With economic development and improvements in people’s living standards, the packaging of goods has become increasingly important, and filling machines have also advanced significantly. Filling machines are primarily a subcategory of packaging machinery. From the perspective of the materials being packaged, they can be divided into liquid filling machines, paste filling machines, powder filling machines, and granule filling machines. Due to the unique characteristics of liquids (such as solubility, absorbency, and ease of production and transportation), the production of packaging machinery for filling liquids accounts for a large proportion of the packaging machinery industry.
Filling machines around the world are evolving toward high speed, versatility, and high precision. Currently, some filling production lines can be used for a variety of applications and in different environments, such as glass bottles and plastic containers (polyester bottles), carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, and hot and cold filling.
Currently, the filling speed of carbonated beverage filling machines has reached up to 2,000 cans per minute. The filling valves on German H&K filling machines have as many as 165 heads, SEN machines have 144 heads, and Krones machines have 178 heads. The diameter of the filling machine is as large as 5 meters, and the filling accuracy is less than ±0.5 ml. Non-carbonated beverage filling machines have 50–100 filling valves, with a filling speed of up to 1,500 cans per minute, and the machine’s trough speed is 20–25 rpm, which is 1 times faster. It can be used for hot filling of tea beverages, coffee beverages, soy milk, and fruit juice beverages. Overseas, hot-filled beverages are no longer sterilized after sealing. Carbonated beverages have been produced using this method for more than 20 years. Carbonation at room temperature can reduce beverage costs and is beneficial to the environment. The nitrogen-filling system for non-carbonated beverages uses pressurized or liquid nitrogen dripping methods to infuse liquid nitrogen (an inert gas) into aluminum cans or PET bottles as they are being formed, allowing two-piece aluminum cans and PET bottles to be used for non-carbonated beverages such as juice drinks, while protecting the contents and minimizing nutrient loss. Currently, PET-bottled tea drinks typically use hot-filling methods. To lower the filling temperature, enhance the flavor of tea drinks, and ensure product hygiene and safety, PET resin molding has been developed to utilize 130°C steam sterilization and specialized aseptic filling and packaging machines. At the same time, aseptic packaging technology for two-piece thin-walled cans of low-acid beverages, such as iced coffee, is being developed to enable aseptic packaging of thin-walled cans.
Selection of the filling method and the quantitative method
Filling Method
Due to the varying physical and chemical properties of liquid materials, different filling requirements apply during the filling process. The following methods are commonly used to fill liquid materials from liquid storage tanks into packaging containers.
(1) Normal-pressure filling
In normal-pressure filling, the liquid’s own weight is used directly to cause it to flow into the packaging container under atmospheric pressure. The normal-pressure filling process is as follows:
1) Liquid inlet and outlet: Liquid enters the tank, and at the same time, the air in the tank is evacuated.
2) Stop filling: When the liquid in the container reaches the required amount, the filling process stops.
3) Drain residual fluid: Drain the residual fluid from the air pipe. This procedure is required for systems that vent air into the upper air chamber of the fluid reservoir. Normal-pressure filling is primarily used for filling low-viscosity, gas-free fluids.
(2) Isobaric filling
In isobaric filling, compressed air is used in the upper air chamber of the liquid storage tank to inflate the packaging container, so that the pressure is nearly equalized and the liquid then flows into the container under its own weight.
The isobaric filling process proceeds as follows:
1) equal pressure
2) Liquid Inlet and Gas Recirculation
3) Stop giving fluids
4) Release the pressure.
Isobaric filling is suitable for filling carbonated beverages such as beer, lemonade, etc., to minimize the loss of carbonation.
(3) Vacuum filling
Vacuum filling is the process of filling under conditions below atmospheric pressure. There are two basic methods: One is differential pressure vacuum, which maintains the liquid container at normal pressure and evacuates only the interior of the packaging container to create a specific vacuum. The liquid flows into the packaging container due to the pressure difference between the two containers. The other is the gravity vacuum, which maintains the liquid container and the packaging container in a nearly uniform vacuum state. The liquid flows into the container due to its own weight. Differential pressure vacuum is currently widely used in China. It has a simple design and is reliable in operation.
The vacuum-filling process proceeds as follows:
1) Vacuum-sealing the bottle
2) Liquid Inlet and Gas Recirculation
3) Stop giving fluids
4) Return of the residual liquid.
Vacuum filling is suitable for filling high-viscosity and toxic liquids. This method not only increases the filling speed but also reduces contact and interaction between the liquid and the residual air in the container, which has a positive effect on product preservation. It can also limit the spread of toxic gases and liquids, thereby improving operating conditions. However, it is not suitable for filling alcoholic beverages that contain aromatic gases.
(4) Siphon filling
In siphon filling, the liquid is drawn into the container through the siphon tube according to the siphon principle until the liquid levels in both tubes are equal. Siphon filling is suitable for filling low-viscosity liquids that do not contain gas. It has a simple design, but the filling rate is low.
(5) Pressure filling
In pressure filling, the piston is moved back and forth using mechanical or gas-hydraulic devices to draw the high-viscosity liquid from the storage tank into the piston cylinder and then force it into the container to be filled. This method is sometimes also used for filling beverages such as soda and allows for direct filling into the bottle using the liquid’s own air pressure. When selecting a filling method, it is essential to carefully analyze not only the viscosity properties of the liquid but also the product’s process requirements as well as the design and operation of the filling system. At the same time, contact between the liquid and air must be minimized during the filling process, and the influence of residual air in the bottle neck must be eliminated.
Quantitative Methods
When measuring the quantity of liquids, the volumetric method is most commonly used; it can be broadly divided into the following three types.
(1) Quantitative Method for Liquid Level Control In the quantitative method for liquid level control, the quantitative value is determined by monitoring the liquid level in the container being filled during the filling process.
(2) Quantitative Beaker Method: In the quantitative beaker method, the liquid is first pipetted into the quantitative beaker and then topped off. If no liquid loss is taken into account, the volume of liquid added each time should correspond to the volume of the quantitative beaker.
(3) Quantitative Pump Method The quantitative pump method is a quantitative method that uses mechanical pressure filling. The volume of material filled each time is proportional to the reciprocating stroke of the piston.
When comparing the three quantitative methods mentioned above, it quickly becomes clear that the second method is directly influenced by the volumetric accuracy of the bottle and the degree to which the bottle opening is sealed. Therefore, its quantitative accuracy is low, even though it is simple in design and is still used today. When selecting a quantitative method, the accuracy required for the product must first be considered. Quantitative accuracy depends on the product; the more expensive the product, the smaller the measurement error should be. In addition, the process characteristics of the liquid itself should also be taken into account when selecting a quantitative method.
Custom Filling Machine
1. Define the scope of functions and applications
Most early filling machines had only one function, which simplified their design and contributed to their success. Combining multiple machines and processes into a single system offers significant economic advantages.
When determining the functions and scope of application of a filling machine, two aspects must be taken into account:
(1) Reliability. As a general rule, as the number of functions increases, so does the number of filling operations—and thus the probability of failure. Therefore, combining single-function filling machines into a multifunctional filling machine should only be considered if the operation is stable and reliable.
(2) AdaptabilityThe scope of application for a filling machine is limited. The more functions the machine has, the more complex its design. For this reason, multifunctional filling machines are often designed as combined units, and some of these combined components can be flexibly adapted to or supplemented for users’ varying needs.
2. Process Analysis
Process analysis is used to examine, analyze, and define the process methods for the designed packaging machines in order to ensure that the expected packaging process is carried out. Various aspects must be taken into account in this process:
Packaging Method
(1) Ensuring filling quality is a priority. Regardless of the filling method used, filling quality must be guaranteed. (2) If there are several methods to choose from, the one that is easiest to implement should be selected.
Machine Type
(1) Select the machine type based on the number of filling drives. (2) Select the machine type based on productivity.
Packaging processes, packaging technology, and number of workstations
(1) Packaging sequences refer to the order in which packaging operations are performed. The packaging method often determines the packaging sequences.
(2) Packaging process flow: includes the supply route for packaging materials and packaging items, their transport route during the packaging process, and the distribution route for the packaged products.
Motion Requirements and Mechanism SelectionAnalyze and determine the motion requirements for the actuator based on the given functions, application conditions and scope, as well as process methods, and then finalize the selection of the mechanism and its integration.
3. Overall Layout
The overall layout refers to the optimal configuration of the relative spatial positions of the relevant components of the filling machine.
(1) Arrangement of the Actuators
(2) Design of the transmission grid
(3) Regulation of Operating Conditions
(4) Selecting the Type of Support
(5) Drawing of the overall layout
4. Define the key operating parameters
The most important technical parameters of the filling machines:
- Institutional Parameters
- Motion Parameters
- Performance Parameters
- Process Parameters
5. Offer
Example: Application: Packaging of low-viscosity, non-carbonated liquid beverages (such as mineral water, soft drinks, etc.).
Packaging specifications: Bottling of mineral water/beverages.
Filling bottle specifications: Filling capacity 600 ml, diameter 60 mm. Packaging material: plastic bottle/glass bottle.
Filling capacity: >100,000 bottles/day. Filling time: <12 seconds/cycle
Design requirements: simple structure, low cost, good operational stability, easy to control.
Main technical specifications of filling machinery: (1) Filling liquid viscosity is less than 1 Pa·s (2) Filling speed: 6 times per minute (3) Container size range: height 20 mm–200 mm, cross-sectional diameter <70 mm (4) System pressure: 0.5–3 MPa
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