Introduction
In the food industry, industrial systems for syrup transfer must guarantee safety, precision, and hygiene.
Syrup, due to its high viscosity and the need to maintain purity, represents a challenge for any plant.
Traditional methods can lead to:
- risk of product contamination,
- difficulty in precise positioning,
- the need for the operator to be close to the fluid
For this reason, the most effective solution in the field of industrial systems for syrup transfer is an automated loading arm, which guarantees:
- Operator safety: remote control and distance from the fluid, ensuring hygiene;
- Transfer precision: millimetric positioning on the manhole;
- Product hygiene and quality: food‑grade materials, proper coatings, and contamination‑free handling;
- Complete process monitoring thanks to the control panel.
Our case study
Case Study: transferring syrup in total safety with our automated top loading arm
To demonstrate the advantages of our industrial systems for syrup transfer, we present a business case with an important Irish food company.
Starting situation
The company needed to unload large quantities of syrup while maintaining the purity of the product. The presence of the operator near the fluid could have caused contamination. The challenge was clear: safe and precise transfer, without direct human contact.
Proposed solution
An automated top loading arm was developed, featuring the following key characteristics:
Construction and materials:
- AISI316 stainless steel
- Three‑segment modularity (variable length to adapt to the plant)
- DN150 diameter, right‑side layout, and ANSI 150 top flange
Movement and control:
- Articulated joints and proportional electric actuators
- Food‑grade capacitive sensors for fluid level monitoring
- Anti‑drip valves to prevent leakage
- Control panel with joystick and buttons, integrable with SCADA/DCS
Automatic orthogonal alignment to the manhole, ensuring correct and repeatable coupling during every loading/unloading phase
Operational logic: fully remote workflow
- Preparation: the arm is in the parking position when the truck enters the loading area to be filled.
Sensors check the safety conditions required to start loading/unloading. When conditions are optimal, an indicator light will appear on the panel. - Arm positioning: From here, the loading/unloading process can begin: with a button, the arm moves automatically toward the manhole, adjusting its position until achieving precise orthogonal alignment before the anti-drip valve opens. The operator monitors the positioning remotely, and if correct, will proceed to open the anti-drip valve, confirmed by additional sensors. At this point, the system indicates that it is ready to transfer the syrup.
- Loading/unloading: The fluid is transferred into the tank.
- End of batch: once unloading is complete, with another button the operator initiates the closure of the anti-drip valve and the return of the arm to its parking position.
Benefits obtained
- Operator completely away from the fluid, reducing the risk of contamination
- Precise, safe, and repeatable movements even with viscous syrups
- Full digital integration and compatibility with Industry 5.0
- Operational efficiency and reduced process handling time
- Consistently correct coupling thanks to automatic orthogonal alignment, reducing mechanical stress, wear, and accidental spills
Conclusion
Despite the challenging project, Zipfluid successfully developed a solution perfectly tailored to the customer's needs and at the forefront of innovation.
