TYPES OF FILLING MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS IN GLASS
1. Rotary Filling Machine
How it works: The bottles move around a rotating carousel, passing through filling stations.
Advantages: High speed, ideal for high production lines.
Applications: Beverages (beer, soft drinks, juice), cosmetics, large-scale pharmaceutical products.
2. Linear Filling Machine
How it works: The bottles advance in a straight line and stop under the filling nozzles.
Advantages: Greater flexibility for different bottle formats, lower initial cost.
Applications: Food products (sauces, oils), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics on a smaller production scale.
LIQUID FILLING METHODS
1. Gravity Filling
How it works: The liquid is stored in a reservoir above the bottles. Filling occurs due to the force of gravity.
Recommended for: Liquids with low to medium viscosity without gas (e.g. juices, wines, mineral water).
Using industries: Food, wine, pharmaceutical (simple syrups).
2. Gravity Filling with Vacuum Assist
How it works: In addition to gravity, air is sucked from inside the bottle, facilitating filling and reducing foam and oxidation.
Advantages: Prevents the formation of bubbles, improves filling time, ideal for glass bottles.
Recommended for: Liquids sensitive to oxidation (wines, olive oils, some cosmetics).
Using industries: Wine, premium food, pharmaceutical.
3. Isobaric (Pressurized) Filling
How it works: The liquid is filled under pressure equal to that of the bottle, to prevent foam formation and loss of carbon dioxide.
Recommended for: Carbonated or carbonated beverages (beer, soft drinks, sparkling water).
Process:
Pressurization of the bottle with CO₂ gas.
Transfer of the liquid with the same pressure as the tank.
Controlled depressurization at the end.
User industries: Breweries, soft drink manufacturers, carbonated beverages.
EXAMPLES OF PRODUCTS BY TYPE OF PACKAGING
Product Type of Filler Filling Method Craft Beer Rotary or Linear Isobaric Wine Rotary or Linear Gravity or Gravity with vacuum Soft drink in glass Rotary Isobaric Still water Rotary or Linear Gravity Olive oil Linear Gravity with vacuum assistance Syrups essences Linear Gravity or by vacuum
COMPARISON TABLE – TYPES OF PACKAGING MACHINES AND PACKAGING METHODS
Criteria Rotary Filler Linear Filler Production volume High (10,000+ bottles/hour) Medium to low (up to 3,000 bottles/hour) Physical space Larger Smaller Flexibility Smaller (more difficult to change formats) Larger (easy adjustment to different bottles) Initial cost Higher More affordable Maintenance More complex More simple Target industry Large-scale beverages Cosmetics, sauces, wines, pharmaceuticals
COMPARISON – FILLING METHODS
Method Ideal Principle for Typical Products
Gravity Gravity moves the liquid Still liquids, low viscosity Water, wines, juices
Gravity + Vacuum Suggestion of vacuum + gravity Products sensitive to oxidation Olive oil, fine wines, cosmetics Isobaric (pressurized) Equal pressure in tank and bottles Carbonated beverages Beer, soft drinks, sparkling water
SIMPLE FLOWCHART – FILLING PROCESSES
HOME ↓ Sanitized glass bottles ↓ Choosing the type of filling machine ┌─────────────────────┐ ↓ ↓ Rotary Filler Linear Filler ↓ ↓ Choosing the filling method Choosing the filling method ┌────────────┐ ┌───────┴─────┐ ↓ ↓ ↓ Gravity Isobaric Gravity Gravity + Vacuum ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ Bottle filling (depending on method) ↓ Level / weight control ↓ Closing (caps, corks) ↓ Final inspection ↓ OUTPUT |