Decoration

Consumer packaging containers usually have some kind of decoration. Paper labels are sometimes applied by special auxiliary equipment that works in conjunction with the blowmoulder, but most often, labelling takes place on the filling line.

Containers can also be decorated by machines that apply ink directly to the container wall. Decorating is done by a variety of machines that are either operated manually, with a silk screening machine, or semi-automatically, by a high speed silk screening machine or heat transfer labelling equipment.

Whatever the type, they all have two things in common. First, they can not decorate defective containers. Second, a functionally defective article may jam or damage equipment.
Printing puts pressure on the walls of the container as the ink is applied through the screen. Many containers are printed continuously around the outside. The thickness of the walls must be fairly uniform and the surface must be smooth and free of bumps and valleys. And since ink will not adhere to dirt or grease, all articles must be very clean.

A container is held in the jigs, which are designed to exactly match their specifications. If the container is defective and fits poorly in the jig, it could shift and ruin the screen. Heat transfer labelling machines operate at fairly high speeds, and have sophisticated parts and timing.

The ink label has been printed on wax paper. As the containers pass through the transfer station, a heater melts the wax and presses the ink onto the container. Like the silk screeners, it has jigs and fixtures that precisely orient the containers. These are also designed around the container’s specifications.

The ink label has been printed on wax paper. As the containers pass through the transfer station, a heater melts the wax and presses the ink onto the container. Like the silk screeners, it has jigs and fixtures that precisely orient the containers. These are also designed around the container’s specifications.

The quality and efficiency of the decoration process is very dependent on the quality of the blowmould containers. Defective or off-spec articles can not be decorated properly and can severely damage auxiliary equipment.

Filling Line
The last of the product manufacturing steps usually takes place on the filling line. It is a series of high speed sophisticated machines that are all interconnected by conveyers.
Bottles are sent into a unit called an ‘unscrambler’. It automatically orients them so they can be stood up on to conveyer and sent down stream.
The bottles are metered into a carousel unit for filling. As they make the trip around the circle, the fill tubes are inserted and the product is pumped in. The fill tubes are retracted, and the bottles are placed back on the conveyer.
Next, they enter the station which applies and tightens the caps. From here, they move to the labeler. Several paper labels can be applied simultaneously, each containing the manufacturing lot or the date of production.

Inspectors visually check the product to assure that each is properly filled, labelled on both sides, and capped before hand packers or machines place the products in shipping containers. These are sealed and sent away from the line to be palletized and shipped to stores.

As with the decoration machinery, the equipment on the filling line is designed with the container specifications in mind. Efficiency is dependant on the total absence on functionally defective bottles. If the bottom flash is left on the containers, they can fall over and the others to jam up.
If a neck finish is incomplete, or the opening is too small, the fill tubes can get ruined as they insert. Fill tubes are fragile, expensive assemblies that can only be replaced while the filling line is down. A leak in a container requires that the line be stopped, so the mess can be cleaned before operations resume.

Cappers operate at a certain torque which can not overcome a lot of resistance. If the neck dimensions are over specification, the cap can not be applied. Conversely, if necks are under spec, the caps will be too loose. This may allow the product to leak.

The quality and efficiency of the filling line operations are dependant on the quality of the containers. After leaving the filling plant, the product goes under the most important inspection. The ultimate test for container and product quality comes at the hands of the consumer and may be the deciding factor on whether or not they will repurchase the product.