Filling Machines for Personal Care Products

The category of personal care products actually covers a vast number of different items.  From soothing salves and skin lotions to toothpaste and mouthwash, shaving cream, liquid soap and shampoos, personal care products could probably be broken down into dozens of subcategories.  Unfortunately, the variety of products also means that no single liquid filling machine will work for every personal care product.  Instead, the type of filling machine used will depend on the unique characteristics of the individual product.

 

Almost every filler type can be utilized in the personal care industry.  Some thin products will take advantage of the overflow filler principle.  Others will use a simple gravity filler time-based principle.  Thicker products such as shampoos and conditioners will use a time-based or pulse-based pump filler to package product.  Other products high on the viscosity chart, like toothpastes or some gels, may require a piston filler to get the job done.  

 

In addition to the filling principle used, each of these packaging machines can be manufactured to handle different production levels.  Tabletop filling machines can be built using any of the filling principles discussed above and will normally come equipped with one to four fill heads.  These tabletop fillers are ideal for smaller facilities with limited packaging space.  They will require manual labor to place the bottles under the fill heads and start the fill cycle, usually accomplished via a foot or finger switch.  Tabletop filling equipment will likely increase efficiency over hand filling individual bottles or containers and will definitely add consistency to the filling process.  These fillers are also ideal for larger companies that do small, special run products, such as holiday themed bottles and containers.

 

Semi-automatic liquid fillers can also be manufactured to use any of the filling principles we have mentioned.  These machines are often built with the same frame as would be found on an automatic filling machine.  By manufacturing semi-automatic fillers and automatic fillers on the same frame, customers can upgrade their filling equipment as their production levels increase without having to purchase completely new equipment.  Semi-automatic machines will still require some manual labor, but will normally see a larger number of fill heads and may include simple indexing systems.  

 

Of course, automatic liquid filling machines are the most efficient and most popular filling machines.  Not only do these fillers handle a large range of production demands, but can start with as few as two fill heads and easily be upgraded to as many as sixteen heads.  These machines are made to run fill cycles continuously and are most likely to be seen in facilities with high production demands.  Automatic liquid fillers offer a wide range of options and normally include a simple to use, touchscreen operator interface.  A number of different indexing systems are available to move containers in and out of the fill area via power conveyor.  

 

For personal care products, choosing a filling principle based on your product and deciphering your current, and likely future, production needs will point you directly to the filling machine best suited for your particular project.  From there, necessary or desired options can be added to make the packaging of the product efficient, reliable, consistent and appealing to the end user.

 

For more information on filling principles, filling machines and other packaging machinery, browse our website or contact our offices today!