Filling & Filtering Equipment

Filling and filtration: four parameters that decide the configuration

Filling is the last step before the drum is sealed, and the step most exposed to every upstream decision. Four parameters decide the right configuration — most field faults we see are the filler reporting an upstream condition, not a filler defect.

1. Product viscosity and rheology. Thin free-flowing inks dose differently from heavy pastes and putties. Viscosity drift between batches is the single most common cause of inaccurate dosing, so the filling specification must cover the viscosity window, not a single point.
2. Container format and target dose. Pails, drums, IBCs and small jars each need different fill heads, drip control and scale resolution. A 1% dosing error on a 20 L pail is 200 mL of give-away per container — at 1,000 containers a shift that is 200 L of product handed away, so accuracy requirements belong in the specification from the start.
3. Filtration grade. What the product must be free of — oversize pigment agglomerates, gel particles, dust, foreign matter — determines whether a bag filter, a vibrating screen or both in series are required, and at what micron rating.
4. Throughput and integration. Filling capacity must match the milling and mixing rate upstream, with buffer agitation to keep solids suspended. A filler starved or flooded by the batch plant never holds its accuracy.

What this range covers

Four platforms cover dosing and solids removal for paint, ink, coating, chemical and agrochemical products, from manual bench filling to integrated filter-and-fill systems.

• Filling Machine (PFM series) — volumetric and gravimetric filling for coatings, inks, paints, glues and lubrication products at 0.5–20 m³/h, with dosing control for pails, drums and bulk containers.
• Filter Filling Machine (GLF-1 to GLF-50) — bag filtration and automatic filling integrated in a single system for 0.5–50 L containers, removing the separate filter vessel and transfer step from the packing area.
• Bag Filter (PBF series) — closed-working bag filtration with a small footprint and simple filter-bag changeover, for clarifying milled product before storage or filling.
• Vibration Screen (PVS450 / PVS500) — high-frequency vibrating screen sifter for 450–500 mm decks, separating oversize solids and foreign matter from slurries and powders.

Typical process routes

1. Paint and coating route. Milled batch → buffer tank with agitation → bag filter or vibration screen → filling. The buffer agitation is not optional: pigment settling between the mill and the filler shows up at the fill head as dose drift.
2. Ink route. Fine filtration before filling is the quality gate — a single oversize agglomerate can reject a drum of ink. Filter rating is matched to the print process, and the filter is placed as close to the fill head as practical.
3. Agrochemical and chemical route. Closed-working filtration with drip-controlled filling for solvent-based and hazardous products, with materials of construction matched to the formulation.
4. Integrated route. Where floor space or transfer steps matter, the filter filling machine combines screening and dosing in one unit, shortening the route from mill discharge to sealed container.

Comparing the platforms

Platform	Function	Capacity	Best fit
PFM Filling Machine	Dosing only	0.5–20 m³/h	Volume filling of coatings, inks and chemicals into pails, drums and bulk
GLF Filter Filling Machine	Filtration + dosing, integrated	0.5–50 L containers	Compact plants that want one unit instead of a filter vessel plus filler
PBF Bag Filter	Clarifying filtration	Batch or inline	Closed-working filtration with quick bag changeover before storage or filling
PVS Vibration Screen	Oversize separation	450–500 mm decks	High-frequency screening of slurries and powders, including abrasive duties

Figures are the published capacity ranges for each platform, not guarantees. Filtration grade and dosing accuracy are application properties — they must be confirmed by trial on your product, because viscosity, solids behaviour and container format all shift the result.

Frequently asked questions

What causes a filling machine to drip, under-fill or jam?

Usually an upstream condition the filler is reporting: viscosity drift between batches, entrained air from aggressive transfer, pigment settling in a still buffer tank, or temperature change. Check the buffer agitation, product temperature and transfer method before ordering parts — our troubleshooting guide walks the fault-to-cause checklist in order.

Filling machine or filter filling machine?

Choose a dedicated filling machine when you already have filtration upstream or need volume throughput into large containers. Choose a filter filling machine when you want filtration and dosing in one footprint for 0.5–50 L containers and would rather skip the separate filter vessel and transfer line.

Bag filter or vibration screen — which do I need?

They remove different things. A bag filter clarifies by passing product through filter bags at a chosen micron rating. A vibration screen separates oversize solids mechanically on a screen deck. Many plants use both in series — screen first for coarse oversize, bag filter last for clarity — and the rating of each is set by trial on your product.

How do I keep dosing accurate over a shift?

Control what the filler sees: hold the viscosity window with temperature control, keep solids suspended with buffer agitation, de-aerate after aggressive transfer, and screen before the fill head. A filler fed a consistent product holds its accuracy; a filler fed a drifting one cannot.

What throughput can the filling range handle?

The PFM filling machine covers 0.5–20 m³/h for volume filling, and the GLF integrated units cover 0.5–50 L containers per cycle. The right match is set by your batch size and cycle time upstream, not by nameplate capacity alone.

How is the filler matched to the rest of the line?

Work backwards from the batch plant: milling and mixing rate sets the filling rate, with buffer capacity for cycle mismatch. The filler should never be the constraint or the starved step. Our production-line guides cover the full layout from pre-mixing to packing.

What cleaning and changeover should I plan for?

Plan for colour and product changeover: filter bag changes, fill-head cleaning and drip control. Closed-working filtration like the PBF contains the product and speeds changeover; the GLF integrated design removes one transfer step that would otherwise need cleaning.

Can filtration and filling be specified for solvent-based products?

Yes. Closed-working filtration with drip-controlled filling and materials of construction matched to the formulation is the standard approach for solvent-based coatings, inks and agrochemicals. Send the formulation and destination-market requirements and we will specify accordingly.

Related technical guides

• Filling Machine Troubleshooting: Common Faults and Fixes — the fault-to-cause checklist and specification tables for fillers.
• Ink Production Line: From Pigment Grinding to Filling — the full route with filling as the final quality gate.
• Paint Production Line Equipment and Sizing — matching filling capacity to the batch plant.
• How to Set Up a Paint Production Line — step-by-step layout including the packing area.
• Ink Production Line: Capacity Planning Guide — capacity planning across the whole route.