Bottling Equipment for Soaps and Shampoos

Certain features of bottling equipment, especially the filling machine and capping machine, will generally appear more often in specific industries.  For example, an overflow filler will be used a majority of the time in the bottled water industry, due to the level fill that it provides.  In the personal care industry, taking a look at bottling equipment for soaps and shampoos offers a good example of why these general rules will not always apply.

Liquid Soaps and shampoos can vary in viscosity, from thin soaps to fairly thick and viscous shampoos.  This variation means that, unlike bottled water, there is not a single type of filling machine that will be used for 95% of all soaps and shampoos.  The overflow filler may be used, where product is of a thin to medium viscosity.  A pump filler might also be an option where a thicker product is being bottled.  The characteristics of the specific soap or shampoo being bottled will help to determine the type of filler that will be used. 

Some soaps and shampoos have a tendency to foam during the filling process.  Different types of bottle fillers can use different methods to stop the foam from causing inconsistent fills.  An overflow filler works well against foam due to the unique nozzles and recirculation of the product.  Adding a small amount of time to the fill on an overflow filler can solve this issue.  But again, the overflow filler may not be feasible for all soaps and shampoos.  Thicker products on different filler types may require a bottom up fill, anti-foaming nozzle attachments or other tactics to control product foaming.  Again, the specific soap or shampoo being bottled will determine the best manner for stopping the foam.

A number of soaps will include particulates to add scrubbing and cleansing power to the product.  Typically, when particulates are involved, pump and piston fillers come to mind to handle such products.  However, overflow filling machines can handle smaller particulates to a certain extent.  Some gritty soaps can still be bottled using the overflow filler, assuming the viscosity can also be handled on the machine.  Just as before, each specific product will determine the proper equipment, depending on the size and the amount of particulates involved.  

The bottle cappers used for soaps and shampoos will have little to do with the product, but everything to do with the package and cap.  Soaps and shampoos may use simple flip top caps, flat screw on caps or even pump top caps.  A majority of the time, each of these cap types will screw on to the bottle being used, though some exceptions to the screw on cap exist as well.  Spindle cappers and chuck capping machines will seal most of the soap and shampoo bottles found on the market, though with pump tops and other unique lids, custom placing or inserting components may be necessary to consistently and reliably create the seal.

 

For these reasons it is difficult to identify standard bottling equipment or packaging machines for soaps and shampoos, especially when it comes to filling equipment.  Instead, the characteristics of each individual product will be analyzed to find the best solution for the unique product and demand.