Chuck Capping Machines Provide Solution for Any Production Level

Chuck capping machines, along with the popular spindle capper, are one of the more popular methods for tightening down screw type caps.  Screw type caps themselves can come in various models, from simple flat caps to sports caps, flip top caps and more.  One unique advantage of the chuck capping machine is that, regardless of your production demands, there is a chuck capper that will effectively and efficiently get the job done.

For many companies that have low production requirements, it will simply not make sense to spend money for fully automated equipment.  The extra speed of the automatic capping machine would not add efficiency absent an automated rinser, filling machine, power conveyors and other automatic packaging equipment.  In other words, in these situations there is usually no need for the capping machine to outpace the manual or semi-automatic bottle cleaning or filling.  Lower production facilities tend to use manual labor to complete the different packaging tasks.  The problem most often encountered when capping by hand is inconsistent and unreliable capping.  Some caps may be loose, some may even be too tight.  While manual, handheld chuck cappers may increase the efficiency of a capping station, the biggest advantage is the added consistency and reliability.  The handheld chuck capper will apply the same amount of torque to each cap and bottle combination, the operator simply places the cap on the bottle and then places the chuck over the cap, pressing down to add torque.  Quick, easy, consistent and reliable.

As production levels rise, some type of automation is necessary to allow the chuck capping machine to remain an efficient component of the packaging system.  Tabletop and portable semi-automatic chuck cappers retain all of the consistency and reliability of the handheld cappers, but also make the job of sealing bottles a little easier on the operator.  While the operator of tabletop or portable semi-automatic chuck capping machines will still place the cap on the bottle, the next step is simply to slide the bottle and cap under the chuck, usually into a type of nest at the base of the capping machine.  The chuck will then descend and tighten the cap.  Once finished, the chuck raises and the operator can remove the bottle and send it down the packaging line.  These capping machines may constitute a stand alone capping station at a packaging facility, though they can also be incorporated into a semi-automatic packaging system that will add to the efficiency of the packaging process by relying on some type of automation throughout the line.

Once production demands reach a certain level, most facilities will move to an automatic capper.  The automatic chuck capping machine will normally use a starwheel to index containers under the capping head or heads.  Once in place under the head, the chucks will descend and tighten the caps.  The difference between the automatic and semi-automatic machines lies in the cap delivery system found on the automatic cappers.  The operator of an automatic capping machine will simply need to dump bulk caps into a hopper or bowl.  From there, the automatic capper does the rest of the work!  The caps are delivered to the bottles using either a cap elevator or a vibratory bowl and a cap chute.  As the caps work their way to the chute, they are oriented correctly for delivery to the bottle.  As the bottle passes under the chute on a power conveyor or once in the starwheel, it picks up a cap just prior to stopping under one of the chuck heads.  Once tightened, the sealed bottle will continue down the power conveyor to the next packaging phase, such as the labeling machine, coding machine or packing station.  The cap delivery system allows the automatic chuck capper to almost continuously cap bottles, adding the speed and efficiency necessary for high production packaging lines.

 

So whether you are packaging a hundred bottles a week or thousands of bottles per day, chuck capping machines may be able to add the consistency, reliability and/or speed that you are looking for from your packaging line.  Feel free to browse the capping machinery pages of our website, or call our offices toll free at 1-888-393-3693 for more information on any of our packaging machinery.