Bottle Beverage Machines

Bottle and beverage fillers can be rotary or inline, intermittent, or continuous motion. Intermittent-motion fillers stop the bottle during filling and are commonly used for speeds up to 200-300 ppm on smaller container sizes. For higher speeds, especially on larger container sizes, continuous-motion fillers will usually be more appropriate.

Frain Can help with your bottled beverage liquid filling project. From individual bottle filling machines and equipment to complete lines, call us today to discuss your liquid filling project.

Speed BPM = Bottles Per Minute

In theory most fillers can be used to fill most beverages. In reality, many beverages are carbonated and need to be filled using a counter-pressure filler. Typical products include beer, sparkling wine, soft drinks and soda water.

Counter-pressure fillers are often level fillers, filling to a specific level in the can or bottle rather than dispensing a specific volume. Product volume is determined by the container’s internal volume and fill level. Volumetric counterpressure fillers are also used which measure the volume of product independently of the container prior to filling. This provides more precise fill accuracy than level filling.

Counter-pressure fillers may be inline and intermittent motion for small scale production such as craft breweries. More commonly they are continuous motion rotary machines. Rotary machines may have as few as a dozen to as many as 190 filling stations. Turrets may be as large as 18’ in diameter. The large number of nozzles allows a fairly low  turret rotational speed and a long filling cycle while still achieving high output. A 190 head filler running at 15rpm would fill 2,850 containers per minute. (171,000cph)

Rotary fillers have a pressurized product reservoir mounted above the turret. The tank is automatically kept at a constant product level. Larger fillers may use a ring or donut instead of a bowl style tank. The Donut minimizes the amount of product in the system as well as the effects of centrifugal force. Filling nozzles are mounted in the bottom of the tank or donut.

Counter-pressure filling is a 6 step process. All steps take place on the same nozzle.

1. The bottle (or can) is positioned under the fill nozzle. The nozzles are lowered or the bottle raised to form a gas tight seal between nozzle and bottle.

2. The bottle is flushed with vacuum and CO2 to all air. For products that are highly oxygen sensitive such as beer, multiple cycles may be used.

3. At the end of the evacuation cycle, the bottle is pressurized with CO2 to match the pressure in the reservoir.

4. The equalized pressure allows controlled product flow with minimal foaming from the reservoir into the bottle. CO2 in the bottle vents back to the reservoir. Product level is controlled by how far the filling nozzle enters the bottle or by the external volumetric system.

5. When filling is complete, the pressure in the bottle is relieved to atmospheric pressure

6. After product flow has stopped, the bottle is lowered, or the nozzle raised and the bottle exits the filler to capping, crowning or seaming.

A minimal amount of foaming and CO2 release will occur between the end of filling and capping. This is actually desirable since the release of CO2 means that no air will enter the bottle before closing.

See also:  Complete Liquid Bottling Line