Liquid items may be seen everywhere in our everyday lives, but have you ever thought about how liquids are filled into various containers? That’s when the liquid filling machine comes in useful. Liquid filling equipment is widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food sectors.
After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of liquid filling equipment, including their working principle and how to choose them. Before we go into the physics of a fluid filling machine, let’s first define it.
What is a Liquid Filling Machine?
Liquid filling equipment is a device for packaging liquid items. These devices are employed in a variety of sectors, including food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and cosmetics.
In the pharmaceutical sector, a liquid filling machine can be used to package eye drops, oral liquids, oral syrups, and disinfectants. As a result, it must be sanitary and of high quality.
Liquid Filling Machine Working Principle
To fulfill the demands of diverse production scales, there are several types of filling machines on the market, including automated, semi-automatic, and manual liquid filling machines.
However, they all follow the same basic premise. The machine transfers the liquid product from a reservoir to the containers. A number of factors influence the amount of liquid discharged, including the container’s size, the liquid’s viscosity, and the intended filling volume.
Principles of a Liquid Filling Machine
There are four major categories of liquid filling principles:
- Gravity filling
- Overflow filling.
- Piston filling
- Pump Filling
Here is a quick explanation for each.
Gravity Filling
Gravity Filling is the most basic sort of liquid filling equipment. A container is put on a platform, and liquid pours into it using gravity. This approach is primarily used for liquids with low viscosity.
Overflow filling.
Overflow filling is identical to gravity filling, only the container is positioned upside down on the platform. The liquid flows into the container until it reaches a certain level, after which it is halted. This procedure is commonly employed with thick liquids.
Piston Filling
Piston filling is the process of pumping liquid into a container using a piston. This approach is suited for liquids with viscosities ranging from thin to thick. It may also be utilized with semi-solids and liquids containing particles.
Pump Filling
Pump filling employs a positive displacement pump to fill the container. This approach works for both thin and thick viscosities, as well as semi-solids and liquids containing particles.
How Do Manual Liquid Filling Machines Work?
A manual liquid filling machine is a tool for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food sectors. Unlike other filling equipment, it does not require automation to operate. As a result, it is perfect for usage in small businesses or laboratories. A manual liquid filler works on the following principle:
Step 1: Pour the liquid that you wish to fill.
Once the machine’s filling capacity has been determined, pour the liquid into the feed hopper.
Step 2: Fill the container with liquid.
Place the bottle beneath the discharge nozzle with one hand while slowly pressing the handle with the other. The liquid will then flow out of the discharge nozzle.
Things You Should Consider When Buying a Liquid Filling Machine:
Your choice of liquid filling equipment determines the efficiency of your manufacturing. If you’re searching for a model that can work longer or streamline your business’s manufacturing process, there are several factors to consider when deciding which equipment to invest in.
Aside from fundamental and practical concerns like budget, physical dimensions, tech integration, compatibility, and endurance, these characteristics can help you decide the best machine for your needs:
Product viscosity
This is the first factor to consider when purchasing in-line filling systems of any size. Runny liquid requires a different set of nozzles than thick, viscous liquid. There’s also the question of product content: is it completely fluid or do you have particles like beads in face cleansers or pieces of food in soup and batter?
The product determines what type of machine you require. A high-viscosity liquid filling machine with a piston filler, for example, is appropriate for viscous materials that require some force to move out of the dispensing nozzle.
Watery items do not require a piston machine since the liquid may escape the nozzle simply by gravity. What they do require are leak-proof valves that guarantee the proper volume of liquid is supplied each time.
Container or Receptacle?
When selecting a tiny liquid filling machine, the container, especially the form of the aperture, is an important consideration. Bottles have small mouths and necks. These will require precision-controlled nozzles that fit properly into the aperture.
During baking, the dispensing machine may drop fluids into semi-finished food items such as pie crusts or doughnuts. Each requires a particular type of filling equipment.
For pies, a classic piston filler with a wide-nozzled dispenser that fills from above is a popular choice. Doughnuts are often served using a funnel dispenser with one or more thin, needle-like nozzles positioned vertically or horizontally.
Degree of Automation
If your manufacturing process is primarily manual, a semi-automatic liquid filling machine would suffice. Consider the above example of liquid filling equipment for doughnuts. Bakeries that sell a few hundred items per day do not require a fully automated system with conveyor belts.
The manual component may even be required, such as when you need the ability to transition from one product to another as soon as feasible.
Conclusion
The pharmaceutical sector relies heavily on liquid filling machines. Understanding the principles of liquid bottle-filling machines will boost your medical packaging production and propel your pharmaceutical firm to new heights. Take your time to choose an ideal liquid-filling equipment, and evaluate all of these factors.
