Machine OverviewProduction-scale machines and full lines available
| Machine type | Semi-automatic filling machine |
| Products | Powders, liquids, pastes and granules, one filler per product form |
| Fill range | 1 g to 50 kg across the range |
| Output | 4 to 40 packs per minute, by filler and pack |
| Filling systems | Auger, piston, four-head weigher, gross-weighing bag filler |
| Pack types | Pre-made pouches, bags, bottles, jars and tubs |
| Contact parts | SUS304 stainless steel |
| Operation | Operator places each pack; the machine doses |
Filling Systems
A semi-automatic filling machine is built around one filling system, and each product form needs its own. A filler for powder cannot fill liquid, and a liquid filler cannot weigh granules, so the filler is chosen for your product first.
Not sure this is the right filler? Our filling machines page compares every filler we supply by container, product and output.
01
An auger screw doses powder by volume, checked by electronic weighing. The semi-automatic auger filler we supply fills pre-made pouches up to 5 kg with the matching auger screw, at a rated 15 to 25 pouches per minute and to within 2%. A tabletop auger filler we have supplied fills 1 g to 300 g from a 15 L hopper, started by a foot pedal. For small doses, the semi-automatic auger doser we have supplied fills 10 g to 50 g with a 35 mm servo-driven screw and a 30 L hopper. Read how an auger compares with a measuring cup in auger screw vs measuring cup fillers.
02
A pneumatic piston draws a set volume from the hopper and pushes it into the bottle or pouch. A hand wheel sets the fill and a throttle valve sets the speed. The single-head piston filler we supply fills 500 ml to 5 litres, at 20 to 40 fills per minute at 500 ml, to within 0.5%. Very thick products such as grease use a lobe pump filler, which can mix and heat the product.
03
Four weighing heads portion the product by weight and release each dose into a pre-made pouch or tub. The four-head weigher we supply weighs 50 g to 500 g at a rated 30 to 40 packs per minute, to within 2%, fed by a Z-type elevator. Used this way, a semi-automatic multihead weigher is the weigher without a packaging machine, weighing the product on its own while the operator holds the pack. Read more about multihead weigher packaging systems. See it on a granola line in the oat and granola pouch line case study.
04
The bag is weighed as it fills, so the scale reads the product actually in the bag. The bag filler we supply fills ready-made bags from 5 kg to 50 kg at about 4 bags per minute, to within 0.2%, fed by an auger feeder (screw conveyor) with a valve or spiral feeding. A diving-nozzle auger bag filler we have supplied lowers its nozzle into the bag and fills 5 kg to 50 kg at 1 to 1.5 bags a minute, to within 10 g to 20 g, fed from a bulk bag by a vacuum feeder.
05
A double-helix screw doses powder into a pre-made bag of 10 kg to 50 kg, above the roughly 10 kg most VFFS machines form from film. The bag stands on a belt conveyor, which carries it on to a sewing head that closes it. We have supplied one of these fillers for heavy powder bags; see the bagging machines page.
06
A semi-automatic bagging line joins the gross-weighing bag filler to the machines around it. A screw conveyor feeds the filler, the operator places an open-mouth bag of 5 kg to 50 kg, and the filled bag moves on a belt conveyor through a heat sealer or sewing head. The line we have supplied fills about 4 bags a minute, to within 0.2%; see the bagging machines page.
07
A semi-automatic weighing filler weighs granules into pre-made bags of 5 kg to 50 kg, and each bag is sewn closed. The operator places the open-mouth bag, the filler doses the granules by weight, and the filled bag moves on to the sewing head. Woven bags are sewn and sealed: an inner plastic bag is heat-sealed and the woven outer bag is sewn closed. See it on the bagging machines page.
Pack Formats
A semi-automatic filler fills any pre-made pack that is open on one side. The pack is then closed on a separate sealer, capper or sewing head.
Stand-up, flat-bottom and zipper pouches, filled by the auger, piston or weigher and closed on a band sealer or pouch sealer.
Filled by the piston filler and closed on a separate capper, for liquids and pastes.
Rigid tubs filled by the four-head weigher or the auger filler, for granules and powders sold in containers.
Open-mouth bags from 5 kg to 50 kg, filled by the gross-weighing bag filler and heat-sealed or sewn closed.
Applications
Semi-automatic fillers are used wherever a producer packs powders, liquids or granules into pre-made pouches, bags, bottles or tubs. The product form decides which filler you need, as the examples below show.
Semi-automatic powder fillers pack powders and fine particles such as:
Semi-automatic liquid fillers fill liquids and pastes such as:
Semi-automatic granule fillers weigh granules and loose pieces such as:
For the dosing and machines behind each product form, see the powder packaging machines, liquid filling machines and grain and granule packing machines pages. For pouch lines, see pouch packaging machines.
Specifications
These are semi-automatic fillers we have supplied, with the figures from each build. Every filler is specified to your product and pack before it is supplied.
| Configuration | Powder pouch filler (SAPM-420) | Powder bag filler | Single-head liquid filler | Double-head liquid filler | Four-head weigher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Product |
Powders and fine particles |
Powders |
Liquids and pastes |
Liquids, pastes and sauces |
Granules and loose pieces |
|
Dosing |
Auger screw with electronic weighing |
Gross weighing, valve or spiral feed |
Single-head pneumatic piston |
Two-head pneumatic piston |
Four weighing heads |
|
Fill range |
Up to 5 kg (screws from 10 g) |
5 to 50 kg |
10 to 1,000 ml, 100 to 1,000 ml or 500 to 5,000 ml |
50 to 500 ml, 200 to 2,000 ml or 500 to 5,000 ml |
50 to 500 g |
|
Rated output |
15 to 25 pouches per minute |
4 bags per minute |
20 to 40 fills per minute at 500 ml |
20 to 70 fills per minute at 500 ml |
30 to 40 packs per minute |
|
Accuracy |
±2% |
±0.2% |
Within 0.5% |
Within 0.5% |
±2% |
|
Pack type |
Pre-made pouches |
Ready-made bags |
Bottles and pouches |
Bottles |
Pre-made pouches and tubs |
|
Feeder |
Auger screw conveyor |
Screw conveyor |
Hopper |
Hopper |
Z-type bucket elevator |
|
Closing |
Band sealer |
Heat sealer, optional sewing head |
Separate screw capper; labeller |
Semi-automatic trigger and pump capper; labeller for shaped bottles |
Semi-automatic pouch sealer |
|
Power |
Single phase 220 V, 1.2 kW |
2 kW filler; conveyor, sealer and sewing head 3-phase |
Compressed air 0.4 to 0.6 MPa |
Compressed air 0.4 to 0.6 MPa |
Single phase 220 V, 2 kW |
|
Contact parts |
SUS304 |
SUS304 |
SUS304 |
SUS304 |
Stainless steel |
Model codes shown are machines we have supplied and configured for previous projects. Your machine is specified and configured to suit your product, output and pack format — not supplied off the shelf.
ABOUT THE MACHINE
A semi-automatic filling machine doses a set amount of product into a pack that an operator places under the filler. The operator starts each fill, and the machine measures and dispenses the dose. It suits producers who are already running and need more output and accuracy than hand filling gives, without the cost of a fully automatic line.
Also known as
Each fill follows the same steps.
Speed depends on the operator. As a guide, a 2 kg pouch runs at about 10 per minute with a skilled operator, against more than 20 per minute on an automatic machine.
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PackMan purchased an Automatic 6-Lane, 4-Side Seal Vinegar Packaging Machine, and it has been performing reliably since installation. The machine delivers consistent packaging quality, operates efficiently, and has met our production expectations.
SA Packaging Machinery delivered a solution that has met our expectations. The equipment has been reliable in daily production, and we’re pleased with its performance. We found the team knowledgeable, professional, and willing to assist whenever required.
We’ve been very happy with the equipment supplied by SA Packaging Machinery. It’s straightforward to use, performs consistently, and has helped us improve our production process. The team was easy to work with and made the entire experience smooth.
Comparison
A semi-automatic filler and an automatic line do the same job at different scales. The difference is who handles the pack.
| Semi-automatic filler | Automatic line | |
|---|---|---|
| Pack handling | An operator places each pouch, bag, bottle or tub | The machine picks, opens and moves each pack |
| Speed at 2 kg | About 10 pouches per minute | More than 20 pouches per minute |
| Machine cost | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | Producers adding capacity at smaller volumes | Higher, steady volumes |
Many producers start with a semi-automatic filler and add an automatic line as volumes grow. The product form decides the filler in both cases.
For pouches, the next step is an automatic fill-seal machine for pre-made pouches. The linear fill-seal machine we supply opens, fills and seals zipper pouches at 35 to 40 per minute. See pouch packaging machines.
Start with the product form, then the pack weight, the packs per minute you need and your budget. Send us a sample and we trial it on the filler before you order. For a side-by-side look at filling approaches, read manual vs automatic filling machines.
Advantages
A semi-automatic filler suits a producer that has outgrown hand filling but does not yet need a fully automatic line. It doses by weight or volume, so every pack carries the same amount, at a lower cost than an automatic line. Because each filler is built for one product form, it is matched to the product it fills.
Quotation
A semi-automatic filler is specified around your product, pack and output. We need to know the product and how it flows, the pack type and size, the fill weight or volume, and how many packs per minute you need.
Each item on the quotation is listed separately, so you can see what the filler, the feeder and the sealer each add. We quote after seeing your product, and a trial on your own product confirms the specification.
Before you ask for a quote, read what to know before you buy a filling machine. For what shapes the figure on any machine quotation, see the packaging machine cost guide. Installation and operator training are included in your quote, and spares are held in Johannesburg.
Why us
Every semi-automatic filler we supply is tested again at our Johannesburg workshop before delivery, then installed and commissioned on your site by our technical team, who train your operators during the handover.
Within 50 km of our workshop, delivery, installation and training are included; further afield, travel costs are quoted separately. Delivery is usually 8 to 10 weeks after the deposit.
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SA Packaging Machinery supplies semi-automatic fillers for powders, liquids, granules and bags. Send us a sample and we run it on the filler at our Riversands showroom before you order. We have supplied packaging machines since 2017.
Questions
No. A semi-automatic filler is built for one product form, because each is dosed differently: powder by an auger screw, liquid and paste by a piston or pump, granules by a weigher and bagged powder by gross weighing. Filling a second product form means a second semi-automatic filler.
It depends on the filler and the pack. The semi-automatic fillers we have supplied are rated at 15 to 25 pouches per minute (auger, pouches up to 5 kg), 20 to 40 fills per minute (piston, 500 ml), 30 to 40 packs per minute (four-head weigher, 50 to 500 g) and about 4 bags per minute (bag filler, 5 kg to 50 kg). With a skilled operator, a 2 kg pouch runs at about 10 per minute.
The semi-automatic auger filler and four-head weigher we supply fill to within 2%, the piston filler to within 0.5%, and the gross-weighing bag filler to within 0.2%.
The semi-automatic auger filler covers pouches from 10 g up to 5 kg with interchangeable screws, the piston filler 10 ml to 5 litres, depending on the cylinder, the four-head weigher 50 g to 500 g, and the bag filler 5 kg to 50 kg.
A separate machine. Pouches are closed on a band sealer or a semi-automatic pouch sealer, bags on a heat sealer or a sewing head, and bottles on a capper.
The semi-automatic piston filler handles thick liquids and pastes such as sauces, jam, honey and mayonnaise, including products with pieces. Very thick products such as grease need a lobe pump filler, which can mix and heat the product so it flows into the pack.
The semi-automatic auger filler runs on single-phase 220 V (1.2 kW) and the four-head weigher on single-phase 220 V (2 kW). The piston filler needs compressed air at 0.4 to 0.6 MPa. Conveyors, heat sealers and sewing heads on the bag filler line run on three-phase power.
