A liquid filling apparatus has a vertical tube with bottom opening opened and closed by a valve. The tube is insertable into a container from above and supplies liquid to the container. A flexible separating disk extends radially from the bottom end of the tube. The tube with flexible separating disk is movable toward the container bottom and air in the container escapes between peripheral rim of the separating disk and container wall as the tube moves down until the flexible separating disk rests on the container bottom. The tube with flexible separating disk then is moved upwardly so that, between flexible separating disk and container bottom, an enlarging space is formed with upward movement. Liquid is supplied into this space through the open tube opening as upward movement continues. When a targeted liquid level is reached, the valve closes and the tube is pulled from the container.

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 container-handling apparatus, in particular a filling machine for filling cans or similar containers with liquid contents, has a first transporter for a container infeed, a downstream rotor with a plurality of handling positions for handling the containers, and a second transporter downstream of the rotor and forming a container outfeed. The second transporter is a chain conveyor with at least one guide finger having first and second guide portion, which receives the as yet unsealed containers and guides them by the first guide portion initially along a first, at least partially curved transport path portion, continuously in contact with a guide rail, before the second guide portion of the guide finger then conveys the container on a straight, second transport path portion along the container treatment path.

An adapter system for a beverage can filling valve for quick connection/disconnection of multiple centering bells used to fill differently sized cans and a CIF assembly.

A method for operating a filling machine includes conducting purgative gas via a first controlled gas path from a first ring channel common to all filling elements to the interior of a container sealed against a filling element via a controllable choke arrangement that switches between choking state and non-choking states, draining the purgative gas out of the container's interior through return-gas openings and into return-gas channels of a second controlled gas path, the first and second return-gas channels being controlled by corresponding first and second control valves that are operable independently of each other, and pressure-filling the container with the liquid contents.

A plant (1) for filling and closing cans (2) under hygienic conditions which comprises a hygienic compartment (3), a lid applying device (7) and an inlet (30) for a filling material. The lid applying device (7) is arranged in the hygienic compartment (3) and the inlet (30) is formed on the hygienic compartment (3). When used as intended, one or more cans (2) can be assigned to the hygienic compartment (3) and the hygienic compartment (3) can be moved together with the can(s) (2) in the system (1).

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 container filling machine is taught, said machine comprising one or more filling units, said filling units comprising a valve actuator assembly having a first end moveably connected to the filling machine to effect both lateral movement and reciprocating longitudinal movement; from a second end of the valve actuator assembly; and a valve removably connected to a second end of the valve actuator assembly, such that longitudinal movement of the valve actuator assembly actuates the valve to open and filler a container, wherein the valve is adapted to fill a plurality of varieties of containers. A method is also taught for filling one or more types of containers with a liquid. The method comprises feeding a stream of one more types of containers to a filling machine, said filling machine comprising one or more travelling filling units, each filling unit comprising a valve actuator, and a valve; associating each of said one or more types of containers with a filling unit; actuating said valve actuator as it travels along the filling machine to actuate said valve; actuating said valve to fill said associated container; and de-associating each of said one or more types of containers from said filling unit. Said one or more valves are adapted to fill one or more types of containers. A container filling unit adapted for filling one or more types of containers is further taught.

A liquid filling apparatus has a vertical tube with bottom opening opened and closed by a valve. The tube is insertable into a container from above and supplies liquid to the container. A flexible separating disk extends radially from the bottom end of the tube. The tube with flexible separating disk is movable toward the container bottom and air in the container escapes between peripheral rim of the separating disk and container wall as the tube moves down until the flexible separating disk rests on the container bottom. The tube with flexible separating disk then is moved upwardly so that, between flexible separating disk and container bottom, an enlarging space is formed with upward movement. Liquid is supplied into this space through the open tube opening as upward movement continues. When a targeted liquid level is reached, the valve closes and the tube is pulled from the container.

An apparatus for filling differently sized containers with fluid includes a filling head having a fluid holding area. At least one multi-container filling nozzle connected to the filling head, wherein at least two containers with differently-sized openings are fillable with a quantity of fluid from the fluid holding area without changing the multi-container filling nozzle. Related methods and devices for filing containers with differently-sized openings with fluid without changing a fluid nozzle are also disclosed.