Machine OverviewProduction-scale machines and full lines available
| Machine type | Volumetric cup filler (measuring cup filler), supplied as the dosing system on a packing machine |
| Fits on | Vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS), horizontal fill-seal and horizontal form-fill-seal machines; tea bag machines use the same cup |
| Doses | Products that pour freely: sugar, salt, rice, popcorn, tea, coffee powder, spice blends, snacks and washing powder |
| Fill range | 5 g sticks to 2 kg bags on the lines we have supplied; adjustable cups or inserts change the volume within each cup size |
| Output | 20 to 40 sticks a minute; 20 to 60 sachets a minute; 20 to 45 bags a minute on 500 g to 2 kg bags |
| Accuracy | Within 2% on the 500 g to 2 kg bagging line |
| Pack types | Stick sachets, 3-side and 4-side seal sachets, and pillow packs and bags up to 2 kg |
| Feeding | A vacuum feeder, auger screw conveyor or bucket elevator keeps the hopper full |
| Contact parts | SUS304 stainless steel; SUS316 for products with a high salt content |
Configurations
A volumetric cup filler, also called a measuring cup filler, doses dry products by volume. Cups set into a turning plate fill from the hopper, and each cup empties into the pack below. We supply it as part of a packing machine rather than on its own: most often a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine, and also horizontal fill-seal and horizontal form-fill-seal machines. Our tea bag machines measure tea with the same type of cup.
01
A narrow vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine with a volumetric cup filler forms each stick from roll film, fills it with a set volume and seals it. The stick-pack line we have supplied packs 5 g sugar sticks at 20 to 40 a minute.
Best for
•Sugar sticks
•Single-serve doses of a few grams
•Free-flowing granules
Benefits
Forms, fills and seals in one cycle
Vacuum feeder keeps the hopper full
Ribbon coder prints each stick
02
On a wider VFFS machine, the volumetric cup filler doses 9 g to 50 g into three-side or four-side seal sachets or pillow packs, rated at 20 to 60 a minute. An auger screw conveyor carries the product up from a floor-level container to keep the cup filler’s hopper full.
Best for
•Snacks and small dry foods
•Packs from 9 g to 50 g
•Sachets and pillow packs
Benefits
SUS316 contact parts
Extra forming shoulders for other bag widths
Screw conveyor feeds the hopper
03
For larger packs, a volumetric cup filler on a wide VFFS machine doses salt into 500 g to 2 kg pillow bags at 20 to 45 a minute, within 2%. A bucket elevator feeds the cups, a check weigher confirms every bag, and all contact parts are SUS316 to resist the salt.
Best for
•Salt and other free-flowing granules
•Bags from 500 g to 2 kg
•Pillow bags in LDPE film
Benefits
Within 2%
Check weigher rejects off-weight bags
SUS316 contact parts
Applications
Sugar and salt. Granules that pour evenly into the cups:
Sugar sticks and sachets
Salt in 500 g to 2 kg bags
SUS316 contact parts where the salt content is high
Food granules and powders. Products the cup measures without crushing:
Rice and popcorn
Tea and coffee powder, fine or granulated
Spice blends and snacks
Washing powder and other free-flowing powders. Household and chemical powders:
Washing powder, fine or coarse
Other free-flowing powders, after a trial
See grain and granule packing machines
Other products. Most dry products that pour freely can be dosed by a cup, but we trial yours at our Riversands showroom before we specify the cup size. Fine or sticky powders such as flour, milk powder and icing sugar are dosed with an auger filler, and coffee beans and other large pieces with a multihead weigher, because a large piece cannot fill a cup completely.
For every machine we supply that packs granules, see grain and granule packing machines, and for powders, see powder packaging machines.
Specifications
A volumetric cup filler is specified by the product, the dose and the pack. Cups come in different sizes to suit the dose, and smaller cups are fitted for small doses: one customer packing 8 g moved to smaller cups to run 5 g. The packing machine is matched to the pack width and format.
Output depends on the dose, the pack length and how freely the product runs into the cups. Rated speeds are confirmed on a trial with your product.
| Measuring cup VFFS | Product and pack | Fill range | Output and accuracy | Bag size and film | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAP-140 measuring cup VFFS | Sugar in stick sachets | 5 g | 20 to 40 sticks/min | Bag width 17 mm, length 50 to 160 mm; film up to 140 mm wide | 220 V or 380 V, 50 Hz, 3 kW |
| SAP-320 measuring cup VFFS | Snacks in 3-side and 4-side seal sachets and pillow packs | 9 g to 50 g | 20 to 60 packs/min | Bag width 50 to 150 mm, length 80 to 200 mm; film up to 320 mm wide, 0.07 to 0.15 mm thick | 220 V single-phase |
| SAP-520 measuring cup VFFS | Salt in pillow centre-seal bags; SUS316 contact parts | 500 g to 2 kg | 20 to 45 bags/min; ±2% | Bag width 80 to 250 mm, length 100 to 400 mm; LDPE film | 380 V three-phase, 4.25 kW |
About our modelModel 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.
Product-contact parts are SUS304 stainless steel as standard. Salt wears and corrodes steel, so for salty products, including some spice blends, we ask for the salt percentage and specify SUS316 where it is high; the sachet line we supplied was built in SUS316. Send us a sample and tell us the pack sizes you plan to run.
ABOUT THE MACHINE
A volumetric cup filler, also called a measuring cup filler, is a dosing system that measures each portion by volume. A set of cups sits in a turning plate under the hopper. Each cup fills as it passes under the product, the excess is levelled off, and the cup then empties its dose into the pack. Because every cup holds the same volume, a product with an even grain fills to a steady weight without being weighed. On our machines the cup filler sits on top of a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine, which forms the stick, sachet or pillow pack around each dose.
Also known as
Each fill follows these steps.
A cup measures volume, not weight, so a product whose density changes from batch to batch fills to a different weight. Free-flowing products with an even grain hold their weight well. Where a product varies, a multihead weigher weighs each portion instead.
Fine or sticky powders such as flour, milk powder and icing sugar do not fill the cups evenly, so they are dosed with an auger filler, which pushes the powder down with a turning screw. Very fine powders can also clump if they pick up moisture, so we trial fine powders before recommending a cup filler.
See a measuring cup machine running in our measuring cup VFFS video, which follows small stick packs from dosing to sealing.
Small granules work best in a cup filler. Sugar, salt, rice, tea and coffee pour evenly and pass through whole, where an auger screw could crush them, which is why spice blends that must not be broken up are often dosed by cup.
For how an auger filler compares with a measuring cup on a VFFS machine, read auger filler vs measuring cup.
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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 volumetric cup filler and an auger filler both dose dry products by volume, but they suit different products.
| Volumetric cup filler | Auger filler | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Products that pour freely: sugar, salt, rice, tea, coffee powder, spice blends, washing powder | Fine or sticky powders: flour, milk powder, icing sugar |
| How it doses | A cup of set volume | A set number of screw rotations |
| Granules | Pass through whole | Can be crushed in the screw |
| Changing the dose | Adjustable cups, cup inserts or a different cup size | Change the screw rotations or the screw |
Choose a volumetric cup filler where the product pours freely, and an auger filler for fine or dusty powder. If you are not sure how your product flows, send us a sample and we test it on both.
A volumetric cup filler measures by volume and works best on small granules and small, even doses such as sugar sticks and tea. A multihead weigher weighs every portion, so it suits coffee beans and other larger pieces, which cannot fill a cup completely, and products whose pieces vary in size.
Advantages
Choose a volumetric cup filler when your product pours freely and you want it dosed without being crushed, such as sugar sticks, salt, tea, coffee powder or a spice blend. A fixed volume repeats pack after pack, and the cups sit directly on the packing machine, so one line doses, forms, fills and seals. For fine or sticky powders such as flour, milk powder and icing sugar, an auger filler is the better choice; for beans and larger pieces, a multihead weigher is.
Quotation
Every volumetric cup filler is quoted to your product and pack rather than from a list price. Send us your product and we will trial it and confirm the cup size and output.
Why us
Every volumetric cup filler we supply is set up and handed over by our own technicians, together with the VFFS machine and feeder it runs with.
Installation and commissioning. We position the machine and its feeder, connect the power, set the cup volumes on your product and run test packs before handover.
Operator training. Your operators learn to set and change the cups, change the forming shoulder and film, and clean the filler between products.
Service, spares and support.
Spares are held in Johannesburg, and our technicians support the line in person and remotely once you are running.
Choosing the right volumetric cup filler starts with the product, the pack sizes and the output you need.
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SA Packaging Machinery supplies volumetric cup fillers across South Africa and Southern Africa, as the dosing system on vertical and horizontal packing machines. Send us your product and pack sizes, and we will trial it and quote the configuration that suits it. We have supplied packaging machines since 2017.
Questions
A volumetric cup filler, also called a measuring cup filler, doses dry products by volume. Cups in a turning plate fill from the hopper, are levelled off and empty into the pack. We supply it as part of a packing machine, most often a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine that forms sticks, sachets and pillow packs around each dose.
A volumetric cup filler fills products that pour freely: sugar, salt, rice, popcorn, tea, coffee powder, spice blends and washing powder. Fine or sticky powders such as flour, milk powder and icing sugar are dosed with an auger filler, and coffee beans with a multihead weigher. We trial your product before we recommend a cup.
The volumetric cup fillers we have supplied dose 5 g sugar sticks, 9 g to 50 g snack sachets and pillow packs, and 500 g to 2 kg bags of salt, within 2% on the bagging line. The dose is set by the cup size, which we match to your product on a trial.
On the lines we have supplied, the volumetric cup filler runs 20 to 40 sugar sticks a minute, 20 to 60 sachets or pillow packs a minute on 9 g to 50 g, and 20 to 45 bags a minute on 500 g to 2 kg bags. Speed depends on how freely the product flows and on the bag size.
A volumetric cup filler uses one of two types of cup. On one, the bottom section is raised or lowered to change the volume; on the other, inserts fit inside the cup to make it smaller. Both adjust the dose within a range, and a bigger change means a different cup size.
On a VFFS machine, a volumetric cup filler fills stick sachets, three-side and four-side seal sachets and pillow packs formed from roll film. The cup filler also fits horizontal fill-seal and horizontal form-fill-seal machines, and extra forming shoulders let one VFFS run more than one bag width.
A vacuum feeder or an auger screw conveyor carries product from a floor-level container up to the hopper above the cups, so the volumetric cup filler runs without an operator topping it up by hand.
