Filling & Packing Lines

Container filling 10–100 kg

Dust-free container filling lines

Fast, accurate filling of sacks, cartons with polythene liners, pails and drums with bulk materials. A filling head with an inflatable seal and dust extraction at source keep the product inside a closed system throughout.

10–100 kg filling range, verifiable weighing sacks · cartons · pails · drums PENKO / SIWAREX weighing control ATEX · FDA · GMP compliant builds

Operating principle

How filling works: three steps, one closed cycle

The operator docks the container onto the head, and dosing, weighing and release then run automatically up to the target weight. The hopper refills itself between cycles, so the line packs without interruption and no dust escapes at any stage of the process.

1

Fitting the container

The operator fits the sack, or the polythene liner of a carton, onto the head and closes the clamp. A foot switch inflates the seal — the connection to the container becomes completely tight and both hands stay free.

2

Dust-free filling

A second foot switch starts the screw feeder. Filling runs automatically up to the target weight — coarse dosing gives way to fine dosing, and the displaced, dust-laden air is drawn off by the extraction system.

3

Release and discharge

Once the material flow has stopped, the system releases the seal and the container travels away on the roller conveyor. The hopper refills automatically and the line is ready for the next cycle.

Filling head with an inflatable seal
Filling head with an inflatable seal

Full automation for rigid containers

For filling drums and pails, the line can be designed to run fully automatically: docking, dosing, weighing and release all take place without an operator, and the filling results are written to an external database.

The line works alongside mixers and buffer vessels, big bag emptying stations and pneumatic conveying — from taking the material through to a finished, sealed container.

Line structure

What a filling line consists of

Dust-free container filling line — hopper, screw feeder, filling head, scale and roller conveyor
A complete line: hopper, screw feeder, filling head, scale and roller conveyor

At the heart of the line is a volumetric screw feeder with a hopper shaped to encourage flow. The construction is modular — configuration and extension are matched to the process, and the unit can be made mobile on castors.

Key components

  • Hoppermin/max level sensors, automatic refilling without interrupting packing
  • Screw feederhorizontal agitator with its own drive, optionally an additional vertical agitator
  • Feeding elementspiral or auger screw with a centre shaft — selected to suit the material
  • Filling headinflatable seal, with versions for sacks, polythene liners and rigid containers
  • Platform scaleload-cell type, carbon or stainless steel, verification available
  • Roller conveyorheight adjustable to suit the dimensions of the container
  • Dust extractionconnection for the extraction system — dust captured at source
modular construction mobile version AISI 304 / 316L ATEX

Key modules

The modules that determine accuracy and throughput

Every module is selected to suit the material and the working cycle — from the shape of the hopper, through agitation, to the class of the scale and the controller.

Hopper with level sensors for continuous material replenishment

Continuous replenishment

Min/max level sensors. Once the minimum is reached, the controller tops the hopper up to maximum — without interrupting packing.

Horizontal agitator of the screw feeder

Reliable flow

A horizontal agitator with its own drive keeps the feeding element filled and prevents the material from hanging up. For difficult products, an additional vertical agitator is available.

Load-cell platform scale on the filling line

Precise weighing

Load-cell platform scales in various sizes, in carbon or stainless steel — verified versions included, covering 10–100 kg.

PENKO FLEX 2100 weighing controller

Weighing control

PENKO controllers (SGM800, 1020, FLEX, 2100) with MFL software, or Siemens SIWAREX — integrated with higher-level systems (MES, ERP).

PENKO controllers hold weights and measures approvals — the line can be verified as an automatic filling instrument under Directive 76/211/EEC, with no separate checkweigher needed.

Ask about verification

Materials

Which materials we fill

The feeding element — a spiral or an auger screw with a centre shaft — is selected to suit the properties of the product, so the line handles practically every kind of dry bulk material: well-flowing and difficult-flowing, prone to aeration, abrasive or brittle.

Flour and bakery mixes — sack filling
Flour and bakery mixes
Sugar and salt — well-flowing materials
Sugar and salt
Cocoa and coffee — fine powders and brittle products
Cocoa and coffee
Spices and dried herbs
Spices and herbs
Milk powder and nutritional supplements
Milk powder and nutritional supplements
PE and PP plastic granulates
Plastic granulates
Gypsum, cement and carbonates — construction materials
Gypsum, cement, carbonates
Chemical powders — soda, titanium white
Chemical powders

Options and integration

Configured around your process

Product quality

  • check screener — no foreign particles in the container
  • metal detection
  • dust extraction system capturing at source

Closing the containers

  • bag sewing machines — hand-held or stationary
  • heat sealers for polythene liners and PE sacks
  • combined methods: sealing the liner plus sewing the outer sack

Integration with the plant

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which containers can the line fill?

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Sacks, cartons with polythene liners, pails and drums, from 10 to 100 kg. Each type of container has its own filling head, and the height of the roller conveyor is adjusted to the dimensions of the container. Thanks to the modular construction, a single line can handle several types of container.

How is dust-free filling achieved?

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The head with its inflatable seal forms a completely tight connection to the container, and the displaced, dust-laden air is drawn off by the extraction system at the point where the dust arises. The seal is released only once the material flow has stopped, so no dust escapes at any stage of the process.

Can the scale on the line be verified?

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Yes. PENKO weighing controllers hold the approvals needed for submission to the weights and measures authority, and the line can be verified as an automatic filling instrument under Directive 76/211/EEC. We carry out calibration of the scale and conformity assessment at commissioning, so a separate verified checkweigher is then unnecessary.

Can the line work in an ATEX zone or comply with FDA requirements?

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Yes. The line is optionally designed in an ATEX build (zone 21/22) and from materials that meet FDA requirements. We also supply hygienic builds for the food and pharmaceutical industries, compliant with GMP and HACCP, in AISI 304 stainless steel or acid-resistant AISI 316L.

How is the feeding element selected for my material?

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On the basis of the material properties we select either a spiral (for difficult-flowing or sticky materials, those with large particles, or those calling for higher hygiene standards) or an auger screw with a centre shaft (for well-flowing materials, those prone to aeration, and abrasive or brittle products). We offer feeding trials on the customer’s own material.

Need a container filling line?

We will design a line around your material, your containers and the throughput you need. Feeding trials on your own product, integration with mechanical or pneumatic conveying, and full support from design through to commissioning.

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