Automatic cup filling and sealing machines are industrial machines developed to fill, close, and seal small pre-formed plastic containers, known in the packaging industry as cups. These containers are typically used to hold small portions of liquid, semi-liquid, viscous, pasty, or gelled products.
The operation may vary depending on the machine model, but the process usually begins with the automatic feeding of the cups, which are positioned in supports or transport molds. Next comes the product dosing, the application of the seal or cap, usually made of heat-sealable aluminum, the heat sealing, and finally the removal or discharge of the sealed containers.
The machines can work with pre-cut aluminum seals, plastic films, or other heat-sealable materials, depending on the packaging and the product. More complete lines may also include batch and expiration date printing systems, automatic cap feeding, inspection, rejection of defective packaging, and integration with conveyor belts.
Cup-shaped filling machines can be used for filling ready-made gelatins, gelled desserts, jams, sweets, creams, puddings, mousses, honey, sauces, condiments, food pastes, syrups, concentrates, and other semi-viscous or pasty products.
They can also be used for juices, concentrated beverages, wine, non-alcoholic liqueurs, functional beverages, beverage samples, and small portions of liquid products, provided the dosing system is suitable for the product characteristics.
In the food sector, they are widely used to produce individual or single-dose portions, such as small cups of gelatin, desserts, sauces, jams, sweets, honey, toppings, and condiments intended for retail, food service, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, food chains, and ready meals.
The main types can be classified by their operating system. There are linear or rectilinear cup filling machines, in which the containers advance in a straight line through the different production stations. These machines can have one or more rows and are suitable for medium and high production volumes.
There are also rotary cup filling machines, in which the containers move through the filling and sealing stages on a rotating table or carousel. This system is widely used when a compact machine is desired or when the process works with a smaller number of containers simultaneously.
Another type is the intermittent or indexed filling machine, in which the cups advance in stages, remaining stationary during dosing, sealing, and sealing. Continuous machines are designed for higher production speeds and more constant movement of the packaging.
Regarding the dosing system, there may be machines with volumetric, piston, pump, gravimetric, time-based dosers, or specific systems for viscous and gelled products. The choice depends on the viscosity, temperature, density, presence of particles, and volume of product to be placed in each cup.
For products like gelatin, for example, the machine can be equipped with a suitable dosing system to work with the product while it is still in a liquid state before the cooling and gelling stage. For jams, creams, sauces, or more viscous products, piston dosers or specific pumps may be necessary.
Cup filling and sealing machines are mainly used in the food industry, including manufacturers of gelatins, sweets, desserts, jams, honey, sauces, condiments, dairy products, prepared foods, and single-dose products.
They can also be found in the beverage industry, for small doses or samples of juices, concentrated drinks, and other liquids, as well as specific applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and chemical industries, provided that the machine materials, dosing system, and sanitary conditions are suitable for the product.
One of the main advantages of these machines is that they allow the entire packaging feeding, dosing, sealing, heat sealing, and unloading process to be automated, providing greater productivity, standardization of the packaged volume, reduced manual contact with the product, and better hygienic control of the process.
The cups used can have different shapes, diameters, and volumes, and are usually intended for small portions. Therefore, the machines generally have sets of molds, guides, and dosing systems specific to each type of packaging.
On the same machine platform, it may be possible to work with different products and cup sizes, provided that the respective shape changes and adjustments to the dosing and sealing system are made. |
