Lancing Ltd · Published · General selection guidance; final suitability requires application review.
Choose the product path before the automation level
A smooth, pumpable syrup and a honey that changes flow during a batch should not be treated as the same test product. Record whether the honey is liquid, creamed or contains crystals, and whether the syrup contains flavourings or suspended ingredients. A piston or suitable positive-displacement pump is a starting route for review; compatibility with crystals, particles and cleaning must be confirmed for the actual valves and seals.
Lancing’s published automatic volumetric filling machine includes honey among its applications. That is a machinery-family starting point, not proof that every honey, nozzle, bottle or dose is covered. Compare the existing piston filling route and viscous bottle fillers against a representative sample.
Glass bottles and squeeze packs need different handling
| Condition | What to establish | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid glass bottle | Base stability, neck clearance and the accepted filled presentation | A run using production bottles, including a stop and restart |
| Flexible squeeze bottle | Support without distorting the empty pack or blocking the neck | Bottle location, fill and release shown at the agreed settings |
| Stringing product | Whether a tail remains between the nozzle and neck after cut-off | Neck and thread inspection before the closure is applied |
| Product changes through the batch | Temperature, feed level, aeration and the way the supply is replenished | Start, middle, low-level and restarted-fill results |
Use the intended flip-top, valve cap or screw closure in the trial. A filled bottle that looks acceptable before capping may still carry residue onto a sealing surface. The neck-contamination guide explains the filling-to-closing interface.
Define a temperature window, not an improvised heating setting
Ask the product owner to define acceptable product conditions before testing any warming or heated hopper. The objective is a repeatable feed and fill while retaining the required product characteristics. Do not assume a heated tank makes the whole circuit temperature-controlled: hoses, valves, nozzles, waiting time and replenishment also belong in the review.
Take samples at the colder and warmer limits of the intended production window. Record the condition at the filler rather than only the source tank. Keep product-quality limits separate from the machinery’s permitted operating conditions. A suitable process is not established by making one sample flow more easily.
Specify quantity and clean presentation separately
A volume setting, a measured net mass and the visible level in a bottle answer different questions. When the product is sold by mass, describe the empty-pack tare procedure and check the dispensed product independently. A change in density or entrained air can make a previous volume setting unsuitable for a new batch. Read fill accuracy and verification before agreeing an acceptance percentage.
For the trial record, identify each product condition, bottle, fill setting and measurement method. Include whether the neck stays clean, whether bubbles settle to an unacceptable presentation and how much product remains in the supply path at changeover. These checks support a useful comparison without inventing a universal output or accuracy figure.
Prepare a honey or syrup machinery enquiry
- Describe the recipe family, consistency, crystals or inclusions and normal filling temperature.
- Provide glass or squeeze-bottle samples, neck drawings and the actual closures.
- State minimum and maximum fill, declared quantity basis and the batch pattern.
- Describe the vessel or drum feed, replenishment and any proposed warming.
- Define cleaning, product recovery, changeovers and the output measured after closing.
For short runs, compare operator-loaded fillers before specifying a full conveyor line. For repeated production, include capping and downstream handling in the complete-line brief.