Fill Head Adjustments on Overflow Filling Machines

Overflow fillers are somewhat unique when compared to other filling machines. Rather than filling by volume or weight, these machines ignore those two measurements to fill bottles to the same level. Getting liquid to the same level in each bottle, however, also requires a unique filler nozzle. Each nozzle of the overflow bottle filler will dive in to the head, using a seal above the tip of the nozzle to cover the bottle opening. As liquid reaches the desired level, an overflow port in the nozzle allows excess product to "overflow" out of the bottle and back in to the holding tank. Of course, in order to get those fills to the correct level, the nozzles also have to be prepared and adjusted correctly. Below are some of the simple adjustments that allow this liquid filler to achieve its unique level fills.

SPACING

Probably the easiest adjustment for the overflow nozzle is the spacing of the nozzles themselves. Almost all overflow fillers will use a fill bar to hold multiple heads, meaning more than one bottle will be filled at a time. Different bottle sizes will require different spacing of the nozzles as bottles settle in to place on the conveyor or, in the case of a semi-automatic machine, on the track. This spacing simply requires an operator to loosen a simple hand knob and slide the nozzles along the fill bar to the correct location. Once in the right location, the hand knob is just retightened to ensure consistent fills.

FILL LEVEL

To get to the right level in the container, each fill head will use a set of spacers. The spacers determine how far in to the bottle the nozzle actually dives, which in turn sets the overflow point and the level of the fill. When bottles are changed over from one to another, the spacers on the nozzles may need to be changed as well. Operators can easily remove the nozzle seal and washer to access, remove and add spacers on each nozzle. Of course, the operator should ensure each nozzle has the same spacers when using multiple heads to avoid different fill levels.

HEIGHT & COMPRESSION

Finally, operators of overflow fillers must find the correct starting height position for nozzles prior to the dive. If nozzles do not dive far enough, the seal may not be completed over the bottle opening, resulting in either no product being released or product being sprayed out of the bottle. If nozzles dive too far, the bottles may be crushed or broken, depending on the material. On automatic machinery, a manual toggle screen and power height adjustment allows the operator to properly set the height. After using the power height to raise nozzles all the way up, the manual toggle can be used to dive the fill heads. At this point, with bottles in place, the power height can be used to lower the heads until the seals cover the opening and nozzle springs compress to a point where a fingernail can be slid between the coils. Use the manual toggle to cancel the head dive and nozzles are set at the proper height!

While several nozzle adjustments are necessary to ensure level fills on containers, each of these adjustments are quick and simple, allowing for efficient production runs without extensive changeover times. To see the different components of the overflow filling machine to better understand the instructions above, view this video on replacing nozzle components on an overflow filler.