Automatic Packaging Lines for Household Products
The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning household products or household goods may be items such as furniture, appliances and other items that fill up the inside of the home. At LPS, when we discuss household goods, we take that definition one level deeper to include many smaller items as well. Household products includes a wide range of items that may very well overlap with other industries. For example, cleaners and chemicals may be used in a household to care for those appliances and pieces of furniture. Aromatic products such as candles, scented wax or oils may also be used in a home. Even personal care products may be lumped in to the household products category as many of us use liquid soap, toothpaste, shampoo and hair care products primarily in the home. For the simple reason that so many items exist in the household products category, the packaging solutions can vary greatly from product to product.
Filling Machines
As products range from thin, free-flowing liquids to thicker items like gels and pastes to molten products such as wax, many different varieties of filling machines will be used in the industry. Automatic fillers may use an overflow principle to ensure a level fill on each container or a volumetric filling principle such as a pump, piston or gravity filler to ensure the proper amount of product enters each container. Other custom fillers may also be used to fill by net weight, to create and seal a pouch and virtually any other method that can be imagined to get product to the container. Almost all of the automatic filling machines for household products will include an easy to use, touchscreen operator interface to set machine functions such as indexing times and fill times, and to assist in changeover from one product or container to another.
Capping Machines
Just like any other industry, items that fall into the household products category will use a capping machine fit for the type of closure used on the products. Given that range of household products, a number of different machines will once again be found for capping and sealing in this industry. However, the most popular capping machines are those that secure screw-on type caps. Screw-on closures may take the form of trigger sprayers found on some cleaning liquids, flip tops found on shampoos and conditioners or even the simple, small caps found on tubes of toothpaste. Both spindle capping machines and chuck cappers can be used to secure screw-on type closures. These automatic machines will use a cap delivery system such as a cap elevator or a vibratory bowl to deliver closures to the bottles or other containers and allow for continuous sealing. The better solution for each individual project will depend on the bottle type, cap type, production speeds and many other factors.
Labeling Equipment
Labels can be applied to products in many different ways, from a simple wrap label to a front or front and back application. Just like fillers and cappers, the type of labeling machine used will vary greatly given the different household products on the market today. Labeling machines will be manufactured to handle the type or types of applications used by each individual packager. Labelers also typically include an easy to use touchscreen interface for set up and changeover.
Of course, other equipment may also be found on automatic packaging lines for household products, including container cleaning equipment, induction sealers, coding equipment and machinery to help pack finished product as well. But the addition of a power conveyor system with the above mentioned fill, cap and label machines will give almost any packager the basic beginnings of an automated system for household products, to be added to or modified as necessary to create an ideal solution for all of the products being run. For more information on LPS packaging machinery or to discuss your own application with a Packaging Specialist, simply contact Liquid Packaging Solutions today.