Bottling automation ideas

[hcarter]

Just a note....This thread is in the DIY section....we all love gagets and things that make our brewing easier...I would love to see some postes on ideas for making something like the applied brewing device from cheep home depot parts. I don't think we need to hear any more about how easy the regular method is. If you are happy with the traditionl methods and dont think there is a need for more innovation.....please refrain from posting and adding clutter to this thread.

Welcome to the forum!! Bad form though.

 

[citabria]

I've been thinking about this whole idea. Everything seems conceivable and can be done on the cheap with stepper motors and/or pneumatic actuators, all controlled with an Arduino board or something similar. The real stumbling block in my mind is how do you know when the bottle is full? Anyone know of a cheap and easy way to automate that?

I have a few ideas but they all have their drawbacks.

 

[camiller]

I've been thinking about this whole idea. Everything seems conceivable and can be done on the cheap with stepper motors and/or pneumatic actuators, all controlled with an Arduino board or something similar. The real stumbling block in my mind is how do you know when the bottle is full? Anyone know of a cheap and easy way to automate that?

I have a few ideas but they all have their drawbacks.

Couple of stainless needles along side the fill tube that just go into the top of the bottle 1/4" or so. Use a sensor to measure resistance between the two. When resistance goes from &#8734; to <&#8734; bottle is full. If the fill wand is metal you would just need one pin and measure the resistance between the fill tube and the pin.

Or am I missing something?

 

[virus692]

Here is you next Build... the UnBottler.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAQ_c1C1JfQ&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - Rube Goldberg machine from Waiting[/ame]

 

[ClutchDude]

I've been thinking about this whole idea. Everything seems conceivable and can be done on the cheap with stepper motors and/or pneumatic actuators, all controlled with an Arduino board or something similar. The real stumbling block in my mind is how do you know when the bottle is full? Anyone know of a cheap and easy way to automate that?

I have a few ideas but they all have their drawbacks.

Easy!

If you apply CO2 pressure to push the beer in the first place, you can apply a standard pressure. Knowing your pressure and your hose diameter, you can figure the flow rate. The CO2 tank keep the pressure standardized and you don't have any flow drop offs until the end of the tank.

 

[jajabee]

After reading this thread, this was my idea:

I've got two friends who want to help with the bottling, so with two people filling 4 bottles at once, and one person capping, it should go pretty quick. Cheap to build and easy to clean, too. I'm going to set it on top of my round rubbermaid MLT next time, so it's easy for 2 people to sit around it and use the wands.

 

[EisBerg]

Here is a simple dual head long tube counter pressure bottle filler I made 1995.

Throughout reading this entire thread I was thinking of ClaudiusB and wondered if he was going to chime in. This man surely deserves some sort of award for the most tricked out brewery ever to be assembled in a garage. I would love to see a detailed description of all of what he has going on there There is a write up in an old 2002ish BYO. Truly impressive!! My hats off to you ClaudiusB!

 

[illin8]

After reading this thread, this was my idea:

I've got two friends who want to help with the bottling, so with two people filling 4 bottles at once, and one person capping, it should go pretty quick. Cheap to build and easy to clean, too. I'm going to set it on top of my round rubbermaid MLT next time, so it's easy for 2 people to sit around it and use the wands.

That'll be like milking a cow!

 

[IrregularPulse]

It wouldn't be hard to do, but doing it with off the shelf products from Lowes/HomeDepot might turn more into a Rune Goldberg Bottling machine.

If you're looking into automation only because the current process is difficult, then i have two things.
1) follow the other suggestions
2) *not ment a s a slam* If you cannot manage manuall filling bottles with valves popping off, how do you manage to build an automated system that works? DIY Skill level in question. Not a slam, just puting it in to realistic perspective.

If you're looking into automation because you enjoy electronics and automation and it's about the DIY/tinkering aspect then kudos to the guy with the coolest toys he made himself!

My suggestion for automated line.

Let's do 4 bottles at a time.

Design with description coming. Just need tro transfer from paper to electronic copy.

 

[jajabee]

That'll be like milking a cow!

That's exactly what it feels like, yes. I figured Nature knows what it's doing, right?

 

[IrregularPulse]

Theory of Operation

1. Use Proximity Sensors to stop conveyor when bottles are aligned under Bottling wands.
2. Air Lifts then lift conveyor table up to pre-determined height to allow bottling wands to begin dispensing beer
3. A set of contacts placed on a determined Height of one of the bottling wandswould give continuity when the beer reaches that level. These contacts closing will trigger the conveyor to begin lowering via the airlifts, stopping the flow of beer.
4. Another Proximity Sensor will determine when the conveyor is &#8220;parked&#8221; at it&#8217;s low position. Beginning the conveyor to cycle in the next 4 empty bottles and repeat the process.
5. You would need some sort of bottle catcher that would allow the bottles to slide to a capping area (manual station or another automated machine) to catch the full bottles. Or manually unload the while the next four are filling.

*There are &#8220;cups&#8221; on the conveyor that hold bottles for consistent alignment.
*All tubing from bottling bucket to manifold and manifold to bottling wands is solid tubing as to not allow any flexing.
*PLC Controlled
* This design would require consistency in bottles. ie All SA's, All Sierra Nevadas, ect


Most of this could be made from hardware store/locally available stuff.
A simple DC motor to turn conveyor
Rocker switches from radio shack
You supply the PLC or Arduino or whatever you have from control

I'll like to make this now just to see if I can........

 

[lebshiff21]

I like that setup. I might give it a try but without the automation, just manually lowering the manifold into the 4 bottles.

 

[McKBrew]

Building an automated bottler is probably well within the DIY realm of some of the people here at HBT. The cost would be the biggest issue and in the long run it would be far cheaper just to keg it.

 

[ClaudiusB]

I'll like to make this now just to see if I can........

Go for it, you can do it.

IrregularPulse I have a few questions if you don't mind.

1. How do you load and unload the bottles from the holders (cubs)

2. Are the bottle holders deep enough to prevent a tip over during conveyor
startup or is your conveyor equipped with a soft start.

3. Should you hand load and unload, is the conveyor required

4. Are you purging the bottles before filling to prevent some of the O2
diffusing into the beer

5. Any design options to bottle carbonated beer

6. Do you have a way to shot off the flow from the monifold in case of
bottling wands failure

7. Why not lift the conveyor from the center
Two cylinders lifts may give problems during raising and lowering
if the flow rate and pressure is not equal

Hope to hear from you soon,
ClaudiusB

 

[IrregularPulse]

Go for it, you can do it. I could definitely handle the automation electrically and pneumatically, but I'm no fabricator. Plus I don't bottle anymore. But if someone wants to take the idea and run with it that'd be cool. I just through the design together in about 10 minutes off the top of my head. More thought could probably improve it quite a bit, but it's a fairly simple solution to a simple idea. Not to mention the 45 other brewery builds I'd prefer.

IrregularPulse I have a few questions if you don't mind.

1. How do you load and unload the bottles from the holders (cubs)
It would be by hand for loading and something TBD for unloading.

2. Are the bottle holders deep enough to prevent a tip over during conveyor startup or is your conveyor equipped with a soft start.
They would have to be deep enough to steady the bottles. I would use a soft start on the motor starter.

3. Should you hand load and unload, is the conveyor required
It would at least allow you to load the next four empties while the current four are filling. The conveyor I imagine would be long enough to hold 12 bottles. One batch to unload, one batch to prep and one batch filling. Drawing just kept it short for general idea.

4. Are you purging the bottles before filling to prevent some of the O2
diffusing into the beer
I (and most) wouldn't do this normally when bottling, so no, I wouldn't do it here either. I suppose you could add a second row of nozzles next to the bottling wands hooked up to Co2 to drop down, purge, then raise up, shift over, and lower with the bottling wands.

5. Any design options to bottle carbonated beer
Not with that setup. It could be done I'd imagine with a couple pressure regulators.

6. Do you have a way to shot off the flow from the monifold in case of
bottling wands failure
The spigot on the bottling bucket feeding the manifold. This set up would just be using your standard "Ale Pail with Spigot" bottling bucket.

7. Why not lift the conveyor from the center
Two cylinders lifts may give problems during raising and lowering
if the flow rate and pressure is not equal
This is a good thought.
Hope to hear from you soon,
ClaudiusB

Answers/Thoughts under questions in Quote in Bold

 

[Hang Glider]

a thought - flex hose between bottling bucket and manifold - then use the air to lower the manifold to the conveyor instead of raising the conveyor... less mechanics involved.

 

[robbiex0r]

After reading this thread, this was my idea:

I've got two friends who want to help with the bottling, so with two people filling 4 bottles at once, and one person capping, it should go pretty quick. Cheap to build and easy to clean, too. I'm going to set it on top of my round rubbermaid MLT next time, so it's easy for 2 people to sit around it and use the wands.

This was my idea, though I was only going to add one more spigot. If each has its own dip tube, there is no reason to worry about pressure.
The most valuable addition to bottling though, is a helper.

 

[IrregularPulse]

a thought - flex hose between bottling bucket and manifold - then use the air to lower the manifold to the conveyor instead of raising the conveyor... less mechanics involved.

I don't see whats different about lowering the manifold is pneumatics or raising the small table with pneumatics. it's be the same process. a conveyor big enough for 12 beer bottles is not going to be big or heavy at all.

 

[pizzaman]

Thinking.....

Attach 20-40 tubes to a bucket, each pointing straight down with a filling wand tip attached to the end of each tube. Build individual spring loaded bottle holders, all attached to a single tray. The bottle holders use springs to slowly lower the bottle as it is filled. Once each bottle is a certain weight, it drops down to a certain point. To fill your bottles you would:

1) Rack beer into bottling bucket
2) Place bottles into bottle holders and position under bucket
3) Raise bottle tray to filling point which will activate filling wand tips, filling each bottle.
4) As each individual bottle is filled to the preset weight, it will be lowered low enough to disengage the wand tip.
5) Once all bottles have been filled, move to crowning machine of some sort....

 

[Hang Glider]

I guess I was thinking the conveyor might be something continuous, with an off-feed; and raising/lowering would have to take that into consideration, where dropping the manifold instead would allow the conveyor feed and off ramp to be more continuous...
your build. it's all good.

 

[user 19629]

Theory of Operation

1. Use Proximity Sensors to stop conveyor when bottles are aligned under Bottling wands.
2. Air Lifts then lift conveyor table up to pre-determined height to allow bottling wands to begin dispensing beer
3. A set of contacts placed on a determined Height of one of the bottling wandswould give continuity when the beer reaches that level. These contacts closing will trigger the conveyor to begin lowering via the airlifts, stopping the flow of beer.
4. Another Proximity Sensor will determine when the conveyor is “parked” at it’s low position. Beginning the conveyor to cycle in the next 4 empty bottles and repeat the process.
5. You would need some sort of bottle catcher that would allow the bottles to slide to a capping area (manual station or another automated machine) to catch the full bottles. Or manually unload the while the next four are filling.

*There are “cups” on the conveyor that hold bottles for consistent alignment.
*All tubing from bottling bucket to manifold and manifold to bottling wands is solid tubing as to not allow any flexing.
*PLC Controlled
* This design would require consistency in bottles. ie All SA's, All Sierra Nevadas, ect


Most of this could be made from hardware store/locally available stuff.
A simple DC motor to turn conveyor
Rocker switches from radio shack
You supply the PLC or Arduino or whatever you have from control

I'll like to make this now just to see if I can........

My thought was similar but not quite as automated. ( I have no clue what a proximity sensor is )
Instead of a conveyor belt just have a tray set in a track that you could manually manually slide under the bottling wand manifold.
Lower the wands instead of raising the bottles, and fill. The slide rack of full bottles under a series if bench cappers that have their handles linked together. Then using an actuator or manually cap all the bottles at once. Does that make any sense ?

 

[Cold_Steel]

I have been trying to figure this out myself. I am building a nano brewery and i have 240 belguim bottles to fill (in theory for now). So what i came up with is the illustation above except its an arm you pull down that has 6 tips on it. Once filled you push the bottles down to the corking station where you pull down 1 arm that has 6 corkers. Then they are moved down again to be labeled. I imagine this to be a 3 man operation. However, all theory here.

 

[ClaudiusB]

dzlater wrote:
Instead of a conveyor belt just have a tray set in a track that you could manually manually slide under the bottling wand manifold.
Lower the wands instead of raising the bottles, and fill. The slide rack of full bottles under a series if bench cappers that have their handles linked together. Then using an actuator or manually cap all the bottles at once. Does that make any sense ?

My homemade pneumatic capper (year 1880 ) has a sliding base, similar concept.
At the left position

At the right position

I have no clue what a proximity sensor is

A sensor which can detect metallic objects at close proximity, inductive type.
Capacitive types can detect also non metallic objects, like bottles.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[ftblhead]

My bottling system works great. I open up my dishwasher which has all the freshly cleaned bottles sitting on the prongs, and pull up a chair. On the counter above the dishwasher I have my bottling bucket with the tubing and bottling wand attached. I pick up a bottle, fill it to the rim, pull out the wand, and set the bottle down on the end of the open dishwasher door. If SWMBO is around, she loves to use the capper. If not, I cap them when I have a bunch and then go back to filling. With SWMBO its less than 30 minutes, alone maybe 45. Best part is, any beer dripping/spilling during the process ends up on the dishwasher door. No cleanup. I recommend this system (including a helpful SWMBO if you can find one). Good luck.

Pretty much exactly what I do. If SWMBO helps, which is pretty much every time, I can be done in 30 minutes easily.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I guess I was thinking the conveyor might be something continuous, with an off-feed; and raising/lowering would have to take that into consideration, where dropping the manifold instead would allow the conveyor feed and off ramp to be more continuous...
your build. it's all good.

If the conveyor was continuous while filling regardless of what was lifting the bottles would be moving away from the fill nozzles unless they were moving as well, unless you put a hard stop to hold the bottle pallet in place and let the conveyor slide under the pallet, then release the hard stop when ready to transport bottles to next station. This would be an easy solution and be easier on your motors if in a constant operation environment. But I'd rather move the mechanical section then the section with liquid filled hoses that could eventually come loose from constant flexing. But either way.

My thought was similar but not quite as automated. ( I have no clue what a proximity sensor is )
Instead of a conveyor belt just have a tray set in a track that you could manually manually slide under the bottling wand manifold.
Lower the wands instead of raising the bottles, and fill. The slide rack of full bottles under a series if bench cappers that have their handles linked together. Then using an actuator or manually cap all the bottles at once. Does that make any sense ?

But then you have to do something! I'd prefer to build something cool, then just push a button.

My homemade pneumatic capper (year 1880 ) has a sliding base, similar concept.
At the left position

At the right position

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

That's cool. any pics of the whole system in action?

 

[dpalme]

I'm new here and new to beer making, but I'm also a gadget guy, love toys and the thought of having my own bottling line is like way too cool!

But in the meantime, I picked up 4 corney kegs for free including a 20b co2 tank and I'm looking forward to kegging some in the next few weeks!

 

[dick54]

Can you really use dish washer to clean bottles? Does it clean the inside? That would knock 45 minutes off the time. I don't mind bottling just hate the washing even though I make sure bottles are clean after use.

 

[November]

You DON'T have a fully automated bottling line??? That's weird. Here is mine in full swing. I power it with Skittles.

 

[ClaudiusB]

You DON'T have a fully automated bottling line???
That's weird. Here is mine in full swing. I power it with Skittles.

I do!
Mine never complains, always on time and doesn't require Skittles.

 

[jakeelee]

Here is a simple dual head long tube counter pressure bottle filler I made 1995.

The filler was made just as a design challenge, now it is a museum piece.
I never bottled any beer, kegs for me.
The only filler I use twice a year is my 5 L party keg filler.

100 % automatic, CO2 bottle and fill head purging, production counter, etc.
Capper and outfeed conveyor not shown.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

Hi ClaudiusB

How does the machine know when the bottles are filled? how does the automatic fill stop work?

Kindest regards,

/Jesper from Sweden