Efficiency in Filling Machinery - Piston Fillers

In the world of liquid packaging, efficiency in the filling process is paramount. The ability to reliably streamline the packaging process helps to ensure consistent, timely and safe delivery of products to the end users. The benefits, features and applications of a piston filling machine offer an ideal and efficient solution for a wide range of liquid packagers.

Precise and Accurate Fills

Piston fillers use a principle of positive displacement to deliver liquids to the waiting containers. As the piston moves with a cylinder, liquid is drawn in and dispensed with precision based on volume. The fact that the volume of the cylinder never changes means the same volume of product will be drawn in and dispensed with each cycle. By utilizing fractional strokes of the piston, a range of container sizes can also be filled using one piston size, allowing for quick changeovers for runs using different volumes of containers.

Versatility

Though piston fillers are often touted as ideal solutions for highly viscous products, these filling machines can handle a range of liquid viscosities, from water-like products to thick liquids such as pastes and gels. For manufacturers with many different products, or for co-packers who prepare products for a multitude of companies, the piston filler can provide a solution for most or all of the liquids being packaged. The ability to handle multiple container sizes and a range of product viscosities allows efficient production for packagers in many different industries.

Levels of Automation

Piston filling machines can be manufactured in various configurations to accommodate different production rates as well. Smaller scale operations may find a tabletop piston filler meets their specific needs. These machines use an operator to place bottles and initiate the fill process, interacting with the machine during each cycle. For higher speed production lines, piston fillers can be manufactured as automatic machines. Automatic piston fillers are set up prior to production, filling multiple containers per cycle as they are indexed into the machine via a power conveyor. Operators will set up the machine for the product and containers to be run, but will not need to interact with the machine each time a cycle is run. Rather, operators of the packaging line will ensure bulk product and bottles are available and simply monitor the line during production. Whether a small or craft producer or a brand producing thousands of products a day, piston fillers can help the production line run more efficiently.

Piston fillers can be found in a range of industries, from Food and Beverage to Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Personal Care items. For packagers looking for not only an efficient filling solution, but also one that provides reliable and consistent volumetric fills, the piston filler may be the best bottle filling choice.