Flat Bottle Liquid Filling Machine

manufactures a variety of liquid filling machines such as inline filling systems. Such systems are capable of filling almost any product into an assortment of bottle types

How to choose a liquid filling machine?

All you want to do is buy the right liquid filling system. But no, nothing can be easy or straightforward nowadays… can it? So whatever industry you’re coming from, we know there are a lot of things to consider when trying to find the best solution for your needs. While there’s no one size fits all solution, we’ve summarized the seven key factors you should consider to help you determine what type of machine best meets your needs.

1. What type of liquid product do you have?

Sounds simple enough… what type of liquid product do you have?
Being able to clearly describe your liquid product as very viscous, semi-viscous, or a very fluid, water-like product, will go a long way in helping to match your production needs with the best solution.

What is its viscosity – the measurement of a fluid’s internal resistance to flow? A substance like molasses will be more resistant to movement than water. As a result, the filling machine you purchase should be able to meet the increased demand of a high viscosity liquid. To get an idea of the viscosity of your liquid, check out our handy Viscosity Table.

Does your product contain particulates? Is it semi-solid? In these instances, a piston or pump filler may be most suitable for the job.

2. What type of containers are you filling?

When dealing with liquid filling applications, what you put your liquid product into is just as important as the product itself.

There is a world of different bottle shapes, sizes, and types of associated caps as it relates to closing/capping requirements. You can muddy the waters even more, if you will, should your container require a fill stopper crimp cap, fill cap, press on cap, twist on, spray bottles, or even an atomizer spray – all completely doable, but certainly needs planning ahead and constant dialogue amongst the project team members. Liquid packaging can have a vast array of possible and creative solutions, but also pitfalls, if unaware. VKPAK will welcome the chance to review your container and make suggestions for you.

Another part of the container aspect is understanding any labeling requirements. How difficult or easy is it to label your container’s surface? Also, what type of labeling solution do you want – a fully-automated, integrated labeler, or a standalone system? You can certainly incorporate whichever solution you prefer, but uncovering these needs ahead of time will ultimately save you time and money as you complete your project. If you’re seeing a theme, you are clearly ahead of the game… constant communication and planning ahead will always serve you well.

3. What is your desired fill rate?

One of the more important things to consider when choosing your liquid filling machine is your fill rate. How much do you want to fill per minute, per hour, per day and overall per month? Is faster better? Well, it depends. A business with a very high production rate will likely benefit from the most efficient machines. A smaller business may trade off some speed for savings in cost and space.

This is an important area of determination since it will also help in identifying the right level of automation for your needs. That is, filling a 5-gallon container vs a precision vial fill application is probably going to require a different type of filling solution. These types of details will also help with determining your setup options as it relates to your metering system, aka liquid filling pumps. ​

One caution: take care to not overlook your future production needs when purchasing your filling machine. It is easier to buy with future growth in mind than to try to upgrade your equipment after the fact.

4. What level of automation do you want?

If you’ve already answered your previous question, “What is your desired fill rate?”, you’ve already taken a big step in determining what level of automation is best for your application.

Manual filling machines are meant to handle low production rates, and they are an affordable and space-efficient option for hobbyists or very small companies that do not plan on expanding.

Semi-automatic filling machines can produce bottles at a much faster rate than manual filling machines, but they still require some manual operation. These machines will not reach quite the same speed of fully-automated filling machines. However, their mid-range price often makes them the best choice for small and medium-sized businesses that do not yet need the largest systems, but still have plans to grow.

Automatic filling machines are the powerhouses of production, perfect for large-scale companies with high production rates. These machines pull bottles from bulk storage using conveyors. They require the most floor space, and their purchasing and maintenance costs are higher than for manual or semi-automatic filling machines. However, they function with either no or very little manual operation.

For example, if you are filling about 5,000 bottles a day, or roughly 10-12 containers per minute. Whether a single or dual nozzle, a semi-automatic Benchtop filling machine could be an excellent solution for your needs – an affordable, quality and workhorse solution.

Now let’s say your production requirements have you filling about 25,000 bottles per day, or roughly 50-52 containers per minute. Here, you may want to increase your production throughput by considering a slightly higher level of automation with an intermediate inline filling system, or even a higher output scenario with a larger Monobloc design. Of course, as you increase your levels of automaton, there are certain costs associated with those greater mechanical and electrical elements.

5. Do you need to fill by level or by volume?

A very important decision you need to make is whether a liquid-level filler or a volumetric filling machine is best for your operations. To make this choice, you need to consider two things. What type of liquid you are using and how you want the packaged bottles to appear.

Liquid-level fillers

These fillers fill each bottle to the same specified level, even if the actual volume of liquid varies from bottle to bottle. This method of filling is more efficient and costs less. In addition, it gives all the bottles a uniform, cosmetically-pleasing appearance, which is very appealing to consumers. Liquid level filling machines typically use pressure-overflow fillers, which have a very fast fill rate and can handle a wide range of viscosities. Any leftover product in the filling tubes gets pushed back into the tank, preventing overflow and spillage.

Volumetric filling machines

These machines deliver a precise volume of liquid into each bottle, even when variations in the shape or volume of the bottles may cause the liquids to appear to be at different levels. These types of fillers cost more to operate due to the special instruments they require for timing, calibration and balance. The extra expense is worth it when the liquid needs to be packaged in precise dosages, or when minimizing waste is critical.

Volumetric filling machines are available in three varieties: Gravity fillers which are more cost-effective, and work best with low-viscosity or frothy liquids. The liquid is stored above the bottles as they are filled, allowing gravity to assist in the process. Piston fillers work well with either low-viscosity liquids (check-valve piston fillers) or very thick products (rotary-valve piston fillers). They operate by pumping product from one part of the machine to another in very precise amounts. Finally, pump fillers – while suitable for any viscosity – are especially designed for very thick products that need some extra force to move through the machine.

6. What is your available floor space?

Often overlooked until the later moments, another important aspect to consider when choosing a liquid filling system is your available floor space. You must accurately know your available clean room, laboratory or facility floor space. A bad scenario… you purchase an expensive production line that does not fit into your clean room or overall floor space – not good.

When determining your floor space, or the required footprint of your liquid filling machine, be sure to also factor in your human element as well. That is, your operators as well as any necessary space for inventory and supplies.

Common Liquid Viscosity Chart

Viscosity

Viscosity is the measurement of a fluid’s internal resistance to flow. This is typically designated in units of centipoise or poise but can be expressed in other acceptable measurements as well. Some conversion factors are as follows:

• 100 Centipoise = 1 Poise
• 1 Centipoise = 1 mPa s (Millipascal Second)
• 1 Poise = 0.1 Pa s (Pascal Second)
• Centipoise = Centistoke x Density

Newtonian materials are referred to as true liquids since their viscosity or consistency is not affected by shear such as agitation or pumping at a constant temperature. Water and oils are examples of Newtonian liquids.

Thixotropic materials reduce their viscosity as agitation or pressure is increased at a constant temperature. Ketchup and mayonnaise are examples of thixotropic materials. They appear thick or viscous but actually pump quite easily.

Paste viscosity is a vague term the viscosity of many materials but needs further definition to design a machine. Some paste viscosity materials will seek their own level or flow slowly and the shorter the time it takes, the easier they are to pump. Others do not seek their own level or flow at all and require pressure to move them from the supply container (cartridges. pails or drums) to the metering pump. These materials require special consideration regarding their feeding into metering pumps to assure the metering pump does not cavitate or to prevent air from being introduced into the material.

One way to differentiate between easy and difficult to flow pastes is to obtain Brookfield viscosities using the same spindle at two different rotational speeds, usually a tenfold difference (e.g. 1 RPM and 10 RPM). This will provide a”thixotropic index” for the particular material. The higher the difference in viscosity at the two speeds, the more thixotropic the material is and easier to pump.

To reduce the viscosity of paste materials to allow easier pumping, heat is often applied. The following graph illustrates how a typical filled epoxy resin reduces in viscosity as it is heated.

Solid materials at room temperature that are designed to be melted to allow pumping require heating above their melt point before they become a liquid. Maintaining heat on this material throughout the metering system (feed tank, pump, material supply hose, mixer, etc.) is normally

critical to preventing this material from resolidifying somewhere in the system. A heated cabinet that encapsulates all wetted components of the machine is typically employed instead of just heat blanketing the various components.

Typically, the closer the “A” and “B” materials are in viscosity, the easier they will be to mix. The most difficult materials will have a high viscosity “taffy-like” consistency for one-component with a water thin viscosity as the other component.

Viscosity Conversion Chart

The following viscosities are based on materials with a specific gravity of one.

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We have the expertise in manufacturing and exporting wide array of automatic mustard oil filling machines. Mustard oil filling machine offered find suitability for meeting the filling requirements of viscous and non-viscous liquids in industry sectors like chemical, daily, chemical industry and others. Further, the superior integration support for filling and capping in single machine also makes these optimum in performance. In addition to this, we offer customized solutions as required by the clients.

This automatic mustard oil filling machine, adopts plunger pump filling, Equipped with PLC and touch screen, easy to operate. Main pneumatic parts and the electronics are famous brand from Japan or German. The body and the parts contacting with product is stainless steel, clean and sanitary comply with GMP standard. The filling volume and speed can be adjusted easily, and filling nozzles could be changed according to actual needs. This filling line can be used to fill various liquid products of medicines, foods, drinks, chemicals, detergents, pesticide, etc. e.x. shampoo, detergent, lotion, juice, wine, vinegar, etc.

Mustard oil filling machine feature:

1. Linear design, when change bottle sizes no need change parts, easily for changing;
2. PLC conntrol full-automatic working;
3. Adopts high precision and high speed ration filling valve make sure the oil level is exact without loss, ensuring high quality filling perfectly;
4. Filling volume adjustable, no bottle no filling;
5. Flexible choice, suitable to 50ml liter to 5 liter PET or glass bottle with various shape, press caps or screw caps capping;
6. 316L stainless steel contact parts, fine polish, food grade, easy clean.