Thin liquids
Products such as oils, detergents and water-like liquids can use pump or piston routes depending on fill volume, foaming and accuracy needs.
OilsDetergentsE-liquids
Applications
Volumetric filling applications by product type.
Use the product, pack format and output target to choose between piston, pump, cup, auger or weighing routes.
Product behaviour
Match filling technology to the way the product behaves.
Viscous liquids & pastes
Sauces, creams, gels, honey, lotions and body-care products usually need piston or rotor-pump style control to move product cleanly.
SaucesCreamsHoney
Granules & powders
Beans, seeds, coffee, sugar and granular products may suit volumetric cup dosing; powders may need auger or weigh dosing after flow testing.
CoffeeSeedsSugar
Sectors
Common volumetric filler sectors.
- Food and drink: sauces, dressings, condiments, jams, oils and dry ingredients.
- Cosmetics and personal care: creams, gels, lotions, shampoos and cleansers.
- Chemical and household: detergents, cleaning liquids, lubricants and industrial fluids.
- Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical: liquids, creams and controlled filling where documentation and repeatability matter.
Pack formats
Volumetric fillers can be planned around bottles, jars, pouches and tubs.
The container affects stability, nozzle access, drip control, conveyor handling and downstream closure selection.
Bottles
Liquid and paste filling routes with capping, labelling and coding integration.
Jars
Useful for sauces, spreads, creams, powders and granules where wide-mouth access changes nozzle choice.
Pouches
Volumetric or weigh dosing routes where sealing quality and pack handling need to be planned together.
Tubs & pots
Open-container filling where lidding, sealing and finished presentation may be part of the scope.
Before you shortlist
Send these details to avoid an unsuitable machine.
Product details
Viscosity, particles, temperature, foam, settling, corrosiveness, hygiene and cleaning requirements.
Pack details
Container dimensions, neck/opening, fill range, closure type, label position and downstream pack handling.
Production details
Target bottles per minute, shift pattern, available space, utilities, operator availability and future growth.
FAQs
Application questions.
Often yes, but changeover depends on viscosity, container size, cleaning method, nozzle format and whether contact parts need to be swapped.
Yes, when contact parts, construction, cleaning access and filling principle are specified for the product and hygiene requirements.
Sometimes, but powders often need auger or weigh dosing. Free-flowing granules are normally better candidates for cup dosing.
Application pages
Detailed pages by product group.
Shortlist filling machinery by how the product behaves in the container, not just by the label on the product.
Sauce filling machinesSauces, dressings, marinades and viscous foods
Honey filling machinesHoney, syrup and thick jar filling
Oil filling machinesEdible oils, lubricants and flowing liquids
Cosmetic cream fillersCreams, lotions, gels and personal care
Detergent filling machinesCleaning liquids, sanitiser and chemical products
Granule filling machinesBeans, seeds, coffee, sugar and particles
Need a volumetric filler shortlist?
Send your product, fill volume, container, throughput target and any downstream equipment needed. Lancing UK will help narrow the best machine route before quotation.
Application evidence
The product name starts the enquiry; its behaviour determines the filling method.
A sauce, lotion, detergent or granule can vary substantially between recipes and operating temperatures. The specification should describe the behaviour that the machine must control rather than relying on an industry label alone.
| Observed product behaviour | What it changes | Volumetric route to investigate | Boundary or specialist route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water-like and non-foaming | Fast flow can create splash or poor shut-off | Pump, piston or measured-flow liquid filling | Specialist liquid filler catalogue |
| Foaming liquid | Requires controlled speed, headspace and possibly a diving nozzle | Bottom-up and foam-control review | Trial the actual formulation at production temperature |
| Viscous, stringy or sticky | Feed pressure, positive displacement and cut-off become critical | Piston displacement and shut-off nozzles | Specialist paste-filling route |
| Particles or inclusions | Valve, seal and nozzle clearances can block, cut or segregate product | Particulate filling assessment | Supply representative maximum particle size and concentration |
| Free-flowing granules | Bulk density and flow into the cup affect delivered mass | Defined-volume cup dosing | Weigh filling where mass control is primary |
| Fine or cohesive powder | Dust, aeration and inconsistent flow reduce cup consistency | Compare volumetric and auger routes | Use auger or weigh-filling guidance when powder flow or direct mass control is primary |
Define the product envelope
For each formulation, record viscosity or an agreed practical flow test at the real filling temperature, particle size and concentration, foam, aeration, settling, corrosivity, abrasiveness and sensitivity to shear. The worst case should be included in the trial.
Define the pack envelope
Provide container drawings or samples for the smallest and largest formats. Include neck internal diameter, shoulder profile, overall height, base stability, closure, label area and the required headspace. These details affect nozzle travel and line handling.
Define the operating envelope
State batch size, shift pattern, change frequency, operator level, utilities, available footprint, target output and whether product is fed from a hopper, vessel, IBC or existing process line. Product supply can become the limiting stage.
Trial sample plan
Send samples that expose the difficult conditions, not only the easiest batch.
A practical trial should include the formulation at its normal temperature range, representative particles and the final container. If several recipes will share one filler, the trial plan should deliberately cover the boundaries: thinnest, thickest, most foaming, largest particle and most demanding clean-down.
What Lancing should observe
- Consistent draw and discharge without cavitation or starvation.
- Clean nozzle cut-off without unacceptable stringing, drip or splash.
- No product damage, particle blockage or phase separation.
- Stable container presentation into filling and downstream closure stages.
What the buyer should define
- The accepted fill quantity and verification method.
- Permitted external contamination and presentation standard.
- Cleaning verification and cross-contamination controls.
- Expected sustained output including normal replenishment and changeovers.
Buyer questions
Application questions that prevent an unsuitable filler
These answers explain the checks that normally need to be completed before a machine configuration can be confirmed.
Recipes can differ in viscosity, particle size, aeration, temperature, shear sensitivity and cleaning requirements. A product name is not enough to determine the dosing principle or nozzle.
Supply the products that represent the lowest and highest viscosity, the largest particles, the greatest foaming tendency and the most difficult clean-down. These boundary products normally determine the machine path.
The neck opening, headspace, stability, rigidity and surface finish affect nozzle access, splash, bottom-up movement, conveyor guides and whether product on the outside of the pack will interfere with capping or labelling.
When bulk density changes enough to move the delivered mass outside the accepted tolerance, or when the legal or commercial quantity is controlled directly by mass, weighing is usually the stronger comparison.
Only after materials, cleaning, cross-contamination, product-contact parts, guarding and process requirements have been assessed. A broad application list does not mean every product can safely share the same machine.
Turn the application into a testable specification.
Send representative product and pack samples, including the difficult boundary conditions, for a method and trial review.
Application proof
Translate the product application into repeatable test conditions.
Application names such as sauce, lotion, detergent or granules do not define the machine by themselves. Record the product boundary, pack boundary, fill range, line state and cleaning requirement so the same application can be reproduced during selection and acceptance.
Product boundary
Include viscosity or bulk-density range, temperature, particles, foam, settling and the intended feed arrangement.
Pack boundary
Include the smallest neck, least stable container, maximum fill, headspace and closure or downstream interface.
Evidence boundary
Agree individual fill measurements, operating states, cleaning observation and reasons for rejected packs.
Use the volumetric filling trial protocol and technical glossary when preparing application samples.