Lancing Ltd · Published · General selection guidance; final suitability requires application review.
Define the inclusion, not just “sauce with bits”
Describe the largest pieces, long fibres, seeds, soft pulp, fragile ingredients and the range of solids concentration. Give the product condition at filling and explain what an acceptable inclusion looks like in the finished bottle. A particle that compresses through a restriction may arrive damaged; passage alone is not an adequate result.
Manufacturer guidance from Liquid Packaging Solutions identifies product passage and settling as separate challenges for liquids containing solids. For a Lancing enquiry, use those issues as questions to resolve with the actual product, rather than adopting another manufacturer’s particle-size limit.
Walk the entire product path
| Location | Question to resolve | Trial evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Source vessel and pickup | Do solids settle, float or bridge at the outlet? | Samples at the supply and filler through normal depletion |
| Transfer pump and hoses | Can the product pass without unacceptable damage or separation? | Comparison before and after transfer, using normal supply conditions |
| Metering valve or chamber | Does the mechanism pass and close on the real inclusions? | Repeated doses with inspection for restriction and incomplete cut-off |
| Nozzle outlet | Is the passage appropriate for the shape and concentration? | Neck cleanliness, intact inclusions and stable dosing |
| Bottle opening | Can the intended nozzle enter while displaced air escapes? | Production-pack trial, not only a wide-mouth container |
| Stopped circuit | Does the composition change during a normal pause? | Separate restarted samples and a defined disposition |
Why “large bore” is not a complete specification
A large nozzle does not overcome a smaller upstream restriction. Ask for the limiting passage in the assembled product path, including change parts and any filter. Long fibres may behave differently from rounded pieces, and a dense cluster may behave differently from one isolated particle. Do not infer a safe limit from the nominal hose diameter.
Where a narrow bottle opening constrains the nozzle, compare the bottle and product combination before choosing a filling principle. A larger opening, a different inclusion specification or another suitable product path may need consideration. This is a packaging and recipe decision as well as a machine decision.
Test composition alongside filled quantity
Define the accepted solids distribution with the product owner. Record it by an agreed observation or measurement method; do not assume equal fill weight means equal recipe composition. Label samples by batch stage and head or nozzle where it can be identified.
- Retain the incoming product sample used for comparison.
- Inspect successive bottles during steady running, not only one selected bottle.
- Include high and low supply level, normal replenishment and a planned stop.
- Compare inclusion condition before transfer and after filling.
- Record blockages, drips, neck residue and product retained at clean-down.
Agitation or recirculation may be options, but their suitability must be reviewed for ingredient damage, aeration, heating and cleanability. Adding agitation without defining the result is not a substitute for a composition test. See product supply and tanks.
Make interruptions and cleaning part of acceptance
Agree how part-filled or compositionally uncertain bottles are isolated after a stop. Include the first bottles after a pause in the trial record and set out who decides whether they can be released. After running, inspect the product path using the supplier’s safe procedure; this is an opportunity to identify retained pieces and difficult cleaning locations, not permission to dismantle operating machinery.
Maintenance and dismantling must follow the machine instructions and a competent safe system of work. HSE maintenance guidance covers isolation, stored energy and competent personnel. Never reach into a live hopper or clear a running valve to recover output.
What to send before a particulate filling trial
Send representative product with the normal and most difficult inclusions, bottle and closure samples, the proposed dose range and the supply arrangement. State whether the bottle must retain intact pieces, a consistent solids ratio or both. Compare piston filling and suitable viscous-product routes, but let the evidence determine the final system.