Chuck Cappers - Hand-held to Automatic Capping Equipment

Maybe more than any other capping machine, chuck capping equipment provides options for packagers from small to large. Chuck cappers can be manufactured to be as simple as a hand-held machine allowing an operator to manually tighten screw-on type closures. They can also be built for higher speed packaging projects as part of an automatic packaging system. In between these two extremes exist other options for just about anyone tightening continuous thread caps.

Chuck capping machines use a chuck, and sometimes a chuck insert, to descend on to a bottle and cap and apply torque to tighten that cap. In general terms, semi-automatic machines require an operator to place the cap onto the bottle before the tightening begins. Automatic chuck capping machines will include a cap delivery system that allows the operator to simply supply bulk caps while the machine places and tightens the closures. Below are a few examples of the different types of chuck cappers.

HAND-HELD CHUCK CAPPER

Hand-held chuck cappers allow a single operator to consistently and reliably tighten caps. The operator of the machine will place the cap on the bottle and then hand place the chuck over the cap, allowing the tightening process to occur. While simple machines, they allow for capping in different locations while removing obstacles such as loose caps, operator fatigue or repetitive motion injuries that may occur during hand tightening bottles.

TABLETOP CHUCK CAPPER

The tabletop chuck capper is another small footprint option for smaller packagers. As the name suggests, this bottle capper can sit on just about any tabletop for the tightening process. The operator once again places the cap, but then slides the cap and bottle into a positioning nest to allow the capper to complete the work. Once in the nest, the chuck descends and tightens the closure, after which the operator can remove the sealed bottle. Like the hand-held capper, the tabletop variety can add consistency and reliability to the process while protecting against the same issues that may come from hand capping containers.

AUTOMATIC CHUCK CAPPER

The automatic version of the capping machine allows for greater speed, making the machine ideal for medium to high demand products. This capping machine will typically use a cap delivery system to deliver caps to a chute. As bottles pass by the chute, one cap will be released and placed on the container for tightening. An indexing system, such as a starwheel, will be used to correctly place the bottles under the tightening heads, at which time the chuck will descend and complete the tightening of the cap. The automatic machine may use multiple capping heads to tighten more than one closure each cycle, and this equipment is usually seen as a part of an automated packaging line. Once tightened, the bottles will likely continue down a conveyor for labeling or other packaging processes.

While Liquid Packaging Solutions produces a number of different capping machines for both high and low production demand, the chuck capper is seen all along production lines. Browse the Capping Machinery section of the LPS website to learn more about all of the tightening and sealing equipment offered by LPS or call a Packaging Specialist to discuss your own capping needs today.