The methods and equipment used to fill bottles vary with each application in which they are used. In some cases, the filling machines are simple in design, construction, and operation. In other cases, the equipment is more complicated, operate at fast speeds, and handle many different sizes and shapes of bottles. One of the most important aspects in choosing the right filling equipment is the product being placed in the container.

Bottle Filling Considerations

There are many different types of bottles and liquid products that fill them. Each bottle and its product can mean special requirements. The containers to be filled may vary in size from small vials holding a fraction of an ounce to bottles or cans holding up to five gallons. In addition to having different sizes, the containers may be made of metal, paper, glass, or plastic. The consistency or viscosity of the product can be as thin as alcohol or as thick as hand lotion or shampoo.

In most bottle filling applications, liquid and semi liquid products are placed in the containers by one of two methods: volumetric or constant-level filling. In other applications, filling by weight is preferred. When the containers hold more than five gallons, filling by weight is usually more accurate.

The liquid filling processes, described here, includes those for filling still (natural or uncorroborated) liquids and some of the carbonated liquids. Although carbonated liquid filling machines use the constant-level filling method, they fill the containers under a counter pressure to reduce foaming. The type of filling used is determined by the particular application. However, some of the filling methods (gravity, vacuum, pressure, and combinations of these) are used for both volumetric and constant-level machines