Packaging Liquid Products - Thick, Thin and More

While some of the equipment manufactured by Liquid Packaging Solutions may be used for non-liquid products - such as turntables, conveyors and nitrogen purge systems - most of the machinery built at the LaPorte, Indiana plant will help to prepare liquid products for the end user. These liquids range from water and water-like substances to oils, gels, pastes and more. Some products may even be turned to liquid in order to complete the packaging, but will be marketed and sold as solids, such as candles and lip gloss. But from thick to thin to molten products, LPS builds equipment to prepare them all.

Filling machinery is affected more than any other type of packaging equipment by the type of liquid being prepared for consumers, as it is the filling machine that will move the product to the bottles. Different filling machines will be used for different products, often based on the viscosity of the liquids. Overflow and gravity filling machines will often be used for free-flowing liquids, while pump and piston fillers will be seen more often when dealing with thicker, higher viscosity products, though exceptions always exist. For molten products, filling machinery will be modified to ensure liquids stay at a high enough temperature to remain in a liquid state throughout the filling process. Other modifications may be made for unique products, such as products that contain particulates like sauces and dressings.

Other common equipment used for packaging liquids include rinsing and capping machines. However, these two types of machines rely less on the liquid and more on other components. Rinsing machines will work with bottles prior to receiving the product, ensuring that dust and other debris do not contaminate the finished product. Therefore, the type of rinsing machine used on any given project depends more on the bottles than the liquid being filled.

The same is true for capping machinery as the fill portion of the packaging process is likely already completed once the product reaches the capper. Capping machines can be chosen based on the type of closure being used for any project, rather than the liquid product being prepared. Chuck and spindle cappers handle screw-on, continuous thread type caps, while ROPP cappers will be used for roll-on pilfer proof caps. Machinery also exists for cork and cork-like closures, snap caps and more.

While each project, and each liquid, will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis, the equipment most likely to change based on the actual liquid is the filling machine. Additional equipment or modifications may be made to all of the equipment based on other features of the liquid, such as when liquids are filled hot, are corrosive, contain particulate or some other unique characteristic, but regardless of the liquid or its characteristics, LPS can help packagers find the ideal solution for preparing products for the end user.