In daily use, everyone calls it differently, which is roughly summarized into 8 kinds: filling machine, filling equipment, filler, Packaging filler, Volumetric filling machine, Automatic filling system, Sealing and filling machine, filling labeling machine, etc. These words are usually differentiated according to the country and the habits of each person, but essentially all refer to the same type of equipment.
What is a filling machine?
Filling machine is a specialized equipment used to accurately fill liquids, powders, pastes and other materials into bottles, cans, bags and other containers, which are widely used in food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical industries.
Classification of filling machine?
According to the different filling principles：
Atmospheric pressure filling machine: under atmospheric pressure, using the liquid’s own gravity to fill it into the packaging container. Suitable for low viscosity liquids that do not contain gas and are not afraid of contacting the atmosphere.
Pressure filling machine: with the help of pressure (mechanical pressure, pneumatic pressure, hydraulic pressure, etc.) will be pressed into the packaging container of liquid materials. It is suitable for filling viscous materials with large viscosity and poor fluidity, as well as low-viscosity liquid materials due to the characteristics of the material itself or the material and structural limitations of the packaging container.
Vacuum filling machine: filling is carried out under the pressure in the bottle which is lower than the atmospheric pressure. This filling machine has a simple structure, high efficiency, wide range of viscosity of the material to adapt to, suitable for non-gas, afraid of contact with the air and oxidative deterioration of the viscosity of slightly larger liquids, as well as toxic liquids.
Classified according to the type of filling materials:
Liquid filling machine: mainly used for filling a variety of liquid materials, such as milk, liquor, beverages, edible oil, water, fruit juice, etc.
Paste filling machine: mainly used for filling a variety of paste materials, such as ketchup, chili sauce, pot bottom material, toothpaste, peanut butter, skin cream and so on. These filling machines are generally electromechanical and pneumatic integration, controlled by PLC.
Powder filling machine: It is used for filling powdery materials, such as milk powder, washing powder, medicine powder, MSG seasoning, chemical powder and so on. Suitable for catering, food, medicine, daily chemical, tobacco, alcohol, chemical industry , Seasoning.
Granule filling machine: suitable for sachet packing in medicine, food, chemical, pesticide, and fine granule manufacturer.
Classified according to the filling container:
Bottle filling machine:Suitable for plastic bottles, glass bottles or metal bottles, commonly used in beverage, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other industries.
Bag filling machine:Dedicated to stand-up pouches, suction nozzle bags, zipper bags, pre-made bags, slant nozzle bags, and flexible bag products, such as detergents, jellies, purees, soymilk, juices, baby supplements, sauces, beverages and so on.
Tube filling machine:Designed for tube packaging products, such as skin cream, ointment or glue.
Classified according to the degree of filling automation：
Manual filling machine: low cost, suitable for small-scale production, but requires manual operation.
Semi-automatic filling machine: requires manual participation in some of the operations, such as putting bottles, taking bottles and so on. This type of filling machine is suitable for small-scale production or pilot stage.
Monoblock type filling machine: it needs manual participation in part of the work, such as putting bottles, collecting bottles and so on.
Fully automatic filling production line: realizes automatic production in the whole process from putting bottles, filling, sealing, labeling to packing. This type of filling machine is suitable for large-scale production, can significantly improve production efficiency and quality.
According to the filling equipment style classification：
- Linear filling machine: more common in the filling line, the market application volume and high technical maturity. Suitable for paste filling, powder filling, granule filling, etc..
- rotary filling machine: through the rotation of the way to achieve multiple filling head synchronous work, suitable for high-speed production lines.
Classified according to the special function of filling：
- Quantitative filling machine: capable of precise filling according to the preset filling quantity, suitable for products with strict requirements on filling quantity.
- Weighing filling machine: real-time monitoring of the filling volume through the weighing sensor to realize precise control. Suitable for liquid materials with low viscosity, such as paints and coatings.
- Anti-drip filling machine: can effectively prevent liquid from dripping during the filling process and keep the production environment tidy.
- Customized filling machine: tailor-made according to the actual needs of customers.
Looking at the factors to be taken before buying a filling machine：
When purchasing a filling machine, you need to consider the following aspects to ensure that the equipment is suitable for your production needs.
Product suitability:
When making selection on the filling machine that one needs to select, have a look at the type of product that you intend to use and its viscosity. For example:
- the powder products need the powder filling machine.
- thick skin care products are appropriate with the cream filling machines.
Capacity requirements:
According to the production scale to choose equipment: Small scale packaging process can be conveniently used with manual or semi-automatic filling machine while large scale production can be best done with automatic filling machine.
Facility, Infrastructure, Maintenance and Hygiene:
In food packaging and pharmaceutical industries, processing line such as the filling machines used must be made of stainless steel with food contact surface to prevent source of contamination and corrosion.
Degree of automation:
If previous budget and efficiency requires semi-automated or fully automated equipment, then again, higher degree of automation means higher efficiency but may mean higher expenses at first instance.
Sales spare parts and other relevant services:
Pretenders must be able to offer or recommend a reliable brand or supplier that will offer maintenance services or spare parts.
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