1. Start with one complete pack
A filling line enquiry often begins with a bottle photo and a required speed. Add the contents and closure, and the discussion becomes much more useful. Prepare a complete reference pack: container, product, cap or pump, any liner, and the intended finished appearance.
Make a small format register. Give each combination an identifier, list its supplier references, and mark which formats matter for the first installation. A tall bottle and a squat jar may share a nominal fill amount while needing different handling. Keep planned future formats visible without treating them as already included.
For example, a brief might describe two jar sizes using one sauce and screw-cap family, with a third pump-bottle format reserved for later assessment. That is a planning example, not a claim that one machine can process all three.
2. Describe how the product behaves
Record what the operator sees at the filling point: does the product flow freely, foam, form a trailing strand, separate, or contain pieces? State the actual filling temperature and how product reaches the machine. If viscosity data is available, include its measurement conditions rather than an unexplained number.
Specify the required fill amount, its units and the acceptance method. “Accurate filling” leaves too much undefined. Make clear whether your team will check filled mass, volume or another agreed measure, and how empty-container variation will be handled.
The multi-head servo liquid filling line is one equipment route to review. Its public specification makes head count and output dependent on the product and line conditions. More nozzles alone do not establish the number of acceptable finished packs per shift.
Include cleaning in the production brief.State what must be cleaned between batches, the products that may share contact parts, and who approves the cleaning result. Ask the supplier to show the proposed access and changeover work during the review.
3. Agree the closing sequence
Write the operations as a short sequence before choosing individual machines. Include manual work as well as automated stations. A cap with a foil liner and a film applied directly to an open container require different process discussions; our sealing-process guide explains the starting distinction.
| Stage | Question to resolve | Evidence for the review |
|---|---|---|
| Container supply | How does each empty format arrive, stand and enter the next station? | Actual containers and a sketch of the infeed. |
| Filling | What fill result, nozzle behaviour and cleanup are acceptable? | Product samples and a written measuring procedure. |
| Closing | Which closure is fitted, and how is its final condition checked? | Matched container and closure sets; approved examples. |
| Sealing and inspection | Which seal is required, and what happens to a rejected pack? | Seal specification, inspection questions and reject route. |
| Take-off and packing | Who handles the finished pack when the downstream area is busy? | Staffing assumptions and available accumulation space. |
The Bottle and Jar Filling, Capping and Sealing Line provides an example of a project-configured route. Ask the quotation to identify included stations, optional stations and customer-supplied equipment individually.
4. Review the spaces between machines
A useful layout shows more than equipment outlines. Mark conveying direction, transfer points, operating positions, access for cleaning, and the route used to remove rejected packs. Ask the integrator to confirm each transfer with the smallest, largest and least stable formats in the agreed range.
Prepare a short interface table with one owner for every connection. Include who supplies the conveyor, which machine is allowed to request a stop, how a fault is acknowledged, and what happens after restart. The controls team should define and verify the actual interlocks; the project brief should make their responsibilities visible.
Discuss ordinary interruptions explicitly: containers run out, closures need replenishing, a discharge area fills, or an operator starts a changeover. Decide what evidence the acceptance run must collect about these events. A smooth video of continuous running tells you little about recovery work.
For a phased purchase, identify the future connection on the drawing and record what is reserved now. “Expandable later” should correspond to defined space, interfaces and a review of the eventual production sequence.
5. Make the trial answer a production question
Choose an acceptance question such as: “Can the agreed jar and product complete filling, closing and sealing, including replenishment and restart, with results that meet our written checks?” Name the format, product condition, run duration, checks and people responsible for the decision.
Separate the machine's instantaneous running rate from accepted output over the complete trial. Record the quantity entering the line, acceptable packs leaving it, rejects and the reason for each interruption. Keep manual assistance in the record. These observations make it easier to compare proposals on the same basis.
Include the changeover you will actually perform most often. Note the parts exchanged, settings selected, cleaning steps and first-pack approval. For inspection choices, continue with the guide to checkweighing, metal detection, vision and thermal screening.
Take this sample brief to the next discussion
- Labelled product, container, closure and liner sets for each agreed format
- Product behaviour, filling conditions, target quantity and measuring method
- A process sequence showing included, optional and manual operations
- A layout with transfers, access space, utilities and connection owners
- Acceptable and unacceptable pack examples with named inspection criteria
- A trial plan covering continuous running, interruptions and changeover
With these points prepared, discuss the sample brief with Yijia Packaging at Sealerweb. Ask the response to list what is confirmed, what needs a sample trial and what remains outside the proposed supply scope.
References and scope
The two linked Sealerweb equipment pages were checked on 15 October 2026 for their current names, process descriptions and configuration boundaries. The tables and enquiry framework are AOTools planning guidance. They do not assign machine settings or promise a line output; project suitability and acceptance require the actual samples and agreed tests.