The Benefits of Using a Hot Liquid Filling Machine

Filling liquids at a high temperature can present a challenge to packagers, but where necessary, hot fills offer benefits to meet the needs of different products. The process may include a heated product pathway, from the tank, through other components like a manifold, tubing, and nozzles. But what are the benefits of a hot fill, and why would a packager need to use a hot liquid filling machine?

Some liquid products are simply prepared hot, especially in the Food and Beverage Industry, such as juices, sauces, vinegars, and other items. These products may be pulled into the filler at a raised temperature and reach the containers at a hot temperature as well. Packaging foods, beverages, and other items hot can help control or kill bacteria that can be detrimental to the products. The increased temperature helps to extend the shelf life by killing the bacteria and sealing the product in the container. This allows some products to be stored at room temperature for an extended period of time until opened. In addition, the process of using a hot liquid filling machine can diminish or completely remove the need to add preservatives to a product to extend the product life.

A hot fill liquid machine can also help packagers in other industries as well. Candles, deodorant, lip stick, lip balm, and other products sold as solids can be heated, or melted, to allow the fill to occur while the items are in liquid form. Where products using a hot fill may or may not use a product pathway, molten products will almost always include a heated tank along with heated components along the entire product pathway to ensure the products remain in liquid form throughout the filling process. The heated product pathway helps to protect against clogged tubes, nozzles or other components. Typically, once filled, molten products are given extended time to solidify while on a serpentine or straight line cooling conveyor, before moving on to be capped or sealed, labeled or otherwise packaged for the consumer.

While the two scenarios above are the most common projects that would use a hot fill, other situations may exist where a packager would benefit from such a process. At Liquid Packaging Solutions, hot filling can be accomplished with any type of liquid filling machine, depending on different factors such as the product itself, the speed desired, the space available, and any number of other unique characteristics of the filling project. Piston, pump, and gravity fillers can package hot liquids by volume, while overflow fillers will reach a specific level in each container, and other filling machines can prepare products by net weight. To learn more about hot liquid filling machines, call LPS to get answers and discuss your own project with a Filling Specialist.