PET Bottle Filling Machine

Contents:
1.What is PET bottle filling machine?
2.PET characteristic
3.PET bottle filling machine parameters
4.PET bottle filling process
   4.1 Configuration
   4.2 Structure
   4.3 Transferring
   4.4 Filling
   4.5 Capping
   4.6 Format change-over
   4.7 Cleaning
   4.8 HMI
5.PET bottle filling line set-up
6.How to order PET bottle filling machine?

PET bottle filling machine is a kind of filling machine that uses PET bottles as containers to fill substances into them. It is commonly used for packaging liquids such as water, flavored drinks, carbonated drinks, condiments, edible oils, and more. PET bottle filling is generally done through non-pressure filling machines (such as for water, juice, and milk) or negative pressure volumetric filling machines. The working principle of the volumetric filling machine for CO2-containing drinks in plastic bottles is the same as that of the volumetric filling machine for easy-open cans. Liquid volume measurement is done in a measurement chamber, and the measured liquid can quickly flow into the bottle through the bottle wall during filling. Due to the stable liquid volume, the accuracy of filling plastic bottles can be fully guaranteed, even though the bottles may undergo some deformation under filling pressure. Quantitative filling can also be achieved using a flow meter.

PET bottles have been widely recognized and applied in various fields for their advantages such as light weight, high transparency, anti-fall, compression resistance, and impact resistance that prevent them from breaking. PET bottles have the following characteristics:

PET polyester is a colorless and transparent material with a relatively low density and high light transmittance. PET polyester bottles have a higher transparency than other plastic bottles made from different materials. PET belongs to medium barrier materials, and it has a moisture absorption ability.

PET polyester has good tensile strength and excellent abrasion resistance, and it is less affected by external temperatures.

PET polyester has excellent electrical insulation performance and is less affected by temperature, but more affected by humidity.

PET has excellent antioxidant property and can be suitable for outdoor use.

Filler valve number: from 32 to 120
Speed: from 5000 bph to 100,000 bph
Bottle range: from 150ml up to 1500ml
Efficiency: >98%

PET bottle filling process is mostly like that of the glass bottles. It often includes the following blocks.

The PET bottle filling machine is configured with or without rinser, the differences between these 2 kinds are based on the container used.

Filler + Capper

Rinser + Filler + Capper

Different types of Enclosures, including slim enclosure and wide enclosure, could be adapted to several configurations according to the level of environmental control required.

The frame is of full stainless steel structure, self-draining and slope-shaped for less bio-film build-up. It is in accordance with the requirements of hygienic design, which includes good cleanability on the floor underneath the front table.

There are usually 2 options for the driving system, standard or optional drive system.

Main modules, like carousels and front base, are driven by independent servomotors.

All modules are driven by independent servomotors. The good points of this kind of driving system are: no maintenance needed, easier and more flexiable control, and more energy-efficient.

PET bottle transferring is usually assisted by a bottle clamp mounted on the starwheel. It is distributed in pitch evenly. The starwheel is located between the blower and filler. PET bottles are directly feeded from air conveyor on the starwheel, and the bottle outfeed conveyor is set with adjustable height and lateral guides in case the bottle height and diameter have some changes.

PET bottles are usually filled accurately through the use of flow meters and filling valves. The flow meter, installed between the filling valve and the bowl, controls the filling volume, while the filling valve controls the opening and closing of the filling process.

There are usually 4 stages of the PET bottle filling operation.
-Bottle positioning
-Filling
-End filling
-Sanitation

PET bottles are transferred to the right positions under the filling valves.

Neck-handling clamps position the PET container beneath the filling valve. Once the container has been centered, the filling process starts. Thereby, the PFR valve(Proportional Flow Regulator) is opened and the product flows into the bottle at an infinitely variable speed. Once the required fill volume has been reached, the flow meter provides a signal to the PFR valve. The valve is now closed and the filling process completed. Dripping of the filling valve is prevented by a sieve in the product discharge.

When the product level gets to the right level, the filling valve closes.

After filling, clean all parts of the filling machine that come into contact with the product by means of CIP, such as internal pipes, to ensure that they are clean and free of microbiological residues.

As to the PET bottle filling process, it has certain features as follows:

With high filling accuracy, there is no product loss due to overfilling.

For a easy cleaning, there are no springs in design inside the filling valve.

There are 7 stages of the capping operation.
-Cap pick-up
-Cap centering
-PET bottle positioning under the capping head
-Capping head lowering
-Capping
-Capping head rising and PET bottle discharge
-Faulty caps rejection system

The caps are picked up from the cap feeding chute.

The cap is centered by the capping head.

The PET bottle is centered under the capping head.

The capping head is lowered by means of downward moving activated by mechanical methods or servo control.

The PET bottle is tightly capped by force of the capping head, making sure the bottle is completely sealed.

The capping head rises by means of upward moving activated by mechanical methods or servo control.

The faulty capped bottles are rejected from the filler at the outfeed.

There are 2 operational methods, including standard manually change-over and optional automatically one-touch.

Quick change of grippers for different neck sizes.

The change-over operations mentioned above are very user-friendly with minimal changing time and high precision in adjustment.

The cleaning process includes CIP(which stands for Cleaning In Place) and COP(which stands for Cleaning Out Place). CIP makes sure that, under the condition of the filler remaining as a complete unit without any dismantlement, the parts in direct contact with the product inside the filling machine are perfectly cleaned first by acid or lye solution and finally rinsed with process water. While COP ensures that the exterior parts of the filler, such as the rinser grippers(if present), filling valves, capping heads and the bottle handling parts like the starwheels and guides are well cleaned using alkaline solution of foaming agent followed by water rinsing.

It is worth mentioning that thorough cleaning and sterilisation of the PET bottle filling machine is key to ensuring that the product remains free of microbiological contamination.

HMI stands for human machine interface.

First, it is displayed with a touch screen. Second, the entry is done manually with the possibility of manual filling on each valve for testing purpose. Third, machine parameters as well as the configuration ones can be imported and exported through USB memory. Last but not the least, manual interventions can be carried out on the interface by means of visualization of the valves or motors.

Below is an example of PET bottle filling line set-up.

iBotRun offer automated manufacturing facilities help customer solve and reduce labor cost, increase work efficiency, create huge wealth.
If you are interested in our PET bottle filling machine or have any questions, please write an e-mail to info@ibotrun.com, we will reply to you as soon as possible.