Receptacle handling apparatus for filing and capping receptacles

A receptacle handling apparatus, comprising:

• a filling carousel rotatable about a first axis for transporting receptacles along a receptable transport path from a receiving station to a transfer station;
• a plurality of filling units mounted peripherally on the filling carousel and advanced along a circular path by the filling carousel, the filling units configured to fill respective receptacles with a pourable product during advancement of the receptacles along the receptacle transport path, the receptacle transport path extending about the first axis from the receiving station to the transfer station along an arc-shaped portion of the circular path;
• a capping carousel rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis;
• a plurality of capping units mounted peripherally on the capping carousel and configured to advance along a circular capping path;
• an insertion station at which the capping carousel receives filled receptacles;
• and
• a closure engagement station at which the capping carousel caps the receptacles during advancement of the receptacles about the second axis from the insertion station to a release station,
• wherein the transfer station of the filing carousel and the insertion station of the capping carousel are spaced apart, and
• wherein the capping carousel is located downstream of the filling carousel and comprises
• a plurality of peripherally mounted gripping units, the gripping units having at least one outwardly extensible gripping arm assembly, the at least one gripping arm assembly including a gripping arm, the gripping arm being moveable between a retracted configuration and an extracted configuration such that the at least one gripping arm assembly cooperates with the filling carousel to transfer a filled receptacle along a non-circular arc-shape sub-portion of the receptacle transfer path from the transfer station of the filling carousel directly to the insertion station of the capping carousel without interposition of any further transfer device between the filling carousel and the capping carousel, and
• wherein each gripping unit comprises an actuation unit, each actuation unit controlling a corresponding gripping arm assembly and including a first actuation device for radially moving the corresponding gripping arm assembly between the retracted configuration and the extracted configuration.