The Evolution of Filling Machines - And a Look at the Future

Filling machines are mainly used for packaging food, beverages, capsules, tablets and other similar products. There are several types of filler machines, including agitator filler machines generally used for dry products such as flour or sugar; flow filler machines generally used for liquids, oils and thin food products; tablet filling machines that are generally used for small bottles, tablets or candy; and positive displacement pump fillers that are more versatile and can be used to package creams, gels and lotions.

Over the years, the type and quality of fill machines has drastically evolved. Low-quality filler machines can be quite troublesome and can result in spillage and dripping. There are some filling containers that are awkwardly shaped and are difficult to use. High-quality filler machines, meanwhile, are easier to handle, more efficient and are designed to package the different items more effectively.

Filler machines available today have the ability to package a wide variety of products, such as liquids, pastes, powders, tablets, granules, capsules and others. Not only can manufacturers find semi-automatic tabletop versions but they also have access to high speed production line machines and rotary fillers.

Almost every industry uses filling machines, like food, pharmaceutical, oil, chemical, petroleum and consumer goods. The most important benefit of filling machines is that they provide manufacturers an efficient method to deliver their product to the end-user. Filling machines are also useful since they help streamline the product filling task and reduce the time that is spent on packaging the product. The new and advanced filling machines also help reduce the labor that would be required to pack the products.

Filling machines are thus an important piece of equipment for manufacturers as they provide them an efficient and rapid filling and packaging tool. They are also necessary to deliver the product in its intended condition to the end-user.

It won't stop here, though. At a recent Pack Expo Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, large crowds made up of attendees, brand executives and booth attendants gathered fast to witness the FR-3, considered to be the world's fastest liquid pouch filler. Representatives from T.H.E.M. demonstrated the machine at fill speeds of more than 300 cycles per minute, according to a press release.

"Most pouch filling systems in North America are of the intermittent type, and their speed is limited," said Tom Martin, Vice President of New Business Development at T.H.E.M., in a statement. "By contrast, the FR-3 is a continuous motion machine with rotary sealing dies. An additional benefit is its ability to eliminate air and headspace from the packet."

The FR-3 comes with an array of features: lubrication-free bearings, a rotary connector, heat resistant and non-backlash gears. It can also offer various options, such as a liquid flow meter, define quantity shutter, define quantity divider and an automatic side wobble control system.

Essentially, this is just another step in the manufacturing of filling machines that will make the entire process faster, simpler, efficient and cost-effective. To show the popularity of such a machine, numerous expo attendees were interested in purchasing FR-3 units.