.

Cosmetic, Toiletry & Personal Products

GEA Albro has been a worldwide market leader, for over 70 years, for the supply of filling machinery into the
cosmetics and toiletries industries. GEA Albro provide solutions to the world’s leading blue chip companies in
these fields. We handle products from talc and talc based powders to denture cleaner and powdered toothpastes
as well as powders for compacts and makeup.

Household
GEA Albro can offer a variety of filling solutions into this expanding market sector.
The household sector has seen an increasing demand for convenient, safe to handle
products, in powdered or granular form. Our customers now produce these product
forms for household and industrial chemicals and cleaners. We can handle products as
diverse as dishwasher powders, laundry cleaners, scouring cleaners, diamond dust and
caustic swimming pool chemicals. GEA Albro can fill it for you.
 Albro Alpha nett weight filler handling instant coffee.

Albro Delta timed fill powder filler handling talcum.

Powder Filling Machinery
Every type of powder and granule is unique. At GEA Albro we have developed a number of different filling
systems to suit specific applications. When GEA Albro offers a particular solution to a powder filling problem
the widest variety of factors are taken into account. Whilst the line speed and efficiency of operation are of
importance, minimum product damage and high accuracy must be achieved.

Free Flowing Product

A free flowing product is one which will freely flow through an aperture or nozzle under the action of gravity
alone. During the filling process this flow has to be controlled as each container is filled. Special filling nozzles
have been developed by GEA Albro to ensure the flow of product can be controlled and these technologies
include porous inserts and sliding nozzles.

Free flowing products include such products as freeze dried coffee, spray dried coffee, agglomerated coffee,
chocolate drink (containing sugar), herbs and spices, dishwasher powder, sugar and salt.

Non-Free Flowing/Fatty Product

A non-free flowing product is one which will naturally bridge within the base of the aperture or nozzle. It may
be a powder with relatively high fat levels, for example. Therefore, during the filling process the flow can best
be induced, without damage to the product, by the application of vacuum into the container. The result is that
the product flows into the container as the pressure equalises.

Non-free flowing products include milk powders, infant formula, talcum powder, cosmetic powders, custard and
curry powders, baking powder, cake mixes and icing sugars.

GEA Albro powder filling machinery includes:

• Theta Rotary Vacuum Fillers
• Delta Inline Vacuum Fillers
• Alpha Inline Gravimetric Fillers
• Beta-fil Nett Weight Fillers

GEA Albro ancilliary line equipment includes:

• Checkweigher Feedback and Reject Systems
• Product Gassing Systems
• U.V. Sterilisation Systems
• Scoop Inserting & Detection Systems
• Air Cleaners
• Glue Applicators
• Rotary Tables & Conveyors
• Can Seam Inspection Equipment
• Line Management Control Systems
• GEA Colby Powder Feed Systems
 Vacuum Filling Principle used on
Delta and Theta machines

1. Container being 2. Container in filling
raised. Powder bridging position. Fully enclosed
in aperture. No vacuum circuit is completed. Vacuum
applied. is applied, powder “bridge”
is broken and powder begins
to flow.
3. Powder level in container
reaches gauze, blocking
vacuum - powder “bridges”
in aperture.
4. Vacuum tubes connected
to atmosphere or inert gas
supply. Pressure is equalised
so can is released. Can
is lowered and powder
“bridge” remains.

Porous Nozzle / Nett Weight Filling Principle

used on Beta-Fil and Alpha machines

1. In standby mode, a low
vacuum is applied to the
nozzle surface creating a
suction effect which holds
the powder or granules
firmly to the inner wall.
2. When a container is placed
on the load cell, positive
pressure fluidises the inner
surface of the nozzle and
hopper. This causes the
product to flow at high
speed into container and also
purges the porous nozzle.
3. When 90% of the product
has been dispensed in the
primary bulk-fill stage,
the positive pressure is
switched off. The product
then continues to enter the
container in a controlled
manner, but at a much
reduced rate.
4. Once the final fill weight
has been achieved, a vacuum
is again applied to the nozzle
giving an immediate and
extremely positive product
cut off with absolutely no
dribble or run-over.
Range of Equipment Supplied
Theta Rotary Powder Filler
The GEA Albro Theta is the flagship of the Albro range. Theta is a vacuum filler suitable for handling free-
flowing and non-free flowing products within a wide range of industries. Its state of the art design represents
70 years of powder filling development. This machine is available in four frame sizes with up to 40 filling heads.
Output speeds can be over 400 containers per minute and it will handle container sizes up to 3kg.

Filling Mechanism:
At each filling head a straight vertical tube leads from the hopper directly through the filling nozzle into the
containers to be filled. The filling nozzle also incorporates a vacuum tube and a vacuum breaker tube. Although
there is no valve, powder is retained in the nozzle until a vacuum is induced when a container is in the filling
position. The container then forms an integral part of the totally enclosed vacuum filling circuit. There are no
moving parts in contact with the product.

The filling cycle commences immediately after the container is lifted against the filling nozzle; the air is drawn
out and the product flows into the container from the hopper above. When the powder reaches the desired level
in the container, it stops flowing and air or inert gas is let in to release the vacuum. Filling will not take place
until a container is in position, or if the container is badly damaged, as the vacuum circuit is not complete.

Features include:
• Volumetric Fill, standard technique for high accuracy filling of a wide range of products

• No Moving Parts, for minimal product breakdown and no product contamination

• Self Emptying Hopper, prevents ‘dead zones’ - minimises cleaning and reduces changeover time

• Tool Free Change Over, for minimum ‘downtime’, maximum ‘uptime’

• Powder Spray Nozzles, to spread filled powder and prevent scoops rising in the container during filling

Optional features include:

• Timed Fill Machines, eliminates high variation of fill for ‘liquid’ powders e.g. Talcum Powder.

• Pulse Control Fill, for fatty chocolate/cocoa products

• Individual Head Update, minimises variations in filling head performance,

maximising filling accuracy

• Vibration Facility, provides compaction capability for agglomerated products

• Top-Up System, to minimise ‘give away’ for minimum/ nett weight containers

• Soft Reject, gentle controlled rejection of ‘out of weight’ containers

• Gassing System, to maintain the reduced residual oxygen content in the final
product.
 GEA Albro machines feature sanitary
designs and components that can be
quickly removed and replaced.

GEA Albro fillers can be supplied with

automatic systems for checkweighing and
rejecting as well as top up systems for
ensuring high accuracy; if required.
Delta Vacuum Powder Filler
The Delta range of fully automatic in-line powder fillers have an impressive array of features which provide a
level of benefits previously unavailable to the low and medium speed user. Delta is available with 2,4,6 or 8
heads depending upon product type, volume to be filled and the speed required.

The Delta Filling Principle: Containers are moved into alignment with filling heads while on the integral infeed
conveyor. Correct container pitching is ensured through the use of a synchronous indexing conveyor and feed
control system. The containers are then automatically pushed from the conveyor onto individual pedestals under
each filling head. The pedestals then raise the containers to seal with the filling heads and once an airtight
seal has been made, the container is filled. A vacuum is applied to the container, the air is drawn out and the
product flows in. When the fill has reached the desired level the product stops flowing and air or inert gas is
let in to release the vacuum. The pedestal lowers and the next empty container is moved onto the pedestal. The
filling head has no moving components in contact with the product and thereby reduces
product breakdown.

Alpha Nett Weight Powder Filler

The Alpha range of fully automatic in-line nett weight powder filling machines offer the
user a unique combination of simplicity of construction and ease of use. The Alpha has
undeniable market leading performance when it comes to fill accuracy. The machine is
ideally suited for accurate filling of free-flowing and semi free-flowing products.

The Alpha range is available with 2, 4 or 6 heads giving output up to 70 containers per
minute depending upon product type and volume to be filled.

The Alpha Filling Principle; Containers are moved into alignment with the filling heads by the same method as
the Delta vacuum powder Filler. The difference is the use of fluidised powder feed and individual high resolution
weigh cells placed under each filling head. The weigh cells automatically tare the containers to be filled and
when the tare is complete the fill is automatically initiated. The filling head has no moving components in
contact with the product and thereby eliminates product breakdown.

Beta-Fil
This is a semi-automatic powder filling machine which fills to a set weight which
is entered by the operator. The operator places the empty container onto the
platform, which initiates the fill cycle and removes the full container once the
cycle is finished. This machine is suitable for semi-free flowing powders however
some difficult powders can be handled with the addition of fluidising, which
supplies air or inert gas flow to the feed hopper, to prevent bridging.

Air Cleaner
Powder filling can only take place once the container has been properly
prepared. Nowhere is this more important than in the sanitary filling of food
products such as milk powder and infant formula. However, this technology is
equally applicable to other products such as coffee and the handling of sterilised
product such as talcum baby powder.

We can offer a range of inline and rotary air cleaners giving speeds of up to 400
containers per minute. Each cleaner uses a combination of clean compressed air or
inert gas, combined with vacuum, to give a reliable cleaning cycle.
 Albro Delta 4 head inline powder filler
handling dairy powder.

Single head vacuum powder filler handling

healthcare powders.
Glue Applicator
These units are specifically designed for jar filling lines where a paper foil membrane is required on the top of
the jar after filling. The unit includes a special anti-spill device when the conveyor is not running and can be
syncronised to the speed of the container conveyor.

Rotary Tables
GEA Albro manufactures a range of rotary unscrambling and collecting tables to suit various container sizes and
speeds. These units are made primarily from stainless steel and are all supplied with variable speed drives.

Product Gassing Systems

Inert gas flushing systems to maintain a minimum oxygen content of the packaged goods thus extending the
shelf life of the products. The GEA Albro system incorporates product and container pre-gas, gas flushing of
filled product and maintenance of the inert environment through until final closure of the container. Gas
flushing is undertaken dynamically in the process environment, as opposed to the more traditional batching of
cans into gas boxes. GEA Albro can offer varying levels of complexity from totally manual
setup through to complete on-line analysis and continuous environment control.

Automatic Scoop Inserters

The automatic scoop inserter features a low level bulk feed reception hopper for
easy loading of scoops. A flighted feed elevator supplies a vibratory sorter with
a stainless steel bowl. Scoops are discharged through a chute to the placement
mechanism which is typically a rotary escapement mechanism. This ensures positive
scoop discharge. The inserter is complete with drive motors and all controls and
is suitable for most can sizes and scoops. It features continuous, smooth motion
with variable speed and no indexing.

Can Seam Inspection Equipment

GEA Albro can supply off-line can seam inspection equipment which allows
testing for seam length overlap, end hook, body hook and counter sink as well as end component thickness and
seam gap. All models have been designed to be quick and easy to operate with features such as fixed focusing
on a fine grain screen; which allows quality control procedures to be carried out in an optimised timeframe.

Line Management and Control Systems

The use of control and monitoring techniques enables GEA Albro to offer a totally integrated and syncronised
filling system in which individual machines interact through a central programmable controller. This provides
the benefit of being able to control the complete system using one master control console which monitors and
advises the status of all aspects of the line.

An inbuilt management programme gives printouts of line performance

and is able to provide a complete analysis of overall operating efficiencies.
The result is a system which operates more efficiently with fewer operatives
and with less downtime.

Check Weigher Feedback Systems

High resolution dynamic checkweighing systems are integrated into the
equipment to provide on-line feedback and machine correction capability.
With varying levels of complexity the systems can include tare and/or gross
checkweighing with feedback and the ability to have individual head
adjustment; which will minimise product giveaway. Along with this unique
software there is trend adjustment to compensate for product bulk density
. GEA Albro provides ‘state of the art’ weight control.
 Albro Alpha 4 head inline nett weight machine
filling coffee jars.

Single head Beta-Fil nett weight

powder filler handling sugar.

Albro Alpha 3 head inline batching powder filler.

 PHARMACEUTICAL & HEALTHCARE
CHOCOLATE & CONFECTIONARY

INDUSTRIAL & AUTOMOTIVE

COSMETICS & TOILETRIES

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
FOOD & DAIRY

BEVERAGES
MACHINE RANGE

FILLERS

THETA ROTARY VACUUM FILLERS

DELTA INLINE VACUUM FILLERS

ALPHA INLINE GRAVIMETRIC FILLERS

BETA-FIL GRAVIMETRIC FILLERS

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

CHECKWEIGHER FEEDBACK SYSTEMS

MACHINE GASSING SYSTEMS

STERILISATION SYSTEMS

SCOOP INSERTERS

AIR CLEANERS

GLUE APPLICATORS

CAN SEAM INSPECTION EQUIPMENT

MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS
GEA COLBY POWDER FEED SYSTEMS

The data and material depicted in this document are given for
reference only and can be changed without preliminary notice
 GEA Albro - operating all around the world
Afghanistan Egypt Lebanon Russian Federation
Albania El Salvador Libya Saudi Arabia
Algeria Estonia Lithuania Serbia
Andorra Finland Luxembourg Singapore
Argentina France Macedonia Slovakia
Armenia Georgia Madagascar Slovenia
Australia Germany Malawi South Africa
Austria Ghana Malaysia Spain
Azerbaijan Greece Mauritius Sri Lanka
Bahamas Guatemala Mexico Sudan
Bahrain Honduras Morocco Swaziland
Bangladesh Hungary Mozambique Sweden
Belarus India Myanmar Switzerland
Belgium Indonesia Netherlands Syria
Bolivia Iran New Zealand Taiwan
Bosnia Herzegovina Iraq Nicaragua Tanzania
Botswana Ireland Nigeria Thailand
Brazil Israel Norway Tunisia
Canada Italy Oman Turkey
Chile Jamaica Pakistan Turkmenistan
China Japan Panama Ukraine
Colombia Jordan Paraguay United Arab Emirates
Costa Rica Kenya Peru United Kingdom
Croatia Kiribati Philippines United States
Cyprus North Korea Poland Uruguay
Czech Republic South Korea Portugal Venezuela
Denmark Kuwait Qatar Vietnam
Ecuador Laos Romania Zimbabwe
 Part of the global
GEA Group.
Albro, Dico and Gravfil are brands recognised all over the
world as providers of high quality, innovative packaging
machinery. Now owned by GEA Colby, they are part of
the worldwide network of GEA Group Companies.
Engineering Excellence.

Process Engineering

GEA Albro GEA Colby Pty Ltd

Unit 3, Plot 7 . Henwood Industrial Estate . Ashford 328 High Street . Chatswood . Sydney
Kent TN24 8DH . UNITED KINGDOM NSW 2067 . AUSTRALIA
Tel: +44 (0) 1233 629161 . Fax: +44 (0) 1233 639560 Tel: +61 2 9932 2800 . Fax: +61 2 9932 2801
www.geaalbro.com www.geacolby.com