Customizing Your LPS Packaging Machinery

Click on any product on Liquid Packaging Solutions website and you will see the Standard Features of that specific machine. These features, with some exceptions, will be on every overflow filler or spindle capper or nitrogen purge system or other machine that is manufactured by the La Porte, Indiana business. A separate tab on each product is titled options, which are generally non-standard features that can be added to the machine to customize and personalize it for each packager's project.

While a packaging machine can be completely custom manufactured, from concept to engineering to manufacturing and actually running production, customization of a machine most often comes from the addition of the options found on the product pages. The options included on any given machine will depend on the product used, the container used, types of closures used, simple packager desire and a host of other factors. In this way, and because each machine is manufactured for the individual packagers project, every machine built by LPS is a custom packaging machine! As an example, let's look at a couple different packaging machines.

The Automatic Overflow Filler lists a number of different options on the product page. While not all containers will require additional stabilization, bottle grabbers, or neck grabbers, may be added to a machine where long, thin necks or tapered bottles are being filled to help position and steady the containers under the fill nozzles. All liquids, including harsh chemicals, need to be packaged. In most cases, stainless steel construction will allow the machinery to provide consistent, reliable and long-term filling. But when acids, bleaches and other liquids are bottled, corrosion resistant construction is really a necessary option for the overflow filler, using HDPE to replace the stainless steel and ensure a long productive life for the equipment. In other cases, products may contain particulates, such as chunks of fruit in yogurts or vegetables and spices in sauces and salad dressings. In these situations, an optional agitator or mixer may be added to the tank to ensure particulates do not settle to the bottom. In certain circumstances, all of the other options on the Automatic Overflow filler page may also be added to ensure the best, and most efficient, solution for the particular packaging job at hand.

A quick look at the Automatic Spindle Capper shows that while different types of machines may have different options, they actually perform some of the same functions. The neck grabbers described above on the overflow filler helped to add stability to the process of filling. On the spindle capper, each capping machine uses gripper belts to stabilize bottles during the capping process. However, dual gripper belts are an option that can be added to the machine where containers are tall or oddly shaped to increase bottle stability. While HDPE may not need to be used as a construction material for capping machines, the equipment can be manufactured for hazardous locations, for liquids that may have harmful or flammable fumes. Regardless of the machine or the option required, modifications will often be made to accommodate odd bottles, products, caps or other components of the process.

Again, completely custom machinery will always be available from LPS, but the most common type of customization is making changes or additions to standard machinery to provide the best solution for the particular bottle, product, cap, seal or other component of a packagers project.