In the contemporary packaging industry, thick paste filling machines and liquid filling machines occupy an extremely important position amongst other filling machines. Even though both of these machines serve the purpose of filling goods, there exist several essential differences concerning the material that can be filled, operating principles, filling process, precision, and maintenance. Understanding these differences is crucial for enterprises to select the appropriate filling machine, which can improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure product quality stability.
Applicable Product Types
(1) Thick Paste Products
The thick paste filling machine is specifically made to handle viscous materials and can be used to fill a variety of thick pastes, including:
1. Toothpaste, facial cleansers, and other daily chemical products
2. Jams, honey, and other food pastes
3. Emulsified cosmetic cream and essence pastes
These materials are characterized by low fluidity and tend to string and adhere easily. When using a liquid filling machine to fill these materials, there will be problems like spilling and inaccuracy. The thick paste filling machine ensures that each product is filled consistently and accurately.
For instance, the SUNHAN SH-VTGF4 is a multi-head filling machine specially made for viscous liquids. It fills body wash, shampoo, facial cleanser, and cosmetic lotion paste material accurately. The machine utilizes a servo gear pump that controls the quantity of each fill.
(2) Liquid Products
The liquid filling machines can be used to fill those liquids that are low viscosity or highly fluid in nature, like:
- Beverages, juices, condiments, etc.
- Chemicals in aqueous solution form
- Water-based cleaning agents
The liquid filling machines use gravity or liquid pumps to perform their job, offering rapid operation and suitability for mass production; however, for highly viscous pastes, these cannot ensure accurate filling.
Filling Principles and Technical Distinctions
1. Thick Paste Filling Technology
Thick paste filling machine usually uses one of the following filling techniques:
- Piston pump filling technique: This involves moving a piston up and down to fill the containers with precise amounts.
- Quantified extrusion filling technique: Used for extremely viscous pastes, ensuring precise filling.
- Additionally, thick paste filling machines also come with anti-leaking, anti-dripping, and variable-speed capabilities to prevent wastage and keep the appearance intact.
2. Liquid Filling Technique
The following techniques are usually applied in liquid filling equipment:
- Gravity filling method – utilizes the gravity force to fill the liquid container, simple and fast to apply.
- Siphon filling technique – makes use of differences in pressure levels to fill containers; suitable for fluids that require special filling procedures, like beverages.
- Hydraulic pump filling technique – regulates flow rate to enhance consistency during filling.
Highly fluid substances can be filled with high efficiency through liquid filling equipment, while viscous pastes are likely to form clumps and strings and thus cannot be filled accurately using liquid filling equipment.
Operation and Maintenance Requirements
1. Maintenance of the Thick Paste Filling Machine
Maintenance of thick paste filling machines is complicated due to their adhesive characteristics, which entail the need to:
- Clean pump heads and valves regularly
- Clear the conveying pipeline to prevent paste clogging
- Maintain anti-drip devices and sealing rings to facilitate clean filling operations
Despite the complications associated with maintenance, routine maintenance helps prolong the equipment's lifespan and enhances its performance.
2. Maintenance of Liquid Filling Machine
Simple to use and maintain, liquid filling machines only require:
- Routine cleaning of conveying pipes
- Inspection of pump lubrication
- Sealing inspection
For companies manufacturing fluid liquids, liquid filling machines provide operational cost advantages.
Production Efficiency and Difference in Filling Accuracy
1. Efficiency in Filling Thick Paste
The thick paste filling machine can fill pastes with a ±1% accuracy rate regardless of the viscosity. Although the filling speed may be lower compared to others, it is ideal for precise medium and small-scale production processes.
2. Efficiency in Liquid Filling
The liquid filling machine can be used for mass production with high filling efficiency due to its speed of operation; however, accuracy will depend on the temperature and the viscosity of the liquid filled.
V. Conclusion
To conclude, there are considerable distinctions between thick paste filling machines and liquid filling machines regarding their application of products, filling principles, operation and maintenance, as well as production efficiency. In choosing filling machines, companies need to consider factors such as the viscosity of the products, production scale, precision needs, and maintenance cost.
A SUNHAN thick paste filling machine is an ideal choice for high-precision filling, while liquid filling machines are more suitable for mass production of liquid products.
