I am looking for some intel from folks running a Krones Craftmate or Kosme Canto can filler.
We run a Canto (16-valve), and as we understand it, as they are both under the Krones umbrella, the filling valves on the Craftmate are the same as on our line. I've attached a picture of the actual filling stem. We've found we get a lot of water in the bellows - circled in green - which affects the valves ability to open completely. This results in low fills and high TPO. This was originally discovered about a year ago and the initial thought was that our valve rinser was set too high and spraying down the top of the valve during the hourly rinse cycle. However, we find we still need to rebuild the valves and blow them out fairly frequently about once every 4-6 weeks. Our machine runs 30-35h/week and given that low run time seems to be a short maintenance interval. Thankfully its a relatively easy fix but doesn't seem right.
- Does that valve actually match the valve on the Craftmate?
- How often do people rebuild their valves and do you see the water ingress issue?
- If you do see water ingress issues, have you identified the problem? We do spray down the filling area at the end of runs but are careful to avoid too much down spraying.
Thanks!
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Campbell Morrissy, PhD
Director of Brewery Operations
pFriem Family Brewers
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