Fillers are essential equipment in food and drug processing and packaging. Among them are the volumetric cup and auger filler. That being said, this article discusses and compares volumetric cup filler vs. auger filler. Keep reading to explore their advantages and cons.
What Is a Volumetric Cup Filler?
Also known as cup filler, this machine dispenses processed food and drugs in volumes. To keep the volumetric measurement consistent, this filler uses a measuring or graduated cup. Volumetric fillers can fill in small materials of inconsistent sizes and shapes, such as small-sized or chopped fruits and vegetables, pressed pills or tablets, beans, rice, and powdered milk.
Advantages of Volumetric Cup Fillers Over Auger Fillers
Small businesses or factories on a low budget can rely on volumetric fillers for their packaging needs. They are usually faster and maintain consistent volume during filling. They can also be adjusted to suit the product size and type of container to fill, thereby reducing product wastage. Volumetric cup fillers are quite easy to maintain.
Limitations of Volumetric Cup Fillers
Although they have multiple use cases, which include measuring, packaging, and distributing produced or processed items, they do not offer accuracy in terms of net weight. They are also unsuitable for non-free-flowing or sticky products such as flour, custard powder, pharma powder, etc. Extra care and time are required to calibrate the equipment to avoid filling inconsistencies.
What Is an Auger Filler?
Auger filler machines apportion food and drug materials directly into containers or capsules through nozzles. Inside the hopper is a corkscrew-like or spiral tool for mixing and gauging the materials into the containers or bags in their right amount or quantity. We call this tool an “auger,” from which this machine derives its name.
Ideally, the items dispensed by an auger must have insignificant individual sizes and consistent shapes. The reason is that, unlike cup fillers, auger fillers use a more slender pipe or nozzle, making it difficult for large or inconsistent food or drug materials to pass through or measure equally.
Another reason is that they fill the containers directly, which could leave room for measurement errors if the materials are inconsistent in shape and size. That said, this machine primarily fills and packages powdered or granulated items—though there are derivatives for filling liquid items.
Examples of materials an auger filler handles include ground sugar, powder pills or food items, rice, drinks, coffee powder, etc.
Advantages of Auger Fillers Over Volumetric Fillers
Auger fillers are used to fill a variety of products, including free-flowing and non-free-flowing products like powdered milk or sugar. They maintain filling consistency and accuracy by weight and volume up to 99.7% and 99%, respectively. However, operators may still adjust their speed to suit the dispensed product.
Limitations of Auger Fillers
Auger fillers are relatively expensive and not an affordable option for small businesses. They are not the best fit when it involves accurately dispensing products with inconsistent shapes and densities. Also, extremely fine products might be difficult to fill with Auger fillers, leading to product wastage and heavy maintenance.
Comparison Between Volumetric Cup Fillers and Auger Fillers
In this section, we’ll compare volumetric cup fillers with auger fillers. Our comparison points will include the differences in operation, accuracy, speed, versatility, cost, application, etc.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Operation
Volumetric fillers empty materials in a cup first before the containers. There is usually a knife system that ensures that the top of the cup does not overflow. This knife could be the edge of the hopper or an integrated blade specifically for this function.
Meanwhile, auger fillers pour the material directly into their containers instead of cups. In place of blades or knives, auger fillers have spiral-screw (also called augers or dosers) inside the hopper, ensuring a consistent volumetric measurement. However, they operate similarly to the volumetric cup filler in other ways.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Accuracy
The accuracy of both filler machine types is debatable, considering that they handle distinct materials respectively. For instance, most volumetric cup fillers are better suited for small solids like tablets, peas, peanuts, berries, etc. In contrast, auger fillers can handle powdered or liquid substances.
Based on this, volumetric cup fillers would likely have a quantitative measurement error. This is why most cup fillers use a weighing balance to support the primary measurement and minimize errors. In contrast, there is a lesser chance for errors in auger fillers due to the consistency and insignificance of the individual material sizes they handle.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Speed
Both volumetric cup fillers and auger fillers are fast. But in comparison, volumetric cup fillers are faster. This is because they do not prioritize accuracy like their counterparts. This allows them to process as many containers as possible without inspection. Their speed could also be attested to their quicker exit models. In fact, several reports show that volumetric cup fillers operate at least 37 beats per minute(bpm), compared to auger fillers’ ±22bpm.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Versatility
In terms of versatility, you have to give an auger filler its flowers. They are more suitable for various industries, including food and drug processing, especially those requiring high accuracy and intangible materials. On the contrary, volumetric cup fillers may only be suitable for limited packaging and bigger materials. Any other use case would require further customization and adaptation.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Maintenance and Cleaning
It’s easier to clean and maintain a volumetric cup filler. In fact, any operator could easily decouple the individual tools in a cup filler in a few minutes and mount it back.
Meanwhile, an auger filler requires more care when decoupling, making it harder for newbies to handle. Also, due to the nature of the products it dispenses, auger fillers may be harder to clean.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Cost Considerations
Per cost, volumetric fillers are less expensive than auger fillers. There are several reasons why this is so. One is their complexity and focus on accuracy. Apart from these reasons, most auger fillers are produced with durable materials due to the delicacy of the items they handle. On the contrary, most cup fillers are made of affordable steel materials. Also, their designs are more simplistic and upgradeable than auger fillers.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Size Range
Volumetric fillers can handle products of varying sizes, from those as small as rice to as big as candies. Meanwhile, auger fillers are best for handling products of insignificant sizes, such as powdered or granulated substances. Some auger fillers handle liquid solutions.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Sensitivity
Volumetric and auger fillers can be made of the same or different metals or materials. So, sensitivity to rusting or material action would depend on the metals used to produce the machine and the conditions under which it operates, regardless of the type of machine.
However, it’s more likely that a volumetric filler would be less sensitive to side effects resulting from a humid or aqueous machine, or dispensing any salt compound capable of compromising the machine. The reason is that most volumetric fillers are designed to handle more compact and less delicate items capable of affecting the machine materials.
Volumetric Cup Filler vs. Auger Filler: Difference in Application
Auger fillers primarily dispense tiny, granular, or powdered products or items into containers or packaging bags. They are suitable for both free-flowing and non-free-flowing products. Their versatility and effectiveness in handling sensitive or delicate items make them great choices for packaging industries.
Conversely, volumetric cup fillers are more adapted to low-budget packaging and insensitive or visible products. As a result, this may give it an edge over its counterpart in terms of wide-scale application and adoption.
Classification of Volumetric Cup Fillers and Auger Fillers
Auger and volumetric fillers are almost alike in many aspects. Like most machines, we can classify both of them based on automation, stations, and processing styles.
Classification by Automation
Regarding automation, we have automatic, semi-automatic, and manual auger and volumetric fillers.
Automatic Fillers
These types of cup fillers are controlled by computer programs. During operation, the operator inputs the required measurement for each cup or container. Despite being an automatic machine, operators may still need to adjust other tooling if necessary, such as changing the cups to a different volume.
Semi-Automatic Fillers
A semi-automatic cup filler may use electricity but still needs more manual input and adjustment. For instance, the machine operator may manually place the containers during operation and manually gauge the container to ensure it has the correct measurement or volume. Additionally, many semi-automatic cup fillers do not have tools like automatic servo lift stations and conveyors. Therefore, the operators must move the packaged products manually.
Manual Fillers
These fillers use engines to enable operation. Some manual cup fillers, especially the rotary types, have pedals that rotate the cups when pedalled manually. Usually, LED indicators show the machine’s state during operation. These indicators act as sensors, such as showing that the rotary cup fillers are active. Most manual cup fillers are used in small-scale or local production factories that produce locally-made yoghurt, dairy milk, etc.
Classification by Stations
Another way of classifying auger and volumetric cup fillers is by their station number. For instance, we have the single-station and multiple-station auger filler and cup filler. These names are self-explanatory.
The single-station filler (also known as a single-station pick, fill, and seal machine) has only one filling cup. It is usually modular and has different functionalities to suit production or packaging needs.
On the other hand, multi-station types have multiple hoppers and cup holders. This makes production and packaging faster.
Classification by Processing Style
Per processing style, we have the rotary and inline filler. The rotary types rotate after filling each cup. Each setting could have at least five stations. As production and budgeting increase, you could get a custom rotary cup filler with more than ten hoppers or stations.
On the contrary, we have the inline filler. This type of filler arranges and distributes the containers in a single line or column. Due to the high demand for rotary fillers, inline fillers are usually custom machines. Interestingly, they can produce or package as many as 35 to 45 containers or bags per hour. However, this depends on the station number or machine complexity.
What to Consider Before Getting a Filler/Packaging Machine
Consider the following factors when choosing auger or volumetric fillers. This will guide your choice and help you to avoid unnecessary expenses.
1. Product Type
You must consider your niche product, including its viscosity, flow nature, compactness, shape, and size, before choosing your filling machine. This enables you to idealize your perfect custom filler machine and conclude between a volumetric or auger filler machine, which is perfect for you.
Apart from your niche product, you must also consider the type and shape of the container used and the most suitable filling machine for the products. For example, a powdered milk container or bag will likely differ from a bean or candy packaging bag. This also affects the type of servo lift used alongside the filler machine.
2. Production Volume
Another thing to consider is the company’s production requirement and capacity. Demand and expected level of growth should play a critical role in picking a suitable filler. This affects the company’s decision between choosing a smaller or larger machine.
3. Budget
Budgeting includes both the filler price and maintenance cost. The goal of every business is to save money while maximizing production; hence, the quality and output of the machine should be factored into the budget.
This is why we recommend custom filler machines manufactured with durable materials or metals. In fact, manual and semi-automated filler machines are less expensive than automated ones. This gives factories a wide range of options that fit their budgets.
4. Factory Size
Small-scale businesses like startups or companies with minimal demands will require space-efficient machines like manual and semi-automated filling machines that are easy for an individual to operate. On the other hand, automated-filling machines are best suited for large-scale companies with higher demands.
Conclusion
Picking the right filler equipment for your company or business can be quite tasking, given the wide range of models and options available. To make a better choice, consider your budget, business type and size, and production volume before choosing between a volumetric filler machine and an auger type.
After picking the right machine for your packaging business, ensure you adopt a strict maintenance culture to make the machines last long. With that being said, do you wish to get the best filler machines delivered to your doorstep? Consider SaintyTec for your custom auger or volumetric filler machine. Request a quote to get started.
