Capping Machinery for Cleaners & Chemicals
With a number of cleaners, chemicals, sanitizers and similar products on the shelf, there also exist a number of different ways to seal the containers used to pass those products on to consumers. For this reason, a number of different capping machines may be seen on packaging lines preparing such liquids.
Though there are many different closures used for cleaning and sanitizing products, not every cap requires its own capping machine. Equipment for sealing bottles will be manufactured to handle a variety of caps, though the capping principle will often need to be the same, meaning generally only one type of cap can be run on a machine. For example, many of the products mentioned above will use a continuous thread closure that simply screws on or off the bottle. These screw-on type caps, however, may be flat caps, flip top caps, pumps, pump or trigger sprayers or some other variety of the continuous thread closure.
Given that some variety of the screw-on type cap is the most popular closure in the cleaners and chemicals industry, the spindle capping machine is probably the most-seen machine on packaging lines that are preparing these items. The spindle capping machine using several sets of spinning disks to guide the caps down the thread and ultimately tighten the cap on to the bottle. Automatic spindle cappers provide continuous capping as the bottles travel down a power conveyor, with caps being delivered automatically as well by use of an elevator or bowl and a cap chute. While semi-automatic spindle cappers are also available, there is another capping machine that handles screw-on type closures that usually offers more efficiency for semi-automatic applications.
Chuck capping machines use a capping head, and often an insert, to descend over a cap and bottle and apply torque to spin and tighten closures down the threads. Automatic machines will often take the place of a spindle capper when smaller bottles are used in a packaging line, or when stability might be an issue. While the automatic machine is less popular than the spindle capper counterpart, chuck cappers offer a few different semi-automatic options that often add more overall efficiency than the semi-automatic spindle capper. Semi-automatic chuck cappers can be as simple as a handheld machine that the operator manually places over the cap and bottle to tighten caps. Chuck cappers can also be manufactured to sit on a tabletop, allowing an operator to simply place a bottle and cap under the capping head to allow for the tightening to occur, offering a quick, easy, reliable and repeatable way for smaller companies to confidently seal bottles.
Most cleaners and chemicals will use some type of continuous thread closure, meaning most lines will include either a spindle or chuck capping machine. With literally thousands of products making up the industry, however, other capping machines may be seen for some projects. Snap cappers or corking machines can also be built for large and small companies, to process product either automatically or semi-automatically. As noted above, usually capping machines are built for the type of cap used, though different varieties of the cap may be run on the machine. In some cases, cap types can be combined. For example, a company running both screw-on and snap caps may be able to combine their capping by using a custom spindle/snap capping machine. Custom capping machinery can always be engineered for unusual or unique capping processes.
LPS does more than manufacture capping machinery! If you have a packaging project for cleaners, chemicals or any other liquid project, LPS can help load, rinse, fill, cap and otherwise prepare that product for the shelf! By combining manufacturing with integration, LPS can provide complete packaging solutions for businesses large and small.