Fully automated systems are designed to provide convenience and efficiency in high-speed applications. They include electro or pneumatic PLC controls as well as conveyors.
These systems are ideal for any kind of liquid, including those that contain particles like foods and often cater for containers between the 5ml and 10-litre range. The output ranges from 1200 to 7200 bottles per hour (20 to 120/min).
As you may have already deduced, automatic packaging equipment can be very beneficial for a packaging company. If you run or plan to open one, here are some of the benefits you can expect from the addition of automatic fillers in your packaging unit.
1. Higher Production Speeds
Perhaps the best and most apparent benefit of fully automated fillers is that they do the job faster compared to manual or hand filling. From high viscosity products like paste or jelly to free-flowing products like milk, automatic fillers enable more and faster filling with each cycle. Inline systems can achieve a speed of up to 120 bottles per minute, allowing you to package thousands of bottles each day.
2. Versatility
Automatic fillers aren’t always built to fit one type of container or product. They can be easily set to handle an array of container sizes and shapes. Additionally, they can handle different products, with some versions being able to fill both free-flowing and viscous liquids. So, if you run a company that packages multiple products in different containers, the versatility that these systems offer is certainly a welcome benefit.
3. Consistency and Reliability
Manual filling inevitably results in variances in the amount of liquid in each bottle. That’s because humans are nowhere near perfect. Yes, some measuring devices can help reduce the variances, but they tend to add time to the process, which is a downside. In addition to high filling speeds, these systems accommodate for a repeatable, consistent and reliable fill in every cycle. So, whether the fill is based on a volume, weight, level or any kind of measurement, you can depend on automatic fillers.
4. Simple Controls and Low Operator Interaction
An automatic filler seems to involve a lengthy setup, but this is usually not the case. Once the systems are set and begin operation, all they will need are simple adjustments to shift from one type of bottle to the next. However, the more intricate settings like pump speed, indexing times, fill times, etc., will be set on a touchscreen interface. Once you key in the settings for a product and bottle combination (often done at the LPS site prior to delivery), the operator just needs to recall the recipe from the PLC.
5. The Machinery is Upgradeable
Last but not least, automatic fillers can grow with your company. Your machine may start with a few fill heads, but as demand increases and business grows, you can easily add more fill heads. You do not have to purchase another filling system, as this would be inconvenient and in most cases, not worth the investment.
Most automatic fillers can accommodate up to 16 fill heads, thus filling sixteen containers with each cycle. Keep in mind that varying machinery will have varying limits, and the top speed depends on factors like bottle shape, size as well as the product to be filled.
The Standard Options and Features
-Variable speed conveyor featuring adjustable rails, guides and Delrin slats
-Fully interlocked guarding on the operating section.
-Custom-built vessel featuring a heated jacket
-Neck location system
-Logic controls for sensing/gating systems and response fillers (up to 4)
-Pneumatic cut-off nozzles to ascertain a clean fill while avoiding drips.
To find out more about the top of the range automatic filling systems go to Flux Pumps.