Piston Fillers

Piston fillers draw product into a cylinder and displace it into the container with a piston stroke, delivering a precise volumetric dose. They handle a wide viscosity range, from thin liquids to heavy pastes, and can accommodate chunky products such as salsa or fruit preserves with the right valve design. Fill volume is adjusted by changing the piston stroke, and multi-head configurations scale output for higher production rates.

How it works

Piston fillers use a precision cylinder and piston to draw a fixed volume of product from a supply tank and then push it out through a nozzle into the container. The piston stroke length generally determines the fill volume, allowing repeatable dosing. This method is often favored for thick or viscous products that are difficult to meter with flow-based systems.

Common applications

• Filling viscous sauces and food pastes
• Dispensing creams and lotions
• Packaging thick industrial compounds
• Filling products containing small particulates
• Dosing gels and adhesives

Typical products and containers

Advantages

• Generally well suited to viscous and particulate-laden products
• Repeatable volumetric dosing
• Gentle handling that can reduce foaming or aeration
• Adjustable fill volumes via stroke length changes

Buying considerations

• Verify the piston and cylinder materials are compatible with the product's chemical properties.
• Assess whether the product contains particulates that require larger orifice or valve designs.
• Determine cleaning requirements, as piston assemblies typically need periodic disassembly for sanitation.
• Confirm the fill volume range matches your smallest and largest container needs.
• Consider single-head versus multi-head configurations based on required output rate.