Machine selection GUIDE 23
How to Choose a Filling Machine: Product, Packaging and Line Output
Select a filling machine around the product, container and finished line output. Compare volumetric and flowmeter options with a practical acceptance checklist.
A filling machine should be selected against both the product and its container. Products with pieces, free-flowing liquids, small jars and larger pails require different questions. FRUMAK distinguishes volumetric and flowmeter-based options, including an important limitation for particulate products. Define fill quantities, packaging formats, required line output and closure arrangements in one brief. The number of nozzles should follow that requirement, with suitability checked using representative product and packaging.
Filling turns prepared product into a saleable pack. The procurement decision therefore needs to cover container handling, filling, closing and product changes together, rather than focusing only on nozzle movements per minute.
A complete product-and-packaging brief gives development, purchasing and production teams a common basis for evaluating the proposed equipment.
1. Build a product and packaging matrix
For every product, record container material, intended quantity, neck dimensions, body shape and closure type. A photograph may not provide enough information: agree whether drawings and physical samples are needed. Containers with the same nominal volume should not automatically be assumed to behave identically during handling.
Describe the product as it reaches the filler, including pieces, flow behaviour and the intended filling condition. Any numerical operating limits should be established by the responsible technical team for that product. If the range may expand, distinguish current requirements from future formats that have not yet been assessed.
2. Understand the proposed filling principle
FRUMAK describes its linear filling equipment in volumetric and flowmeter-based groups. Its published explanation associates the volumetric option with piston-controlled filling and the ability to handle products containing pieces. The flowmeter option is not presented as suitable for particulate products. Share a real sample before drawing conclusions from the equipment name.
Also establish the minimum and maximum quantity, container range and conditions behind any accuracy statement. General descriptive language does not replace numerical project acceptance criteria. Agree the measurement method and sampling plan rather than inventing an accuracy guarantee from a brochure.
| Requirement | Technical discussion | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| Product with pieces | Suitability of the volumetric option | Representative product trial |
| Fluid or viscous product | Comparison under the intended conditions | Recorded fill measurements |
| Wide quantity range | Minimum and maximum operating limits | Trials at both ends |
| Several containers | Format parts and adjustments | Changeover with actual samples |
| Different closures | Scope of the closing equipment | Container and closure matching |
3. Derive nozzle requirements from finished output
Nozzle count alone does not establish the number of acceptable packs leaving the line. Feeding, filling time, container movement and downstream closing all need to be considered. Several nozzle options in a catalogue should not be interpreted as a promise of a proportional speed increase for every product.
Illustrative example only: a daily requirement of 4,800 packs within six net production hours means an average of 800 accepted packs per hour at line exit. This is not a capacity claim for any model. Explain how changeovers, rejected packs and interruptions are handled before comparing the requirement with a machine rating.
4. Include closing and product transitions
FRUMAK describes project-specific closing solutions for different container and lid types. Treating closure selection as a late addition can introduce new layout and line-balance questions. Establish how containers leave the filler and reach the next station before freezing the equipment scope.
Ask which parts are removed during a changeover, what access is needed and how settings are recorded. List required tools, format parts and operator training in the quotation. The speed achieved during one long run cannot, on its own, describe the daily output of a factory that changes products frequently.
5. Make the filling trial measurable
Prepare representative packaging and enough product for the agreed trial. Establish the observation period, how individual nozzles will be checked and which measurement equipment will be used. Request a sequence of recorded observations rather than a video showing a single successful fill.
Treat quantity measurement, container condition, closure application and format changeover as separate acceptance topics. If a result falls outside the agreed criteria, record the proposed adjustment and repeat-test plan. This evidence makes practical differences between quotations visible.
- Can both the smallest and largest intended containers be tested?
- Are measurements traceable to individual nozzles?
- Is time to the first accepted pack after changeover recorded?
KEY POINTS
Before requesting a quotation
- Evaluate product and packaging as a matched requirement.
- Plan accepted finished packs rather than nozzle count alone.
- Test filling, closing and format changeover together.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
Is FRUMAK's flowmeter option suitable for jam containing pieces?+
Its current product description does not present that option as suitable for particulate products. Share the actual recipe and assess the volumetric option through the project-specific technical review.
Do more nozzles always mean higher finished output?+
No. Feeding, fill time, container handling and closing can limit the result. Compare alternatives under the same product, quantity and packaging conditions.
What should be included in a filling-machine enquiry?+
Provide the product matrix, container drawings and samples, fill range, shift target, closure types, site information and expected changeover frequency. Include the proposed acceptance criteria before final price comparison.
Sources and product information
The following pages document product specifications and equipment scope. Capacity, product suitability and the final supply scope need to be agreed in a project-specific proposal.
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