Sauce packaging machine: how in-motion filling maintains a consistent ketchup level

In positional filling, the bottle stops under the filler, then starts again. For thick ketchup, this is an extra jolt: the product in the container sways, and the surface does not have time to settle before the next operation.

FTPfill operates on a tracking principle: containers move continuously along the slat conveyor, and four filling heads move together with the bottle in its direction of travel and fill it on the move.

According to the manufacturer's materials, this mode produces an even product surface without splashing or agitation — this is critical for ketchup, tomato sauce, and other viscous products.

The FTPfill dosing unit consists of four piston pumps. The housing of each piston also serves as a metering chamber: first the product is drawn in at a set volume, then discharged into the bottle.

Flow switching is performed by a three-way rotary valve: one position is “hopper to metering chamber,” the other is “metering chamber to filling valve.”

The heads move along a toothed rack with a servo motor and linear guide; during operation they can be paired or move separately, and the filling nozzles are interchangeable.

If the piston stroke is set pneumatically, it depends on the pressure in the line: air fluctuations change the stroke and, with it, the actual fill volume. For ketchup, such instability means different weights in bottles from the same batch.

In FTPfill, four piston pumps are driven by servo motors: the volume is set by the number of revolutions and speed, not by air pressure.

In total, the machine has ten servo amplifiers: four for the piston pumps, four for horizontal movement of the heads, one for frame height, and one for the slat conveyor. A PLC controller controls everything; a frequency converter, power supply, relays, and circuit breakers are installed separately.

The product path is assembled with quick-release latches, and the filling nozzles are replaceable — this simplifies disassembly and selection for different types of bottles and sauces.

For washing, water or sterile water is run through the pipelines; contaminated water is collected in a separate tank and discharged from the side of the machine.

The U-shaped hopper is equipped with a level sensor: when the control value is reached, the feed pump stops — this reduces the risk of overflow and downtime. The 304 stainless steel frame and transparent tempered doors are designed for hygiene in a food production area.

The touchscreen is used to set the fill volume and speed and to view the current machine status and the number of bottles already filled.

Transparent tempered doors at the front, rear, and on the electrical cabinet allow observation of the components while in operation, without stopping the line. The pneumatics — filling valves, head lifting, bottle holders — are supplied through an air preparation unit with a filter.

The series is described in three versions by number of heads — 2, 4, and 6. FTPfill is the four-head version; values for the other versions are provided only for series comparison and are not specifications of this machine.

For the four-head version, the specification states a fill volume of 50–1000 ml (with possible modification), a speed of 40–50 bottles per minute, power supply 380 V / 50 Hz, power 4.5 kW, dimensions 2200×1400×2200 mm, and weight 700 kg.

Suitability for a specific ketchup and container is confirmed using a product sample: viscosity, feed temperature, and bottle type are checked separately for each case.