Product Spotlight - Automatic Piston Filler

Piston filling machines are ideal for liquids, semi-solids and products with particulates such as certain sauces and jams.  This versatile liquid filler allows for an accurate fill by simply pulling a piston back and allowing product to enter the cylinder.  Once product fills the cylinder, the piston returns to the cylinder, pushing the product into the containers.  The volume of the product dispensed during each fill cycle will be determined by the size of the cylinder and the stroke of the piston.  The Automatic Piston Filling Machine can be manufactured with one or multiple cylinders depending on the production rates desired, the product and the containers.  

 

The piston filling machine can be used as a stand alone filling station or as a component of an inline filling system.  A power conveyor delivers containers to the automatic piston filler for each fill cycle.  The filling machine will use an indexing system to ensure that the correct number of bottles enter the fill area for each cycle.  The indexing system used may vary with each product.  Most machines use a pin indexing system, which simply consists of an entry and exit gate to start and stop bottles in the fill area.  Starwheel indexing, timing screws and other systems may be incorporated for unique bottles, increased speeds or a number of other reasons.

 

The piston filler will be controlled by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) that includes a touchscreen operator interface for easy set up and changeover.  The filling machine operator interface includes all of the delay and duration times necessary to provide reliable, consistent indexing and filling.  Other components of the machine, such as diving heads, automatic drip trays, neck grabbers and more, can also be controlled using the touchscreen interface.  Once a bottle has been set up and run in production, the PLC also allows storage of recipes for easy recall the next time the bottle is used.  

 

Changeover from one bottle to another may require adjustment of the fill head positions, conveyor guide rail and fill times.  As noted above, fill duration and delay times, indexing times and all other settings can be stored as a recipe, recalled by simply entering a number on the recipe screen.  This leaves simple hand adjustments to the fill heads and conveyor before running the new bottle.  

 

Piston filling machines are also available in tabletop and semi-automatic models, making the filling principle available for any facility with any production rate.  To learn more about the Automatic Piston Filler, or any of the filling machinery manufactured by Liquid Packaging Solutions, Inc., contact a representative toll free today at 1-888-393-3693.