Are Specific Capping Machines Built For Specific Industries?

On occasion at Liquid Packaging Solutions, requests are received for a capping machine for a specific industry. For example, a packager may ask for a capping machine for bottled water. Depending on the industry, LPS Packaging Specialists may know, or have a good idea, of what type of machine someone is looking to acquire. But in reality, capping machines are built for the closure used on a bottle or container rather than the industry to which the product belongs.

To illustrate this point, let's start with the request mentioned above, assuming a packager is looking for a capping machine for bottled water. The image that most people associate with the term bottled water is a single serving, 16.9 ounce clear plastic bottle with a flat, screw-on type cap. Almost anyone packaging bottled water is probably going to use a spindle capper on their packaging line to tighten these caps. But let's assume, instead, the packager requested a capping machine for another type of beverage - distilled spirits. A single image, like that 16.9 ounce bottled water, is less likely to occur to a large number of people when speaking of distilled spirits. Some may imagine a 750 ml bottle with a cork. Others may envision a jug or even a flask type container, using a screw-on or aluminum ROPP cap. The same can be said for other industries, such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals or household products. These terms do not project a single product, but rather a wide variety of possible bottle and cap combinations. So while specific capping machines may be more prominent in specific industries, a number of different capping machines can be seen in every industry.

Even returning to the bottled water example, our Packaging Specialist would have made a few assumptions in arriving at the conclusion that the packager wanted a spindle capper. First, the assumption would need to be made that the packaging line was an automatic line. Many smaller producers of private label or regional brands may use semi-automatic or tabletop capping machinery to prepare their product. At the semi-automatic level, a chuck capper will often be a better option than a spindle capper. Second, though a majority of bottled water may be 16.9 ounce clear plastic bottles, this is by far not the only container used for packaging water. To find the correct bottle capper, the Packaging Specialist would also need to see the containers and caps being used for any given project, as unique products and projects exist in every industry as well.

So while knowing an industry can begin to set the course in the search for the correct capping equipment, no piece of capping machinery is produced specifically for a single industry. To learn more about bottle capping machines and the different options available, or to find the ideal machine for your own project, browse the capping machinery section of the LPS website or call to speak with a Packaging Specialist at LPS today.