| Product fit | Still water, RO water, mineral water |
| Filling principle | Gravity or volumetric valve |
| Capacity | 5,000-48,000 BPH at 500 ml |
| Bottle range | 200 ml to 16 L, by configuration |
| Contact material | SUS 304 product contact, CIP-ready |
| Line scope | Treatment, blowing, filling, capping, labelling, packing |
Gravity filling holds a level in a rigid bottle and costs least per valve. Volumetric filling doses a fixed volume into a chamber, so it holds accuracy across 3 L, 5 L and 10 L formats without changing the head. Isobaric filling is for carbonated product only, because it keeps CO2 in solution under counter-pressure. A still water line never needs it.
Unlike other methods that may involve pressure or mechanical intervention, gravity filling machines ensure a gentle filling process that preserves the quality and integrity of still water.
Work backwards from cases per day. Divide bottles per day by productive hours, then divide again by a production factor of 0.65-0.85. The factor covers changeover, CIP, label roll changes and downstream stops. Sizing at 1.0 is the most common and most expensive mistake in a water project, because the shortfall only appears once the line is running.
| Filling principle | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Gravity | Still water, one rigid bottle size | Thin-wall bottles deform under head pressure |
| Volumetric valve | 3-15 L and mixed formats | Valve wear shows as slow drift, not a sudden error |
| Isobaric | Carbonated water only | Needs counter-pressure, so slower per valve |
| Load cell | Oil and high-value liquid | Slower cycle, higher cost per valve |
Where this becomes a line rather than a single machine, the Blow-fill-cap Combibloc for Still Water is the starting point.
Ask for the rated capacity of the slowest station, the changeover checklist, the CIP cycle time, and the water and power consumption per 1,000 bottles. Those four numbers decide the real cost per bottle. A quotation that lists only the filler capacity and a total price leaves the buyer comparing incomparable offers.
The Gravity Filling Machine for Still Water is the reference unit for this configuration.
A lighter bottle is less rigid, so it deforms more under the filling head and grips differently in the star wheels. The filler may need a different neck handling and a lower contact pressure. Lightweighting is a bottle project that reaches into the filling line.
The same question is worked through from another angle in Water Consumption Benchmark for Beverage Plants: Litres-per-Bottle Best Practices.
Temperature, valve wear and bottle variation, in that order. Water is less sensitive than oil, but a warm product foams more and a worn valve closes late. Weighing a sample every few hours catches the drift before it reaches the customer.
200 bottles per minute. Divide BPH by 60. A 24,000 BPH line runs at 400 bottles per minute, which is why filler and packer have to be matched rather than bought separately.
It follows the raw water analysis, not a standard package. Surface water usually needs multi-media filtration, RO and UV or ozone. Low-hardness municipal water may need only carbon filtration and disinfection.
Gravity holds a fill level, so accuracy depends on bottle geometry. Because volumetric filling doses by chamber volume, accuracy holds across bottle sizes. For one rigid bottle size, gravity is enough; for 3-10 L or mixed formats, volumetric is safer.
It depends on whether blowing, packing and palletizing sit in the same hall. Fix the footprint by drawing the layout at 1:100 with conveyor radii included, then check the turning radius of the largest format.
Commercial practice is a stated band per bottle size, typically checked by weight at the filler outlet. The band belongs in the acceptance protocol. A line without a written tolerance will argue about it at commissioning.
Country: Maldives
Product: PET Bottled Mineralized Water
Capacity: 24,000BPH (500ml); 2 Lines
Solution:Water Production Line
Country:Kazakhstan
Product: PET Bottled Sparkling Water, Canned Soft Drink, Canned Tea
Capacity: 25000CPH (250ml)
Solution:Three Lines,7000BPH(1.5L), 15000CPH(330ml),15000CPH(450ml)