Lancing Ltd · Published · General selection guidance; final suitability requires application review.
Separate drink dispensing from the preservation process
Define whether the drink arrives chilled, at ambient temperature or at an approved hot-fill condition. Specify what occurs before and after filling, who owns the process validation and which conditions must be maintained through a stop. Do not select a preservation method from a filler catalogue.
The Food Standards Agency explains the role of food-safety management procedures based on HACCP principles. For a bottling project, the production team should establish the product, packaging, cleaning and storage controls within that system. This page is equipment-selection guidance, not a shelf-life assessment or a thermal-process instruction.
Match the filling method to the drink
| Drink condition | Starting routes to compare | What the trial must resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Clear, free-flowing drink | Gravity, suitable pump or a compatible fill-to-level route | Foam, splash, bottle venting and the accepted quantity |
| Juice with pulp or fibres | A product path selected for the actual inclusions | Passage, fibre bridging and solids distribution through the batch |
| Foam-prone formulation | Controlled feed, nozzle movement and fill profile | Filling time including foam settling, not just valve-open time |
| Approved hot-fill process | A temperature-compatible product circuit and bottle | Condition at the filler, closure sequence and pack behaviour |
| Cold-brew coffee or tea | A compatible liquid-dosing route with a defined hygiene plan | Cleaning, product hold conditions, bottle presentation and closures |
These are routes for assessment, not an assurance that a standard machine handles every drink. Manufacturer documentation distinguishes clear cold-filled drinks from hot-fill recirculating applications; SIPA’s still-liquid filler guidance is one example of that distinction. No output or temperature rating from another manufacturer is a Lancing specification.
Cold brew and juice require a complete pack trial
Send the intended glass or plastic bottle, cap, liner or insert and the proposed fill level. Check bottle detection and support before filling, then neck cleanliness and stability between the filler and capper. When product is chilled, discuss condensation and its effect on subsequent handling and label application. Separate those observations from the product’s food-safety acceptance.
For pulpy drinks, retain samples before the filler and from different parts of the batch. An acceptable bottle weight does not show whether the pulp distribution has remained representative. Use the particle-handling guide to structure that review.
Measure output through the real operating sequence
State whether the required output is uncapped bottles leaving the filler or accepted, closed and labelled bottles. Count the operations that occur around dispensing: bottle entry, location, nozzle movement, settling, discharge, capping and replenishment. Use the intended drink, because a water test can conceal the time needed to control foam or residue.
At a planned stop, record the bottle state and the product remaining in the feed circuit. Define how a part-filled bottle is identified and handled before restarting. For the closing stage, agree what happens when caps run short or the downstream conveyor fills. The line-planning guide provides the wider interface checklist.
Information that makes a beverage quotation useful
- Drink type, pulp or fibres, foaming and the approved filling condition.
- Bottle and closure samples, neck dimensions and the required headspace.
- Declared quantity, dose range, measurement procedure and batch size.
- Existing treatment, chilling, hot-fill or other process boundaries, without assuming aseptic capability.
- Supply vessel, transfer pump, cleaning method, drainage and product-change schedule.
- Required accepted output and the scope of capping, coding, labelling and accumulation.
Begin with liquid bottle fillers, then compare gravity filling and fill-to-level systems where product and bottle suitability support them.