Llenadora automática de tubos

A fully automatic tube filling machine processes empty tubes through the following stations without operator intervention: (1) Tube magazine/hopper: stores 200–500 empty tubes and feeds them one-by-one onto the machine. (2) Tube loading: a pick-and-place or vibratory feed mechanism inserts tubes onto mandrels on the indexing turntable or linear indexer. (3) Tube orientation: a photo sensor detects the tube seam or printed mark, and a servo motor rotates the tube on its mandrel to the correct orientation before filling. (4) Filling: the fill nozzle descends into the open tube tail and dispenses the measured product volume as the nozzle rises to eliminate air entrapment. (5) Tail sealing: aluminum tubes are fold-crimped; plastic and laminate tubes are heat-sealed with hot-jaw or ultrasonic welding. (6) Coding: inkjet or laser prints batch number and expiry date on the sealed tail. (7) Discharge: completed tubes are discharged onto a conveyor.

Standard automatic tube filling machines handle: diameter range 13mm–60mm (13mm for small pharmaceutical ointments, up to 60mm for large body lotion tubes); length range 60mm–200mm; volume range 5ml–500ml. Common formats: 10ml aluminum pharmaceutical ointment (D19×75mm), 30ml cosmetic face cream (D22×130mm), 75ml shampoo or lotion (D28×150mm), 100ml toothpaste laminate (D35×155mm), 200ml body lotion (D40×175mm), 500ml professional hair treatment (D50×185mm). Format changeover requires replacing mandrels (to match new tube diameter), adjusting fill head height, adjusting tail seal station and updating PLC recipe. Total changeover time: 30–90 minutes on a modern machine with motorised adjustments.

Fold-crimp sealing (aluminum tubes): the open aluminum tail is folded flat and compressed with a crimp wheel to create a single-fold or double-fold metal seal. The crimp is mechanically formed — no heat required. Produces a distinctive rectangular folded tail typical of pharmaceutical and premium cosmetic aluminum tubes. Heat-seal sealing (plastic and laminate tubes): the open plastic or laminate tail is flattened and two heated jaws press together and fuse the material by melting. Heat-seal temperature is typically 120°C–200°C depending on tube material (PE: ~130°C, PBL laminate: ~150°C, ABL laminate: ~160°C). Ultrasonic sealing: for some plastic and laminate tubes, ultrasonic vibration generates heat only at the seal interface — faster and cleaner than hot-jaw but higher machine cost. The sealing method is determined by the tube material; the machine model is specified accordingly.

Yes. Automatic tube filling machines are specifically designed for viscous products (creams, gels, ointments, toothpaste) that are semi-solid to highly viscous. Fill range by product type: light lotions (500–5,000 cP): standard piston works at full speed. Body cream and face cream (5,000–50,000 cP): standard servo piston at reduced nozzle speed. Pharmaceutical ointment (10,000–100,000 cP): larger piston bore, wider nozzle, slower fill speed. Toothpaste and thick gel (50,000–500,000 cP): large bore piston, wide nozzle, heated product hopper, slow fill cycle. Adhesive and sealant paste (100,000–1,000,000+ cP): special large-bore piston with heated jacketed hopper and nozzle. Key: the nozzle must have an adequate bore for the product to flow under piston pressure at the intended fill speed. HEMUfill engineers size the piston and nozzle based on your product viscosity data sheet.

Tube orientation is the process of rotating the tube on its mandrel to align the tube decoration (printing, label, emboss) in a consistent direction before filling and sealing. Why important: (1) Branding consistency — the product logo and front-of-pack printing should always face the same direction on every tube. (2) Crimp/seal quality — the tail seal is applied perpendicular to the tube seam; if the seam is in the wrong position, seal quality is compromised. (3) Automated downstream handling — cartoners, labellers and inspection systems expect the tube in a known orientation. How it works: a retroreflective photo sensor detects a contrasting mark (seam, print, emboss) as the tube rotates on its mandrel. When the mark is detected in the correct position, the servo motor stops rotation. Position accuracy: ±1°–±2°.

Automatic single-head tube filling and sealing machine (20–50 tubes/min, Al or plastic): $20,000–$50,000 USD. Automatic 2-head tube filler (40–100 tubes/min): $45,000–$90,000 USD. High-speed automatic tube filler with servo drives (60–120 tubes/min): $60,000–$120,000 USD. Rotary automatic tube filler (80–200 tubes/min): $80,000–$200,000 USD. GMP pharmaceutical-grade automatic tube filler with validation package: $60,000–$200,000 USD. Complete automatic tube filling line with date coder, checkweigher and cartoner: $150,000–$400,000 USD. Prices depend on speed, tube type, seal type, product viscosity and GMP requirements. Contact us with tube specifications and production target.