Automated Packaging Systems for Thin and Thick Products
A click on Complete Turnkey Solutions on the Liquid Packaging Solutions website will bring up packaging systems for a number of different products or industries. There are both semi-automatic and automatic solutions for bottled water, honey, pharmaceuticals and many other items. Some of these solutions will include different lines for thin and thick products within the same industry. For example, Personal Care and Household products can range from water-like cleaners to thicker shampoos and conditioners or even highly viscous gels and pastes. Foods and beverages may include free-flowing drinks or thick sauces. So why are different systems necessary for both thin and thick products?
Generally speaking, it is all about the filling machine. Though turnkey systems may include solutions for rinsing, capping, conveying and more, ss we have mentioned many times before, different liquid fillers provide solutions for different products, based in part on the viscosity of the products. While exceptions definitely apply, overflow and gravity filling machines tend to be ideal solutions for thin, free-flowing liquids. Pump and piston fillers, on the other hand, are better suited to handle thick, viscous products that may need a little assistance with their flow.
Of course, product viscosity is not the only factor that is taken into account when choosing the correct bottle filler. Among other considerations, different fill principles, such as filling to a level, filling by volume or even filling by weight will also be taken into account. However, product viscosity alone can, in some circumstances, eliminate a certain type of filler from the choices available. While a very thick sauce or hair gel could theoretically be run on a gravity filler, the amount of time it would take to complete a single cycle simply removes all efficiency from such a solution.
So the Complete Turnkey Solutions actually offer a starting point, with the inclusion of filling machine most typically found for the specific items in the system. From this point, machinery can be added, removed, modified, customized or otherwise changed to find the ideal solution for the specific project at hand. These turnkey solutions also offer packagers the opportunity to get budgetary quotes on automated systems, which is often the starting point for such projects.
To learn more about turnkey packaging systems and all of the solutions for a particular product or industry, contact a Packaging Specialist at LPS today, or browse the website to see examples of conveyor systems, rinsing machines, liquid fillers, capping machines and more.