Bottling line
Bottling lines are production lines that fill a liquid product, often a beverage, into bottles on a large scale.[1] Many prepared foods are also bottled, such as sauces, syrups, marinades, oils and vinegars.[2][3][4][5]
Bottling lines usually include label application equipment, capping operations, date stamps, etc. Quality assurance verification equipemt is often included.
Beer bottling process
Packaging of bottled beer typically involves drawing the product from a holding tank and filling it into bottles in a filling machine (filler), which are then capped, labeled and packed into cases or cartons. Many smaller breweries send their bulk beer to large facilities for contract bottling—though some will bottle by hand. Virtually all beer bottles are glass.
The first step in bottling beer is depalletising, where the empty bottles are removed from the original pallet packaging delivered from the manufacturer, so that individual bottles may be handled. The bottles may then be rinsed with filtered water or air, and may have carbon dioxide injected into them in attempt to reduce the level of oxygen within the bottle. The bottle then enters a "filler" which fills the bottle with beer and may also inject a small amount of inert gas (usually carbon dioxide or nitrogen) on top of the beer to disperse the oxygen, as oxygen can ruin the quality of the product via oxidation. Finally, the bottles go through a "capper", which applies a bottle cap, sealing the bottle. A few beers are bottled with a cork and cage.
Next the bottle enters a labelling machine ("labeller") where a label is applied. To ensure traceability of the product, a lot number, generally the date and time of bottling, may also be printed on the bottle. The product is then packed into boxes and warehoused, ready for sale.[6]
Depending on the magnitude of the bottling endeavor, there are many different types of bottling machinery available. Liquid level machines fill bottles so they appear to be filled to the same line on every bottle, while volumetric filling machines fill each bottle with exactly the same amount of liquid. Overflow pressure fillers are the most popular machines with beverage makers, while gravity filling machines are most cost effective. In terms of automation, inline filling machines are most popular, but rotary machines are much faster albeit much more expensive.[7]
Wine bottling process
The process for bottling wine is largely similar to that for bottling beer, except wine bottles differ in volumes and shapes. Traditionally, a cork is used to provide closure to wine bottles. After filling, a bottle travels to a corking machine (corker) where a cork is compressed and pushed into the neck of the bottle. Whilst this is happening, the corker vacuums the air out of the bottle to form a negative pressure headspace. This removes any oxygen from the headspace, which is useful as latent oxygen can ruin the quality of the product via oxidation. A negative pressure headspace will also counteract pressure caused by the thermal expansion of the wine, preventing the cork from being forced from the bottle. Champagnes and sparkling wines may further be sealed with a muselet, which ensures the cork will not explode off in transit. Alternative wine closures such as screw caps are available.
Some bottling lines incorporate a fill height detector which reject under or over-filled bottles, and also a metal detector.
After filling and corking, a plastic or tin capsule is applied to the neck of the bottle in a capsular. Next the bottle enters a labeller where a wine label is applied. The product is then packed into boxes and warehoused, ready for sale.
See also
References
- ^ Paine, F.A.; Paine, H.Y. (2012). A Handbook of Food Packaging. Springer US. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-4615-2810-4. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Yates, R.E. (1998). The Kikkoman Chronicles: A Global Company with a Japanese Soul. McGraw-Hill. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-07-134736-5. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Krasner, D.; Krasner, E.; Stratton, A. (2002). The Flavors of Olive Oil: A Tasting Guide and Cookbook. Simon & Schuster. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7432-1403-2. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Western Canner and Packer. Miller Freeman Publications of California. 1953. p. 283. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Glass Packer. Ogden-Watney publishers. 1951. p. 717. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Brody, A. L., & Marsh, K, S., Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, John Wiley & Sons, 1997, ISBN 0-471-06397-5
- ^ "How to Buy A Bottling Line". Kinnek.com. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
Further reading
- Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6
External links
- Media related to Bottling plants at Wikimedia Commons
- Liquid Filling Lines
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topics
- Active packaging
- Child-resistant packaging
- Contract packager
- Edible packaging
- Modified atmosphere/modified humidity packaging
- Overpackaging
- Package delivery
- Package pilferage
- Package testing
- Package theft
- Packaging engineering
- Resealable packaging
- Reusable packaging
- Reuse of bottles
- Shelf life
- Shelf-ready packaging
- Shelf-stable
- Sustainable packaging
- Tamper-evident
- Tamper resistance
- Wrap rage
packages
- Alternative wine closure
- Ammunition box
- Banana box
- Beer bottle
- Box wine
- Case-ready meat
- Coffee bag
- Cosmetic packaging
- Currency packaging
- Disposable food packaging
- Drink can
- Egg carton
- Evidence packaging
- Field ration
- Flour sack
- Foam food container
- Food packaging
- Fuel container
- Gas cylinder
- Glass milk bottle
- Growler
- Juicebox
- Low plastic water bottle
- Luxury packaging
- Milk bag
- Optical disc packaging
- Oyster pail
- Popcorn bag
- Pharmaceutical packaging
- Plastic milk container
- Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags
- Sand bag
- Seasonal packaging
- Self-heating food packaging
- Screw cap (wine)
- Single-serve coffee container
- Spray paint
- Toothpaste pump dispenser
- Water bottle
- Wine bottle
- Aerosol spray dispenser
- Aluminium bottle
- Aluminum can
- Ampoule
- Antistatic bag
- Bag-in-box
- Bag
- Barrel
- Biodegradable bag
- Blister pack
- Boil-in-bag
- Bottle
- Box
- Bulk box
- Cage
- Case
- Carboy
- Carton
- Chub
- Clamshell
- Corrugated box design
- Crate
- Disposable cup
- Drum
- Endcap
- Envelope
- Euro container
- Flexible intermediate bulk container
- Flexible tank
- Folding carton
- Glass bottle
- Gunny sack
- Inhaler
- Insulated shipping container
- Intermediate bulk container
- Jar
- Jerrycan
- Jug
- Keg
- Mesh bag
- Multilayered packaging
- Multi-pack
- Packet (container)
- Padded envelope
- Pail
- Paper bag
- Paper sack
- Plastic bag
- Plastic bottle
- Retort pouch
- Salvage drum
- Sachet
- Security bag
- Shipping container
- Shipping tube
- Skin pack
- Spray bottle
- Squround
- Stand-up pouch
- Steel and tin cans
- Tetra Brik
- Thermal bag
- Tub (container)
- Tube
- Unit load
- Vial
- Wooden box
and
components
- Adhesive
- Aluminium foil
- Bail handle
- Bioplastic
- Biodegradable plastic
- BoPET
- Bubble wrap
- Bung
- Cellophane
- Closure
- Coated paper
- Coating
- Coextrusion
- Container glass
- Corrugated fiberboard
- Corrugated plastic
- Cushioning
- Desiccant
- Double seam
- Flip-top
- Foam peanut
- Gel pack
- Hot-melt adhesive
- Humidity indicator card
- Kraft paper
- Label
- Lid
- Linear low-density polyethylene
- Liquid packaging board
- Living hinge
- Low-density polyethylene
- Meat diaper
- Metallised film
- Modified atmosphere
- Molded pulp
- Nonwoven fabric
- Overwrap
- Oxygen scavenger
- Package handle
- Packaging gas
- Pallet
- Paper
- Paper pallet
- Paperboard
- Plastic-coated paper
- Plastic film
- Plastic pallet
- Plastic wrap
- Polyester
- Polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Pressure-sensitive tape
- Pump dispenser
- Screw cap
- Screw cap (wine)
- Security printing
- Security tape
- Shock detector
- Shock and vibration data logger
- Shrink wrap
- Slip sheet
- Staple (fastener)
- Strapping
- Stretch wrap
- Susceptor
- Tamper-evident band
- Tear tape
- Temperature data logger
- Time temperature indicator
- Tinplate
- Velostat
- Aseptic processing
- Authentication
- Automatic identification and data capture
- Blow fill seal
- Blow molding
- Calendering
- Canning
- Coating
- Containerization
- Converting
- Corona treatment
- Curtain coating
- Die cutting
- Die forming (plastics)
- Electronic article surveillance
- Extrusion
- Extrusion coating
- Flame treatment
- Glass production
- Graphic design
- Hazard analysis and critical control points
- Hermetic seal
- Induction sealing
- Injection moulding
- Lamination
- Laser cutting
- Molding
- Package tracking
- Papermaking
- Plastic extrusion
- Plastic welding
- Printing
- Product development
- Production control
- Quality assurance
- Radio-frequency identification
- Roll slitting
- Shearing (manufacturing)
- Thermoforming
- Track and trace
- Ultrasonic welding
- Vacuum forming
- Vacuum packaging
- Verification and validation
- Barcode printer
- Barcode reader
- Bottling line
- Calender
- Can seamer
- Cap torque tester
- Cartoning machine
- Case sealer
- Check weigher
- Conveyor system
- Drum pump
- Extended core stretch wrapper
- Filler
- Heat gun
- Heat sealer
- Industrial robot
- Injection molding machine
- Label printer applicator
- Lineshaft roller conveyor
- Logistics automation
- Material-handling equipment
- Mechanical brake stretch wrapper
- Multihead weigher
- Orbital stretch wrapper
- Packaging machinery
- Pallet inverter
- Palletizer
- Rotary wheel blow molding systems
- Seed-counting machine
- Shrink tunnel
- Staple gun
- Tape dispenser
- Turntable stretch wrapper
- Vertical form fill sealing machine
post-use
- Biodegradation
- Can collecting
- Closed-loop box reuse
- Environmental engineering
- Glass recycling
- Industrial ecology
- Life-cycle assessment
- Litter
- Packaging waste
- Paper recycling
- PET bottle recycling
- Plastic recycling
- Recycling
- Reusable packaging
- Reverse logistics
- Source reduction
- Sustainable packaging
- Waste management