A filling system includes filling elements, each of which has a channel formed in its housing. During filling, filling material, under a liquid valve's control, passes through the channel and exits through an opening and into a container held on a vertically displaceable container carrier. During pressure filling, the container carrier seals the container against the filling element. During cleaning and sterilization, rinsing caps seal each opening. Each filling element is associated with an extension that seals the outlet. Each extension has a filling-material through-passage that, when the extension is sealed against said outlet, extends the filling-material channel.

A rotary beverage filling machine for cans which have a heat exchange unit secured to the bottom thereof and extending into the can which includes a conveyor for transporting cans to be deposited on a pedestal which is adapted to move the can into contact with a sealing device surrounding a nozzle which is disposed within the open upper end of the can but is displaced from the heat exchange unit.

A carbonation machine may include a carbonation head, a holder that is configured to hold a gas canister, the holder comprising a connector with a socket configured to enable linear insertion of a valve of the canister into the socket, the socket including a seal with at least one lateral opening to enable fluidic flow between one or more laterally oriented ports of the valve and a conduit of the holder while preventing leakage of gas from the fluidic flow, and a holding mechanism configured to hold a lateral projection from the canister after insertion of the valve into the socket such that the valve remains in the socket, and an activation mechanism configured to operate the valve to release the gas from the canister when inserted into the socket so as to enable the gas to flow via the conduit to the carbonation head.

A device for filling cans includes a filling valve, a gas channel and a seal. The seal is connected to the gas channel for receiving a compressed gas and is elastically deformable by the received compressed gas in a downward direction for pressing against a peripheral upper edge of a can positioned below the filling valve. Advantageously, the device can enable a secure sealing of the inlet gap between the can and the filling valve with comparatively low contact forces via the downwardly elastically deformable seal, so that even very thin-walled cans can be filled without risk of damage.

A filling valve system configured to discharge a predetermined volume of liquid product to individual packages is provided. The system comprises at least one filling valve; a controller configured to open the at least one filling valve thus allowing liquid product to be discharged and configured to close the at least one filling valve; and a flow meter configured to measure the amount of liquid product being discharged through the at least one filling valve. The system further comprises a pressure sensor configured to determine a pressure upstream of the at least one filling valve, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate an estimated discharge volume during a closing sequence of the at least one filling valve based on the determined pressure, and to initiate the closing sequence based on the estimated discharge volume.

A filling element includes a flushing tube that carries flushing gas used to drive air out of a container's interior before filling it with liquid filling-material. The flushing tube moves between a starting position and a flushing position. In the flushing position, the flushing tube chokes a connection between a gas chamber and a gas channel that leads into a container. In the starting position, this connection is wide open.

The present invention relates to a method for filling a fluid into a container without using measuring means and to a filling apparatus therefor which comprises an attachment having a predetermined volume V.sub.A, said attachment comprising a valve attachment which has a gas valve and a liquid valve with a valve seat in a housing. Said valve seat surrounds a displacement element that can be moved along the longitudinal axis relative to the housing, and forms an annular gap. According to said method, the attachment is tightly placed onto a container (1) while the displacement element is inserted into the container (1). When the liquid valve (5) is opened, the filling fluid flows into the nominal volume V.sub.N of the container (1), and said nominal volume is flooded with the filling fluid; the liquid valve is then closed. The displacement element is withdrawn from the container (1) and the flooded remaining volumes top up the contents in the container (1), the volumina V.sub.VA and V.sub.FV equaling the volume V.sub.Rohr of a portion of the displacement element in the flooded portion so that identical containers (1) are filled with identical fill levels.

A filling element for filling containers includes a tulip that moves, under the influence of a controller, between two positions, one of which seals the container. A first seal seals a junction between the tulip and a filling-element housing. First and second filling-element regions are respectively outside and inside a clean space of a filling machine. The tulip and a dispensing opening are in the second region. The second seal connects by its first free to the tulip. This second seal seals a junction between the tulip and the two filling-element regions.

A weight filling machine is a volumetric valve type machine. The tank of the product to be dispensed using a hydrostatic flap is replaced by a dispensing system controlled by a volumetric pump. The machine (1) for filling containers (B) with a product includes a carousel (2) for moving the containers (B) and filling valves (5), each filling valve (5) being positioned above a clamp (4). A distribution duct (6) connects the filling valves (5) with a distribution manifold (8). The distribution duct (6) having the product has a filling pressure (P1). A feed duct (9) is intercepted by a volumetric pump (10). The volumetric pump (10) moves a filling product with a discharge pressure (P) greater than the filling pressure (P1) along the feed duct (9). An adjustment member (11) of the feed pressure of the filling product is placed downstream of the volumetric pump (10).

A gaiter seal for shielding a functional element of a container-processing machine extends between parts of a working head of the container-processing machine includes axially-adjacent gaiter modules that extend along an axis and support-and-sliding elements at interfaces between adjacent gaiter modules. The support-and-sliding elements radially support and guide the first and second gaiter-modules along the functional element.