Liquid Filling - Bottled Water

One unique characteristic of the bottled water industry is that almost every product will be the same viscosity.  Of course, there may be additives or flavoring that could tweak the viscosity of bottled water, but for the most part, all bottled waters are going to be thin, free-flowing products.  This is not the case in other industries.  Foods and beverages can range from water-like sports drinks to thicker products like ketchup and honey.  Personal Care items found in the bathroom alone can range from mouthwash to toothpaste. The consistency of the product viscosity found in the bottled water industry takes some of the challenge out of choosing the correct filling machine.

 

For almost any bottled water, the optimal filling machine will be an overflow filler.  Overflow fillers work well with free-flowing, low viscosity products like water.  These filling machines use nozzles that descend and create a seal over the opening in the water bottle.  As the seal is created, water moves through the nozzle and into the bottle.  A second opening in the nozzle allows product to "overflow" once it reaches the level of the opening.  The overflowing product is returned to the product reservoir to be cycled through the filling machine once again.

 

The effect of the overflow nozzle is to create a consistent and level fill for each water bottle that passes through the filling machine, even if the bottles themselves may vary slightly in their internal volume.  Level fills can be extremely important in an industry where the container of choice is a clear, plastic bottle.  The level fill creates a sharp appearance on the retail shelf and other product displays.  In addition, the overflow filler is available as a tabletop filling machine, a semi-automatic filler or as a completely automated water filler.  So no matter what your bottled water plant needs in terms of production, the overflow filler can usually get you there.

 

However, the overflow filling machine is not the only choice for bottled water.  Gravity filling machines offer an economical alternative to the overflow filler.  Gravity fillers are also excellent filling machines for thin, free-flowing liquids.  Gravity filler utilize an elevated tank to provide time based filling for bottled water.  Once the water bottles are in place under the nozzles of the gravity filling machine, the nozzles are opened for a pre-set amount of time, allowing the bottles to be filled.  Gravity filling machines can also be a better choice for larger water bottles like three and five gallon containers.

 

Between these two filling machines, almost any bottled water container can be filled, from the typical plastic water bottle to the less common bags of water.  For more information on overflow fillers, gravity fillers or any other packaging equipment for the bottled water industry, browse our website at www.liquidpackagingsolution.com or call us toll-free at 1-888-393-3693.