Filling Machines

Filling machines fill a pack with product; normally the product will be either a fluid or multiples of solid products.

Liquid Packaging
Liquid packaging involves controlled transfer of a predetermined volume of liquid product from a pipeline through a nozzle into the pack. Example pack types are drinks bottles and cartons, medical vials, syringes, paint tins and chemical drums. The pack motion must be controlled in order that the nozzle can transfer the liquid straight into the pack aperture with minimum of spillage. Machines can be designed for continuous or intermittent motion of the pack.


Aerosol Packaging
Aerosol canisters are filled in a similar manner to the liquid filling but the canister must be sealed prior to filling to enable it to be pressurized. This requires the filling head to break the seal temporarily to allow filling to take place.

Powder Packaging
Powder packing is usually carried out on a Vertical Form Fill and Seal machine, however powder is also packaged within cartons, for example washing powder. The form fill and seal machine takes a flat polymeric or paper infeed from a reel and forms it into a tube. The lower end of the tube has been sealed by the previous operation, the vertical joint of the tube is sealed, then a quantity of powder is poured into the tube shape, the top of the tube is then sealed and cut from the rest of the material infeed.

Tablet Packaging
Tablets are packed into blister packs by grabbing individual tablets from a product infeed with vacuum cups mounted on an arm, this arm then moves and the tablets are dropped into the locations in the blister pack. A foil based sheet is then fed from a reel and sealed on the top of the blister pack. Tablets are also packaged in bottles in a similar manner to the liquid packaging method, but number or weight of tablets is measured, as opposed to volume.


Solid Product Packaging
Pre-formed packs are moved into a position aligned with the product infeed and the pack is loaded with the desired quantity or weight of product. Example packs are a bag, a carton, a case, a bag-in-a-box, a coffee jar, etc. Solid Products are also packed using the Form Fill and Seal method, either horizontally or vertically.