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Trends in Manufacturing and Evolution of Liquid Filling Machines Year 2017

The filling machines are useful in very many industries including fuel/petroleum filling, bottle filling, pharmaceuticals and detergents production. Liquid filling machines are also extensively used in cosmetics filling and in foods and beverages.

There is a keen focus in improvement of efficiency among manufacturing companies, with major players choosing to move to new technologies to maintain their operational efficiency. Some of the factors driving the demand for filling equipment include;

  • Emergence of new filling technologies, robotics and greater automation
  • Increasing demand in smaller sized packages of products
  • Rapid development of new products with varying physical and rheological characteristics

Liquid Filling Machines


Versatility in today’s equipment

This refers to the ability of the equipment to handle multiple functions while retaining their efficiency during operation. Observing products on displays and shopping areas gives an impression of very many new products in the market. These create a need for filling machines that are able to handle the new products. Most manufacturers are being forced to acquire additional liquid filling machines. Liquid filling equipment manufacturers must align themselves with these changes and adopt versatile machines in order to keep up with the domestic demand.

The Filling Line Machine Design Process

In the design of a product filling line, the product characteristics are the most important considerations to be done. Free flowing products may require timed flow filling machine where the exact quantity of liquid is dispensed in each cycle. When dealing with a viscous liquid, the positive displacement liquid filler systems are the best option.

Special Design Considerations for Different Applications

Other important considerations concerning product characteristics include filling temperatures, presence of particles, splashing of products, froth formation and if there is need for constant agitation. In certain instances, you may require dispensing baby food into a specific container. An aseptic filling line with metallic pistons that will achieve the precision required is suitable here. This type of system will also avoid over filling and weight differences in the final product.

Certain products require special attention during packaging and filling in order to eliminate any form of microbial contamination. These are mainly foods, beverages, milk products, fruit juices and baby foods. In such circumstances, the hot fill technology is applied and special hygienic bottles are used. In hot fill lines, the material is heated to temperatures over 100 degrees and filled at temperatures of approximately 83 degrees. Hot fill liquid filing machines are highly efficient in operation and can handle over 40,000 bottles per hour of between 300mls to 1.5litres.

High-Speed Bottle Liquid Filling Line

Some of the innovative features high-speed bottle liquid filling line machine includes;

  • Quick product and label changeover
  • Product flexibility
  • Label flexibility
  • High throughput that guarantees production efficiency

Product and Container Adaptability

The shapes, sizes and materials for different containers also determine the filling technology to be applied. The type of container affects the configuration of the drives on the machine stations. Similarly, larger containers require bigger valves as well as longer time cycles. Glass types of containers are also much heavier than cans and require special reinforcements.

This article has been written by Arjun Rao, the proprietor of Shree Bhagwati Machtech (India) Pvt Ltd.