2023 Equipment Overview - Gravity Filling Machine

Many liquid products are packaged by volume, and at Liquid Packaging Solutions, there are several filling machines that achieve an accurate volumetric fill. One of the most popular volumetric fillers year over year at Liquid Packaging Solutions is the gravity filling machine.

As the name suggests, a gravity filler uses the force of gravity to move liquid into bottles or other containers. A gravity filler will typically use a tank mounted to the machine above the fill heads. For each cycle of bottles run through an automatic gravity filler, valves will open for a pre-set amount of time to allow the product to flow from the tank to the containers. On LPS automatic fillers, each fill head can be timed separately via a touchscreen operator interface to allow for even greater accuracy. The PLC used on the automatic gravity fillers allows durations and delays to be set for indexing, filling and every other part of the fill cycle, making set up and changeover both quick and easy when different bottles are used on the same line.

The automatic gravity filling machine can be manufactured with anywhere from two to sixteen fill heads depending on the production needs of each packager, with fill nozzles also varying to meet the needs of different products. Special nozzles can be matched with the machine to control foam or prevent dripping, among other issues. Missing bottle and backup vision systems help to ensure that the machine will not release product when a bottle is missing or continue to fill bottles if backup issues exist downline to prevent bottle jams.

The gravity filler is also available in semi-automatic models, including a tabletop version for packagers with limited space. These machines require more operator interaction, including placing and removing bottles and starting the fill cycle when bottles are in place. All filling machines are upgradeable to some extent, including the addition of more fill heads, with a limit of six on tabletop machines and sixteen on full-frame models.

Using only gravity to move product, these filling machines are ideal for thin, free-flowing or medium viscosity liquids. Other forms of volumetric fillers, such as pump or piston fillers, include components that help viscous products move to the bottles.

To learn more about gravity filling machines or any of the liquid fillers manufactured by LPS, browse the Filling Machinery section of the website or call LPS to speak with a Filling Machine Specialist today.