Operative use of a filling machine requires utmost vigilance and good maintenance. Mistakes entail product loss, machine failure, lost time, and poor quality. You are in the food, beverage, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical sector; mistakes will cost you money and time. Here are the top 5 mistakes to avoid when using a filling machine, with useful tips and numerical guidance.
1. Ignoring Regular Maintenance
Ignoring regular maintenance is a very popular error. Regular cleaning, greasing, and maintenance keep the equipment operating. Worn pumps, valves, or seals over time can reduce filling accuracy 5–10% or even result in complete machine failure.
Tip:
- Inspect seals, nozzles, and moving parts weekly.
- Lubricate moving parts every 100 operating hours as the manufacturer recommends.
- Maintain a minimalist replacement interval record.
Preventive maintenance takes away from downtime, conserves repairs, and preserves consistent product quality.
2. Using the Wrong Filling Speed
Setting the wrong speed is another frequent mistake. Excessive overfilling wastes up to 3% of the product in each batch due to spillage or foam. Slow underfilling decreases production and leads to clogging in your line.
Tip:
- Variable speed depending upon viscosity of product: thin liquids are 50–60 bottles per minute, but thicker products like sauces are 15–25 bottles per minute.
- Run trial runs before running full production.
- Record optimum speed for every type of product to ensure ongoing efficiency.
- Balance speed and accuracy to avoid loss of productivity and minimize waste.
3. Overlooking Calibration
Calibration ensures every container receives the right quantity. If not detected, there will be over and under fills and 2–5% of product will be wasted with each batch as well as affecting customer satisfaction.
Tip:
- Calibrate whenever changing product or container size.
- Check fill volumes at least three times per batch to ensure they are accurate.
- Keep a calibration log in the long term.
Accurate calibration saves waste, delivers product consistency, and avoids industry non-compliance.
4. Forgetting Proper Cleaning
Residual product has the possibility of causing contamination or spoilage, with the potential to impact as much as 0.5–1% of production on high-rate lines. Proper cleaning of food, drink, and pharmaceutical applications is required.
Tip:
- Be careful when using manufacturers’ cleaning guidance.
- Disassemble nozzles, tubes, and valves for proper cleaning.
- Clean all parts prior to reuse.
- Computerized cleaning systems can reduce 40% of cleaning time with high-volume production.
Prevent machine wear and tear and contamination by regular cleaning.
5. Incompatible containers or products
Not all containers or products are suitable for every filling machine. Using incompatible items can reduce fill accuracy by 5–8% or even damage the machine.
Tip:
- Verify container size, product, and material compatibility.
- Batch test a minimum of 20–30 units when testing new products or containers.
Compatibility offers minimal wear and tear and free operating.
Conclusion
Avoiding these mistakes improves your filling machine’s efficiency and longevity, reduces waste by 2–10% per batch, and provides consistent product quality. With proper maintenance, calibration, speed adjustment, thorough cleaning, and compatible containers, your production line runs efficiently and reliably.
Optimizing your filling machine operations not only saves money, but it also boosts customer satisfaction, making your production process professional and reliable.