Why RN1S Coffee Capsule Filling Sealing Machine is so popular?

① Power switch (load break switch)

② Compressed air and nitrogen controllers

A Compressed air pressure regulating valve (rotate to adjust after pulling up)
B Compressed air switch. Move left to cut off. Move right to connect
C Compressed air pressure indicator
D Nitrogen pressure regulating valve (rotate to adjust after pulling up)
E Nitrogen pressure indicator
F Nitrogen has no valve to control the switch, and the gas pipe is directly connected to maintain a normal state

③ Capsule stocker

④ Hopper

⑤ Film stocker or roll stock film

⑥ Precision weighing instrument (base + support column + scale)

⑦ Output conveyor

⑧ Control panel

⑨ Vaccum feeder

⑩ Control box (including PLC, solenoid valve and other electrical components and main motor, etc.)

① Power supply: connected. And the switch is closed (voltage and frequency, etc. must meet the rated parameters of the machine)

RN1S (or other single and double rows machines) generally adapts to the power supply: AC single-phase 220V50Hz, rated power (referring to full load) 1.5kW~2kW (doubled for two rows machine), rated current 7~10A (rated power ÷ rated voltage).
Most of the above four-row machines are AC three-phase 380V 50Hz, rated power above 6kW. The calculation of a three-phase current is more complicated, but there are also fixed formulas.

The calculation of the rated current is generally for the reasonable configuration of the air switch.

Full Load: Most components consume power at the same time and near peak. For example, after the machine is turned on, each heat sealing head is rapidly heating, and each motor is running at full load (assuming). Then it is full load.

There are many kinds of power plugs, and we need to try our best to provide plugs according to the situation of the customer's site.

Example 1: What if the customer's site voltage is single-phase 240V, 60Hz? Generally, the machine does not make any changes or only uses a broadband motor, and 240V60Hz does not need to be changed within the range of our electrical components and motors.

Example 2: What if the customer site voltage is single-phase 110V, 50Hz? It is generally recommended that customers buy transformers on the spot (the price of a 4kW transformer is within $500), and the machine does not make any changes.

② Compressed air source and nitrogen gas source: connected. And the switch has been turned on (the working pressure is generally 0.6Mpa, about 6 atmospheres, and the nitrogen pressure is 0.1Mpa, close to the standard atmospheric pressure).

Machine air consumption: about 300~500L/min (after converting to standard air pressure), generally produced by air compressors, mainly used by cylinders, suction cups, and vacuum feeders.

Nitrogen consumption of the machine: about 80-300L/min (after conversion to standard air pressure), generally produced by connecting an air compressor to a nitrogen generator.
The gas consumption of the nitrogen generator itself: is about 350L/min.

③ Empty cups: There are empty cups in the cup compartment. Or some empty cups have been arranged by the vibrating plate.

④ Material: There are enough materials to be filled in the silo. Generally, it is best to keep about 60-80% full.

⑤ Parafilm: There is a roll film or a pre-cut or die-cut film in the film compartment

① Drop the cup vertically or replace it with a vibrating plate and then grab the cup and drop the cup or other ways of taking the cup.

② Cup drop detection

③ Screw blanking or replace it with weighing blanking. Depending on the material, ground coffee powder generally uses screw blanking.

④ Powder suction and powder pressing

⑤ Suction film. Or replace with slit film when the film is in roll form.

⑥ Film detection

⑦ Heat seal

⑧ Cup output. Or cup output and weighed

⑨ Impurity detection

In addition, there are multiple nitrogen inputs at stations ③~⑦.
There are 12 fixed mold positions, and most of the station positions are not fixed on different machines.

5.1 Vertical cup drop or vibrating plate to arrange cup and grab drop cup in order to put caosules into the mold.

When is a vibrating plate needed or more appropriate?
A. The cups are not easy to stack, or they are crooked when stacked. In this case, the cutter of the vertical cup drop mechanism cannot cut accurately.
B. The cups are originally in bulk and are not stacked. If you force the vertical drop cups, you need to manually stack them first, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.

5.2 Cup drop detection: detect whether the cup drop at the previous station is successful.

5.3 Screw blanking: filling.

5.4 Powder suction and powder pressing: the residual powder on the edge of the cup is sucked away.

5.5 Suction and cutting film: place the film on the cup mouth.
The suction film refers to sucking the film, and the film cutting refers to the cutting knife to cut the roll film.

5.6 Film detection: detect whether the film is successfully placed in the previous station.

5.7 Heat sealing: sealing.

5.8 Cups output or cups output and weighed

5.9 Impurity detection

① Cylinder 1: Drive the cutter ③ to move laterally with the cylinder ②.
② Cylinder 2: Drive the cutter ③ to do the longitudinal movement.
③ Cutter: It consists of two parts, the inner side, and the outer side. The outer side only moves horizontally and laterally, and the inner side can move vertically and longitudinally.

Cup drop steps:

1. When the piston rod of the cylinder is retracted from the far right end (the farthest extension position, less than or equal to the stroke of the cylinder) to the left, the "blade" on the inside of the cutter will cut between the bottommost cup and the two mouths of the penultimate cup. At the same time, the outer "blade" will also cut between the mouths of the two cups to support the penultimate cup and all the cups above it from falling down.

2. After the piston rod of the first cylinder is retracted to the left to the limit, the second cylinder begins to extend downward. The bottom cup is separated from the top cup and is properly pressed into the bottom mold by it.

3. As soon as the cylinder extends to the far right, the cup that was previously supported will fall back. The previously second-to-last cup will drop to the last-to-last position.

4. Finally, the second cylinder is retracted (the inner cutter returns to its original position) to complete a cup drop.
The rotation of the large disc at the bottom starts as soon as the cylinder is extended to the right and is completed at the latest before the second cup drop.

① The specular reflection photoelectric sensor includes a light source, a light receiving part and a photosensitive element.
② Reflector

Cup drop detection principle:

1.1 When there is an empty cup directly under the sensor, the light emitted by the light source is reflected (weakly) by the cup and received by the photosensitive element, and a signal is obtained according to the strength.

1.2 When there is no cup directly below the sensor, the light from the light source passes through the hollow mold, is reflected (strongly) by the reflector, and is received and signaled by the photosensitive element.

1.3 When the reflected light is strong, it is judged that there is no cup, and when the reflected light is weak, it is judged that there is a cup.
Taking the signal of this station as a reference, the function of no cup and no filling can be realized in the next station.

The program has been programmed to sound an alarm and stop the machine if no cup is detected three times in a row.

① Proximity sensor or proximity switch

Film detection principle:

2.1 Proximity switches can sense whether there is a metal film, plastic film or paper film underneath. However, it is necessary to adjust the sensitivity of the switch and the distance from the mouth of the cup.

2.2 Film detection is to ensure that there is a film on the cup before entering the next station (heat sealing).

① Mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, including light source and light receiving part and photosensitive element.
② Reflector

Impurity detection principle:

This station is very similar to the cup drop detection device, and also uses a photoelectric sensor. The difference is that when the cup is detected here, it is in an abnormal state.

Impurity detection is to ensure that there is no cup in the mold before entering the next station (vertical cup drop).

A typical situation is that when the sealing is not strong due to the poor placement of the diaphragm, and the cup cannot be discharged normally, the cup will remain in the mold, and this station can catch this abnormality.

Servo motor is driven screw feeding device

① Stirrer
② The silo integrally supports the rotating column
③ The overall lifting handwheel of the silo
④ Blanking screw
⑤ Silo quick release
⑥ Stirring motor and blanking servo motor
⑦ Tuning fork level meter
⑧ Vaccum feeder

Function description of each component:

① The fluidity of coffee powder is poor, and the function of the stirring arm is to force the powder to flow, so that the material in the silo can be spread more evenly, so that it can better enter the feeding screw.

② The entire silo can rotate around the support column. It is necessary to loosen the fastening screws first, and move the silo as a whole to a position where it does not scratch the parts on the large disc.
The purpose of turning the silo away from the large disc is to facilitate disassembly and cleaning, and to measure the powder density more conveniently outside the large disc.

③ Operating the lifting handwheel, the silo can be lifted or lowered as a whole. Because the handwheel speed is relatively high, it takes many turns to move a small distance.

④ The function of the feeding screw is to obtain the material from the silo, and convey the material to the feeding nozzle at the bottom of the screw through the rotation of the thread.

The starting end of the thread of the feeding screw is higher than the feeding port (the bottom of the conical silo), and it is divided into a feeding section and a cloth section from top to bottom.

The thread pitch of the unloading section gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the thread pitch of the cloth section is equal and uniform.

When the screw rotates, the unloading section replenishes the material in the cloth section, and the material in the cloth section moves down and rotates out to realize filling.

⑤ The silo quick release is used to quickly remove the silo for cleaning and put it back on.

⑥ The stirring motor drives the stirring arm in the silo to make a circular motion, and the servo motor is used to precisely control the number of turns of the screw.

⑦ The level meter can detect the height of the material in the silo, and convert it into an electrical signal and transmit it to the PLC (logic controller).

⑧ The vacuum feeder uses compressed air as the medium, and uses the suction generated by the vacuum generator to pump the material from the barrel outside the machine into the silo. It will work in conjunction with the level gauge

Precise blanking principle:

Because the thread of the screw thread is evenly filled, and the particle size of the material itself is not very different, the weight of the material on each turn or each small thread is very close.

If the machine knows the weight or density of the material on each turn of the thread, it only needs to turn the screw a specific number of turns, usually, a non-integer number, to fill a fixed number of grams of material.

The reason for the slight deviation (about 0.2g) of the actual filling weight is not the deviation of the number of turns of the screw, because the servo motor accurately controls the number of turns. It mainly lies in the following two points:

a. There is a difference in particle size for each section of material (such as coffee powder) on the screw, resulting in slightly different densities. A more advanced coffee grinder reduces this difference by grinding the beans more evenly.

b. The density of the material on the screw is affected by the height of the material in the silo. The fuller the silo, the tighter the material on the screw will be, and the higher the density will be.

Additional instructions:

1. The density of the coffee powder is affected by many factors: coffee variety, roast depth, grinding precision (particle size), screw thickness or thread size, etc.

2. Density needs to be obtained by repeated testing in manual mode filling and weighing. And every time you change the coffee powder, you need to re-measure.

3. In the first few fillings of the machine, the weight deviation will be very large, because the material does not have time to evenly distribute on the screw.

4. When calculating density and starting mass production, try to skip the first few fillings.

5. In addition, each filling needs to fit the mouth of the cup to the filling spout to minimize dusting. Therefore, there is a cylinder at the bottom of the mold in this station, which is responsible for lifting and retracting the entire mold.

A brief description of the density measurement method:

1. First, rotate the silo as a whole out of the large disc to facilitate filling in a manual mode outside the mold.

2. Then, enter the weight you want to fill on the "Filling Parameters" page on the control panel, first fill 5~10 cups with the factory-set density, weigh them and calculate the average net weight.

3. Third, adjust the density or scale on the "Filling Parameters" page according to the average net weight. If the net weight is too large, change it to smaller, and if it is too small, change it to larger. Test until you are close to the weight you want to fill.

4. Finally, the silo is returned to its place.

When calculating the density, the material in the silo should be kept 60-80% full.

Powder suction and powder pressing device

① Cylinder
② The powder suction barrel containing a powder head
③ Vacuum generator

Function description of powder suction and powder pressing:
1. The air cylinder presses the powder suction bucket down to fit the mold. At this time, the powder pressing head fits the cup mouth, and the powder in the cup is compressed.

2. The vacuum generator uses compressed air as the medium to create vacuum pressure, and vacuumizes the powder suction bucket to suck the powder away from the rim of the cup.

3. Because the powder in the cup is pressed by the powder pressing head, it will not be sucked away.

4. The sucked powder is concentrated and stored in the dust bag or dust canister connected to the other end of the vacuum generator.

Additional instructions:

1. The powder on the rim of the cup is sucked for a better seal.

2. Powder is easy to remain on the pressing head, and it is a part that needs to be cleaned frequently.

3. Dust bags or dust cans are also parts that need to be cleaned in time.

4. All 12 positions need to be kept clean at all times so that the powder suction function can work properly.

If there is dust on the mold, there may be gaps after the powder suction bucket is pressed on the mold and a vacuum cannot be created.

Pre-cut lids loading:

① Film silo
② Lifting rod
③ Rotary cylinder
④ Sucker

Function description of each component:

① Films are stored in the film compartment. The film needs to be placed with the back down, so that it can be turned back up and land on the mouth of the cup after the rotation of the rotary cylinder.

② Lifting rod is slide rail that the rotary cylinder moves up and down, and there are one on the left and right of the rotary cylinder.

③ The up and down movement of the rotary cylinder is driven by another cylinder in the bottom control box under the large disc. The rotary cylinder is used to turn the suction cup up and down 180°.

④ When the suction cup is facing upwards, the bottom membrane of the film chamber can be sucked, and when the suction cup is facing downwards, the membrane can be lowered into the mold.

The suction cup is generated by the vacuum generator. Each suction cup on the machine is equipped with its own vacuum generator.

The principle of the suction film:

Driven by the rotating cylinder and the bottom cylinder at the same time, the suction cup upwards sucks a film at the bottom of the film chamber, and then flips 180° and puts down the film.

2. Roll film cutting & sealing

① Base one
② Heat sealing cylinder
③ Heat sealing head
④ Base two
⑤ Cutter (one ring of fine teeth)
⑥ Thermocouple and heating tube embedded in the heat seal head
⑦ Laminate board

Function description of each component:

① When the base one moves up and down, it will drive the heat sealing cylinder, heat sealing head, base two and the lamination plate to move up and down together. There is an additional cylinder above the base one to provide power.

② The heat sealing cylinder is used to drive the heat sealing head to move up and down.

③ When the heat sealing head moves down, press the cup mouth to complete the sealing.

④ A cutter is fixedly installed on the base two.

⑤ The cutter is a hollow cylindrical structure, which is machined into a circle of fine teeth. The heat sealing head is located in the cutter and fits the inner wall of the cutter as closely as possible.

⑥ Measure temperature and heated parts.

⑦ The lamination plate is used to hold down the underlying film before cutting the film.

Film cutting principle:

1. The air cylinder (above the base one) drives the whole part including the heat sealing head and the cutter to move down, and the lamination plate will come first to press the film.

2. The rest of the parts continue to move down, and the cutter starts to cut the film. When the cylinder is extended downwards in place, the cutter completes the film-cutting operation.

3. Immediately after, the heat-sealing cylinder begins to extend downward, driving the heat-sealing head to move down again. After it is in place, the heat-sealing head completes the sealing operation.

Additional instructions:

1. Only a part of the film-cutting mechanism is described here. The film-pulling structure includes a film-pulling motor, and each roller is not described.

2. There is also a top cup mechanism under the film-cutting station of the disc machine to prevent the heat-sealing head from causing continuous pressure on the large disc.

3. The sealing of this station is only to fix the film and create good conditions for the formal heat sealing station. Therefore, the set heat sealing temperature is lower.

Heat sealing device

① Cylinder
② Heat sealing head (brass material)
③ Thermocouple and heater
④ Temperature controller (the temperature controller is omitted in some models)

Brief description of heat sealing function:
The cylinder drives the heat-sealing head to press down the cup for a short period of time. At this time, under the high temperature of the heat-sealing head, the heat-sealing coating on the front of the diaphragm melts and sticks to the cup mouth to complete the sealing.

Additional instructions:
1. The heat-sealing cylinder has a pressure of more than ten kilograms downward, which is not suitable for directly acting on the large disc. Therefore, there is another cylinder under the mold of this station to lift the mold away from the tabletop of the disk.
2. Brass is selected as heat sealing material because of its excellent thermal conductivity.
3. The thermocouple and the heating tube are embedded inside the heat sealing head, the former is used to measure the temperature of the sealing head, and the latter is used for heating. The heating tube has good insulation and thermal conductivity, and does not leak electricity while conducting heat.

Temperature control system:

1. The temperature controller is the "central processing unit" of the temperature control system. It analyzes the temperature signal fed back by the temperature sensor to determine whether to start heating, so that the temperature in the system reaches the set value.

2. The role of the solid state relay is to allow the output port of the temperature controller to only issue an on-off signal without directly passing a large current to the heater. Thereby extending the life of the temperature controller.

Cup output and weighed device

① Cylinder
② Sucker
③ Rotating rod
④ Scale
⑤Trachea for screening qualified and defective products
⑦ Rejected capsules collector

A brief description of the cup function:

1. The air cylinder drives the suction cup to suck down the cup and lift it back up.

2. Then the cylinder and the suction cup are rotated around the rotating rod to the top of the scale and put down the cup (outside the disc when there is no weighing function) to complete the cup.

3. Finally, the overall return to the position and wait for the next round of cups.

Brief description of weighing function:

1. After receiving the cup on the scale, the weighing transmitter obtains the weight data in a very short time, compares it with the pre-set qualified weight range, and feeds the result back to the PLC.

2. The PLC responds immediately according to the received signal, and opens one of the two air pipes on the side of the scale correctly to screen qualified and defective products.

3. As a result, cups of acceptable weight are blown onto the cup discharge conveyor, while cups of unacceptable weight are blown into the reject basket.

Additional instructions:

1. Weighing is a custom function and is not included in the standard machine functions.

2. The rotary rod is rotated by a rotary cylinder or a linear cylinder plus other mechanical structures. They are in the control box under the machine.

3. The weighing transmitter can convert the actual weight into a digital signal, and the upper and lower limits of the qualified weight (qualified weight interval) can be set on its own instrument.

The control panel is a human-computer interface. From here, the operator can issue various instructions to the machine, modify the parameters, and can also see some real-time data from the display screen.

Control panel

① Manual and automatic mode switch button
② Function button (click to enable or disable this function, gray means not enabled, green means enabled. In automatic mode, some functions are enabled by default.)
③ Screen switching button (click to enter each corresponding screen)
④ Pushbutton switches for commissioning, running, stopping, and emergency stop
⑤ Heat sealing temperature display area and heating switch button (simulates the temperature controller panel, and the information here appears on the temperature controller display when the temperature controller is used)
⑥ Important parameter display area (including host speed, filling weight and density)

Additional button description:

1. Yellow button (debug/jog key): the key used when debugging the machine, it can decompose the action of a certain station of the machine into many small actions, click and move.

2. Green button (run key): press in manual mode to automatically execute a single function (or multiple). Press in automatic mode to automatically execute all functions that are enabled by default (you can also add functions first and then press).

3. Red button (stop key): Press to stop all currently executing functions (the half-executed action will be completed). Another function of it is to silence the alarm sound when pressed.

4. Red mushroom head button (emergency stop button): locking button, which needs to be manually reset after being pressed (turn clockwise). Press it in an emergency, the machine will stop running immediately (but will not cut off the power).