What Our Engineers Wish Buyers Knew Before Planning a Filling Line

Planning a filling line is one of the most important decisions a manufacturer can make, but projects can begin with assumptions that unintentionally limit performance as well as the long-term value of the line. Liquid Packaging Solutions' engineers design, build, and support packaging lines every day and often see repeat challenges due not to lack of experience, but rather simply because critical factors are overlooked early on in the process. Understanding what engineers wish buyers knew before spec'ing a liquid filling line can actually lead to better equipment decisions, smoother startups, and more reliable production from the packaging line.

More Than Just a Filling Machine

One common mistake by a business is treating the filling machine as a standalone unit. The bottle filler will perform only as well as the system around it. Fillers must work in coordination with conveyors as well as upstream equipment like bottle rinsing machines and downstream equipment such as capping machines and labelers. When a buyer is too focused on the filler, integration challenges often appear at a later date. These challenges can lead to bottle jams, inconsistent flows, slower than expected speeds, and lower than expected outputs.

Another way to look at this is that the system will only perform as quickly as the slowest component. So, a machine that can fill 100 bottles a minute will never reach or maintain that speed if the labeling machine can only apply 50 labels per minute. Focus on the system as a whole rather than just the filling machine, or any other single piece of equipment for better overall results.

Product and Container Details Matter More Than Speed

The first question often asked by buyers is "How fast can this machine run?". Before this question, however, LPS engineers will ask "What are you filling?" and "Into what container?" To be sure, the first question cannot be answered without knowing product viscosity, temperature, foaming, and other characteristics, as well as the bottle size and shape, closure type, label type, and other component features. Ignoring all other factors and focusing only on speed can result in unwanted issues like inaccurate fills, product waste, or extended changeover times. Engineers know the importance of matching the right technology to the product and container to ensure that packaging line speed is supported by consistency and reliability.

Changeover Time is Critical to Productivity

For a business running a multitude of different products or containers on a single packaging line, changeover time can have as big or bigger impact on output than the actual speed of the machine. LPS engineers see high-speed filling lines underperform because the changeover process has not been well thought out. Our engineers work to incorporate tool-free adjustments, standardized change parts, and recipes for settings whenever possible on a machine and the line as a whole. They understand that lines designed with changeover efficiency in mind deliver better productivity along with reduced operator frustration than those lines that focus only on bottle per minute speeds.

Future Growth Must Be Planned from the Outset

Another common oversight is assuming that all machinery is built to allow for expansion in the future. While this may be true theoretically for most machines, retrofitting a filling line for higher speeds, automation, or even new products and containers can be more difficult and costly when not planned or designed in from the start of the line. LPS engineers will always try to allow, or spec, for additional fill heads, expanded conveyors for future integration, upgraded automation, and other features. Planning and engineering for growth protects the original investment and prevents expensive redesigns or new equipment purchases.

Technical Support and Parts Should be Part of the Plan From the Start

Our engineers understand that every filling line will eventually require service and wear parts over time. What matters the most, however, is how quickly those issues can be resolved to reduce downtime! Before finalizing machine specifications, buyers should consider the availability of parts for all OEM machines as well as the responsiveness of technical support. Our engineers hand off projects to a dedicated team of packaging specialists who handle both parts requests and technical support who work with the engineers design to limit both issues and recovery time and keep the filling line running product.

Planning a liquid filling line should not just be a purchasing decision, it should also be an engineering decision. Choosing the right line improves production efficiency, flexibility, consistency, reliability, and, ultimately, profitability. Packaging engineers at LPS can help you look beyond individual machines and past simple speed calculations to choose an entire system to bring you the best performance possible. Contact LPS today to work with a Packaging Specialist to find the best solution for your own project.