Recommended configuration✓ Food-grade product-contact parts
8 rinsing, 8 filling and 3 capping heads in one frame; or foil sealing heads followed by a screw capper
Still bottled water and mineral water
PET bottles with plastic screw caps; foil-sealed and capped bottles
200 ml to 2 litres, on bottles 50 to 110 mm across and 150 to 310 mm tall
Rated 30 to 50 bottles a minute on 500 ml bottles
Product behaviour
Water has no colour or flavour to hide a fault, so the bottle, the fill and the seal all have to be clean. These are the points that shape a water bottling line.
The bottle has to be clean before it is filled. The 3-in-1 machine rinses each bottle before filling it. On the water lines we have supplied, an air conveyor carries the empty bottles by the neck through a fan-fed tunnel, which keeps dust out of the open bottles on the way to the filler.
Every bottle needs a tight seal. A cap sorter and elevator feed caps to the capping heads, so every bottle is capped without an operator loading caps by hand. Where a foil seal is wanted under the cap, foil sealing heads seal the bottle before a screw capper fits the cap.
Wet bottles do not take labels. Water bottles leave the filler wet, and a label will not stick to a wet bottle. The water lines we supply put a bottle dryer between the 3-in-1 and the labeller.
Recommendation
Bottled water is filled on a 3-in-1 rinsing, filling and capping machine. It rinses each bottle, fills it and fits the cap in one compact, closed frame, which keeps the bottle covered between steps and takes less floor space than separate machines. The water lines we have supplied run 8 rinsing heads, 8 filling heads and 3 capping heads, for bottles from 200 ml to 2 litres. A bottle dryer, a round-bottle labeller and a sleeve sealer shrink wrapper can follow on the same line, linked by conveyors.
Capping and sealing
Screw capping on the 3-in-1. On our 3-in-1 water lines, 3 capping heads fit plastic screw caps straight after filling. A cap sorter and elevator feed the caps, so the water bottle capping step keeps pace with the filler.
Foil sealing, then capping. We have also supplied a rinse, fill and foil seal machine for bottles: 6 foil application heads and a foil sealing head seal each bottle, then a separate automatic screw capper fits the plastic cap. This water bottle sealing setup is rated at 16 to 33 bottles a minute on 500 ml bottles.
Bottle sizes
These are the water bottle sizes producers ask us to quote for, with the machine setup for each. Each bottle size needs its own change parts on the filler and capper, so a line that runs several sizes is quoted with a set for each.
| Bottle size | Format | Machine setup |
|---|---|---|
| 200 ml to 500 ml | PET bottle with a plastic screw cap | 3-in-1 rinse, fill and cap, rated at 30 to 50 bottles a minute on 500 ml |
| 1 to 2 litres | PET bottle with a plastic screw cap | The same 3-in-1, with change parts for the larger bottle; output confirmed by trial |
| 500 ml, foil-sealed | Bottle with a foil seal under a screw cap | Rinse, fill and foil seal machine with a separate screw capper, rated at 16 to 33 bottles a minute |
| 5 to 25 litres | Large water bottle or container | An automatic 2-head filler with an automatic capper for 50 to 60 mm necks, which we have supplied: 5 to 6 containers a minute on 5 litres, 1 to 3 on 25 litres |
| Water sachets and pouches | Sealed sachet or pouch | A liquid sachet machine, not a bottling line: see sachet filling machines |
PET bottles with plastic screw caps, rinsed, filled and capped on the 3-in-1. Bottles 50 to 110 mm across and 150 to 310 mm tall run on the same machine.
Water in sealed sachets and pouches is packed on a liquid sachet machine rather than a bottling line. See sachet filling machines.
For small runs, a single-head filler with an automatic capper is the starting point before a full 3-in-1 line. See semi-automatic filling machines.
Output
Output on a water line is set by the bottle size and the number of filling heads. The 3-in-1 water machines we have supplied are rated at 30 and 50 bottles a minute on 500 ml bottles, and the foil-seal line at 16 to 33 bottles a minute. These are the ratings of each build, not results measured on a customer’s line.
The rest of the line has to keep up. On the line in our case study, the air conveyor carries 20 to 60 bottles a minute and the round-bottle labeller runs 25 to 40, so the 3-in-1 sets the pace. Larger bottles fill more slowly than 500 ml, so we confirm the output for your bottle sizes by trial before we quote.
Experience
A water producer bottles 200 ml to 2 litre bottles on a 3-in-1 machine with 8 rinsing, 8 filling and 3 capping heads, rated at 30 bottles a minute on 500 ml. The line adds an air conveyor, a cap sorter and elevator, a bottle dryer, a round-bottle labeller and a sleeve sealer shrink wrapper for multipacks. Read the 3-in-1 water bottling case study.
A second line rinses, fills and foil seals bottles on a machine with 8 rinsing and 8 filling heads, then caps them on a separate automatic screw capper and labels them on a round-bottle labeller. It is rated at 16 to 33 bottles a minute on 500 ml bottles.
We have also supplied a 3-in-1 with the same 8, 8 and 3 heads, rated at 50 bottles a minute on 500 ml bottles. We run a product trial for every machine we sell: send us your bottle and cap, and we will show you the fill, the cap and the finished bottle at our Riversands showroom.
Bottling machines from our range: the 3-in-1 that rinses, fills and caps, a filler for 5 to 20 litre bottles, a single-head filler with an automatic capper for smaller runs, and a linear line that fills, caps and labels.
Each bottle is rinsed, filled and capped in one machine.
A filler for large water bottles and containers from 5 to 20 litres.
One filling head with an automatic capper, for lower volumes.
A linear line that fills, caps and labels each bottle in turn.
Quotation
A water bottling line is quoted to configuration, so we need these details about your bottles and plant.
Your bottle sizes and shapes, with a sample bottle if you can
The closure you use: a screw cap, or a foil seal and cap
Target output, in bottles a minute or an hour
Whether the line should also dry, label and shrink wrap the bottles
Site power and air: our 3-in-1 runs on 380 V three-phase and compressed air
The floor space available: the 3-in-1 alone is about 1.9 m by 1.5 m
Send a sample bottle with the enquiry and we will trial it before we quote. For what shapes the figure on a bottling quotation, read the bottling machine cost guide.
Related pages
Water is a liquid, so this page sits under liquid filling machines. For how a water line runs step by step, read the water bottling process; for drinks with gas, see still vs carbonated liquids; and for keeping a filler running, see the water bottle filler jamming fixes. Labels and multipacks are covered on the labelling machine and sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel pages.
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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.
Send us the bottle and cap you use, and we will run them on a bottling machine at our Riversands showroom before you order.
Questions
A 3-in-1 rinsing, filling and capping machine. The water lines we have supplied run 8 rinsing, 8 filling and 3 capping heads and are rated at 30 to 50 bottles a minute on 500 ml bottles.
For small runs, a single-head filler with an automatic capper. We have supplied a semi-automatic single-head liquid filler for 500 to 5,000 ml containers, rated at 20 to 40 fills a minute on 500 ml. A 3-in-1 water bottling line is the next step when volumes grow.
Yes. Our 3-in-1 water lines fill bottles from 200 ml to 2 litres. Each bottle size needs its own change parts on the filler and capper, and a larger bottle runs more slowly than a 500 ml bottle.
Water bottles leave the filler wet, and labels do not stick to a wet bottle. On the water lines we supply, a bottle dryer sits between the 3-in-1 and the round-bottle labeller.
Yes. The 3-in-1 water line in our case study ends with a sleeve sealer shrink wrapper that wraps bottles into multipacks, linked to the labeller by conveyors. See the sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel.
