Meheen MERLIN N Series Operating Manual

Beer bottle filling machine

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Inc.

325 N. Oregon Ave., Pasco, WA 99301

(509) 547-7029

Fax (509) 547-0939

Web @ http://www.meheen-mfg.com

MERLIN BEER BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE

OPERATING MANUAL

10/17/11

"N"-Series with Temperature display and Tank pressure control

Bottle detection system

Table of Contents

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Summary of Contents for Meheen MERLIN N Series

Page 1 Inc. 325 N. Oregon Ave., Pasco, WA 99301 (509) 547-7029 Fax (509) 547-0939 Web @ http://www.meheen-mfg.com MERLIN BEER BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE OPERATING MANUAL 10/17/11 “N”-Series with Temperature display and Tank pressure control Bottle detection system...
Page 2: Table Of Contents
AS WITH ALL MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT, CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO AVOID INJURY FROM MOVING PARTS WHICH OPERATE WITH CONSIDERABLE FORCE AND WITHOUT WARNING. MEHEEN MANUFACTURING SHALL NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR INJURY OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE INAPPROPRIATE USE OF THIS MACHINE OR FROM NORMAL OPERATION WITHOUT REGARD TO NORMAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS.
Page 3: General
A compressed air source that can provide 95 psi + is required to operate Merlin as well as 110 volt AC electrical power and a regulated CO source. Meheen Manufacturing suggests the use of an oil sump, reciprocating type air compressor of at least 4 HP, DO NOT use a home style direct drive oil-less compressor.
Page 4 ON/OFF: Main power to the machine is turned on by pulling the red mushroom button out, and turned off by pushing it in. MAIN SCREEN: The main operating screen shown below allows you to choose the function needed. From any of the operating screens the Reset key can be pressed and the Main button with the wizard pictured on it and you will be returned to the main operating screen.
Page 5: Safe Operation Of The Bottling Machine
Even though bottles are designed for much higher pressures than utilized by the bottling machine, manufacturing defects can exist which can cause bottle failure resulting in breakage and potentially flying glass. Meheen Manufacturing recommends the following safety precautions be observed while operating Merlin: Always wear safety glasses or other eye protection.
Page 6: Operating Summary
4. Prior to bottling, sanitize using an appropriate no-rinse sanitizer such as Chlorine Dioxide (ClO ) or Peracetic Acid (PAA). Operate the machine in the Sanitize mode. To remove beer stone (Calcium Oxalate) deposits, the use of an acid product such as Acid Brite No.2 (Phosphoric/Nitric blend) is recommended.
Page 7 Mix a sufficient amount of sanitizing solution (about 5 gallons) to keep the pump submersed during sanitation. Most sanitizing solutions which require less than 2 minutes of contact time to be effective can be used. Connect air pressure to the bottling machine before loading caps or connecting the sanitizing pump to the machine.
Page 8: Sanitize
The machine automatically stops at the end of the second sanitizing cycle with the filling heads down. The amber pause light in the center of the interface will be lit when the cycle is complete and the message display will read “Sanitizing Complete”. Press the Sanitize button to turn the program off.
Page 9 Auto Filling: 5. The Auto Filling screen is shown above and consists of three slide bars, two pressure meters, manifold temperature display and Auto Off/On, Rest, Pulse, 2 Evac, Liquid psi Control buttons and Liquid psi arrow key adjustment with pressure display. The first time the machine is turned on, the Fill Sensor will be in the Auto mode and the slide for the Manual mode will always default to “10”.
Page 10 6. The Merlin control panel also displays temperature in the product manifold located at the top of the machine. This temperature display simply lets the operator observe the incoming temperature of the product and can be used to help with determining proper pressures in the liquid tank.
Page 11  PULSE (Optional): Generally it is recommended to operate Merlin in the Auto Filling program with the PULSE button off. When the PULSE button is on, a rapid pulse of CO is blown into the bottles after they are filled. This pulse creates seed bubbles in the beer and causes foaming prior to capping the bottles.
Page 12: Auto Cleaning
AUTO CLEANING: Make sure the air and power are still connected to the machine and enough filled rows of bottles remain on the machine for proper feeding. Also leave at least 3 rows of empty bottles on the bottle feed ramp. Connect the product hose to the sanitizing pump ensuring the other end is connected to the product manifold on the bottling machine.
Page 13 Never use high pressure air, gas or city water to blow out the fill manifold while the 5/32” pressure sensor hose is connected to the bottom of the control panel. Damage to the pressure sensor due to over pressurization is not warranted by Meheen Manufacturing.
Page 14: Cleaning
CLEANING: Auto cleaning does a good job of rinsing the internal parts of the bottling machine and leaves it relatively clean; however, we recommend extra cleaning be performed on a regular basis to ensure good quality of your beverages and to avoid contamination. For this cleaning the filling head, distribution manifold and fill tubes should be removed from the machine and washed in a warm caustic or PBW solution which will remove protein and other contaminates from internal surfaces.
Page 15: Manual Override
Manual Override: A Manual Override system is incorporated into the control system of the Merlin bottling machine, which allows you to operate any function on the machine without operating an automated cycle. Manual overrides are very useful for adjusting the machine for new bottles, trouble shooting components and verifying the operation of sensors.
Page 16 Run Leak Test: From the Manual Override screen press the Run Leak Test button and the following screen will be displayed. Place bottles on the machine so that empty bottles with be indexed under the filling head when the machine is started. Have compressed air and CO2 connected to the machine as you normally would and press the Start Leak Test button to begin the leak test.
Page 17: Adjustments To The Machine
CAP FEED: The cap feeding mechanism should not require adjustment unless a bottle size change is made which may require new riser blocks be installed. Contact Meheen Manufacturing regarding any bottle size changes. NOTE 1: For crowns to feed properly, the crown feed shoots must be kept dry during operation and the crowning head must be fully in the up position when crowns are dropped.
Page 18: Computer
COMPUTER: The bottling machine computer program is designed to perform the bottling process based on certain events taking place in a certain fashion. Items of primary concern to the computer are the detection of filled bottles and proper bottle pressures. When the computer detects a pressure or fill problem it performs a predetermined response to identify the problem and stop the machine safely.
Page 19: Troubleshooting
Fill detection is set so sensitive that it trips early, indicating to the computer that the bottles are full even when they are only partially filled. The machine starts normally by indexing bottles, capping head puts caps on bottles, fill head remains down. The fill valve opens, then closes, as the fill valve closes the Snift valve opens and releases the pressure from the bottles.
Page 20 1 minute, then turn the power back on. The computer will automatically reboot the program. Repeated power surges can cause permanent damage to the computer and should be corrected. NOTE: If electrical surges are experienced, Meheen Manufacturing recommends installing a good quality surge suppresser.
Page 21: Pressure Sensor Check
0 psi, this indicates that the sensor is plugged or has failed. The sensor should be carefully rinsed out with warm water and allowed to air dry before checking again. If you have any questions or suspect that a pressure sensor has failed, contact Meheen Manufacturing. LUBRICATION & MAINTENANCE: 1.
Page 22: Fill Manifold & Tubing
FILL MANIFOLD & TUBING MAINTENANCE: To replace or service the silicone fill tubing the filling manifold must removed from the tubing pinch valve. 1. With the compressed air disconnected from the machine, remove the tubing clamps and tubing from the filling tubes at the top of the filling head. Disconnect the small sensor tube from the top of the liquid manifold.
Page 23: Bottle Detection System
BOTTLE DETECTION SYSTEM/ INDEX PLATE ADJUSTMENT From this screen the automatic bottle detection system can be disabled using a security code and the speed of the bottle indexing plate can be adjusted for optimum performance. Each time the bottling machine is turned on the automatic bottle detection system defaults on. This means if bottles are not present, mis-feed or do not move forward it will be detected and the bottling machine will automatically stop the system before the capping and filling heads move.
Page 24: Bottle Indexing Speed Adjust
Bottle Indexing Speed Adjustment Instructions to perform this adjustment are on the screen. Start by pressing the RESET key and then the yellow “Bottle Index” key once. The indexing plate will move forward and the speed indicating bar at the bottom of the screen will change from Green to Red and stop when the bottles are detected at the filling station.