The consistently innovative hygiene concept of the VF 800 vacuum filling machines from Handtmann (Biberach, Germany) creates optimum hygiene conditions when filling and portioning easily perishable foodstuffs of animal origin, such as meat products.
The Hygienic Design principles used in the construction of the VF 800 offer fundamental advantages. Smooth outer surfaces and inclined or curved surfaces ensure fast water drainage. Small gaps, short seal lengths and few bends prevent dirty corners, reduce cleaning effort and promote a high degree of hygiene.
Hygiene options are also implemented in the product and process areas as well as in process monitoring. One example is the infeed of the filling hopper via a sausage trolley using a lifting device. A patented drip protection bar attached to the basket of the lifting device collects run-off water and empties it outside the hopper when the lifting device swivels back. This prevents possible contamination of the filling material and maintains product hygiene. In addition, the funnel filling level is detected during production by a protected, hygienically integrated laser sensor and optionally displayed via a signal tower. In addition, the machine has a patented step with a safety switch that is triggered depending on the load in order to prevent manual unfolding. This eliminates potential soiling caused by a contaminated step that must be operated manually.
A further hygiene feature is automatic hopper cleaning between product changes. The funnel is cleaned via a program-controlled spray head. This option, which can also be used for pre- and final cleaning, enables effective batch changes and short idle times while maintaining a high hygiene level. The pre-cleaning and intermediate cleaning results are further improved by an automatic cleaning program for the conveyor system. At water temperatures of up to 90 °C, hygienic results are ensured with little operator effort. The vacuum channel and vacuum tube have also been geometrically designed to be easy to clean and are also illuminated. The patented inspection opening on the swivel bearing allows the vacuum system to be cleaned during operation. This improves the cleaning and functional reliability with reduced effort. An additional feature of the vacuum system targets the contamination of the ambient air with germs. The vacuum control of the VF 800 takes place with no external or ambient air supply. This excludes possible microbial cross-contamination of the product by germ-laden ambient air.