Featuring accurate, repeatable torque control, the company’s Acrobat Chuck Capper deftly handles a wide variety of caps and bottles – ideal for manufacturers producing multiple SKUs.

Mount Vernon, N.Y. – TurboFil Packaging Machines LLC, an equipment specialist dedicated solely to the design and development of liquid filling and assembly machines, has introduced a servo-driven chuck capper offering precision torque and gentle handling without costly bottle change parts. Ideal for manufacturers producing multiple SKUs, the company’s Acrobat Chuck Capper is available in single and dual-head formats capable of processing up to 90 units per minute.

The new capper’s proprietary technology and parallel belts eliminate the expense of making and storing change parts for most bottles; for the smallest bottles, only minor, inexpensive parts are needed for fast, easy changeover. Regardless, the Acrobat’s servo motor operation provides accurate, repeatable torque control and, for difficult threads, also can perform counterclockwise thread seating.

The module’s two-chuck system features a novel “chasing chuck” that automatically locates the next bottle along the belt. This mobile, adjustable chasing chuck allows the belt itself to serve as a spacing tool, eliminating the need for costly, time-consuming change parts.

Gentle handling is assured through positive placement and cap-specific stainless steel serrated pneumatic chucks. This differentiating combination eliminates erosion between the chuck and the cap ridges, mitigating the risk of generating particulates that can contaminate the machine surfaces as well as bottle contents. (For smooth caps, urethane-lined chucks are also available.) By contrast, simple spindle cappers drop caps onto bottles, frequently resulting in misfeeds, cross-threading and rejects.

The Acrobat Chuck Capper is versatile as well as precise: the unit can handle a wide variety of caps up to 3” in diameter, including flat, port, hinged, child-resistant, continuous thread, twist top, metal lug, tilt top and tamper-evident varieties. It can be used to process bottles 1-12” in height and of nearly any shape, including round, square, rectangular, oblong and F-style.

The machine’s touchscreen, recipe-driven HMI can validate and store torque settings, and provides easy electronic changeover of cap placement, torque parameters, cap orientation and bottle height, and other settings and options. The only factor requiring mechanical adjustment, which is performed via scaled turn-wheel, is belt gap.

Compact for optimized floorspace, the capper’s footprint is just 73” X 75”. The module can fit with existing conveyors, or be supplied with an integrated conveyor. Other standard features on the Acrobat Chuck Capper include ethernet for remote diagnostics, a light tower indicator, a container counter and an integrated hopper/elevator sorter. Available options include a crooked cap/high cap sensor with reject; a cap lining sensor; custom chucks for unique caps; 21 CFR Part 11 compliance; and spare parts kits.

For more information, visit www.TurboFil.com.