A liquid packing machine effectively fills liquid products such as oil, water, shampoo, etc., into plastic packaging. It is typically custom-built for the product being packed. Each production has its unique set of considerations and variables, but a few must always be considered. Take a closer look at some of these more common factors:
1. Liquid Viscosity
Some liquid packing machines are made to fill thick liquids, while others are made to fill thin liquids. Other units can handle both thick and thin liquids. Understand how thick the liquid you want to pack is and ensure the machine can handle it. For instance, an overflow liquid filler might be the best choice for a liquid like water that flows easily. But that same machine might not be able to handle a thick liquid like honey well. On the other hand, a pump or piston filler will work well for more viscous liquids. The manufacturer and the buyer must consider the product’s viscosity when making a liquid packaging machine.
2. Production Needs
How many bags or bottles must a packaging machine fill to keep up with the demand for production? Based on this question, you’ll have to decide how much automation you want to add to your machine. If you only need to make a few hundred packages per week, you might want to look into a semi-automatic or tabletop filling machine. But if you need more in the future, you can always add automatic fill heads to these two machines and improve them. But in some cases, even packagers whose production needs are not very high may want an automatic packaging machine if they expect their production needs to go up quickly and significantly. When choosing the best liquid filling machine, packagers need to consider both the current demand and the growth they expect in the future.
3. Filling Principle
You must also decide which filling method to use for the liquid, depending on how thick the product is. For instance, some packagers may want to use an overflow liquid filler to fill every bottle or bag to the same level, even if the amount of liquid inside each bottle or bag is slightly different. These liquid packaging machines are a good choice if you want to make your product look better and fill the liquid in clear bottles. On the other hand, some packagers use pistons or gravity liquid fillers to fill their products by volume. Every bottle gets the same amount of filler, but the fill level may differ from one bottle to the next. Several other fill principles exist, and more than one may work for a given project. Other parts of the production may be considered in these situations to choose the best fill principle.
4. Packing Weight
The weight of the packaging may determine which liquid packing machine you require. A liquid pouch packaging machine, for example, is ideal for small bags. When the packaging weight is high, vertical liquid packaging machines and rotary liquid packing machines are used.
5. Packaging Needs
Choose your automatic liquid packing machine based on your needs, such as whether to pack liquids in bottles or bags.
6. Cleaning and Changeover
Changeover and cleaning are important factors when buying a liquid packaging machine. Some machines for packaging liquids are flexible to changeover and easy to clean, while others need more care and are hard to clean. At the same time, others need to be taken apart so that all parts can be thoroughly cleaned and prepared for a new product. Installing a clean-in-place (CIP) system in the PLC and man-machine interface can make cleaning most machines simple, quick, and easy. This saves time and money as you don’t have to take the liquid packaging equipment for cleaning.