Tin Can Milk Powder Filling Line
Adds vacuum nitrogen seaming and residual oxygen control, with a wider published line rate up to 48 cans per minute.
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GMP Powder Canning Line
Automatic Can Filling Production Line
A canning line is a rhythm, not a machine. Cans are de-palletised, unscrambled and sterilised, a spoon is dropped in, powder is vacuum-fed and metered by a dual-head filler, the lid is seamed, the can is cleaned in an ion-air ring, coded on the base, turned and pressed with its soft lid before packing. Twenty to forty-five cans a minute, built to GMP practice.
20–45Cans per minute
±1–2 gMetering accuracy
18 kWTotal line power
1,100 L/minCompressed air demand
How the Line Is Put Together
One Chain, From Can Stack to Carton
Every station on this line exists because the one before it would otherwise leave a problem behind. Depalletising frees the cans, sterilising readies them, the spoon station packs before closing, the filler meters by weight, the seamer closes the lid, the ion-air ring removes powder, the printer marks the base, and the soft lid press finishes the pack.
- Can handling on the flatUnlike a powder-handling line, this one starts at the can: depalletising, unscrambling and sterilising are all about getting the empty can ready at rate.
- Spoon before powderThe measuring spoon is placed into the empty can before filling, so it settles at the bottom and is sealed in with the product.
- Weight-based meteringA dual-head filler doses by weight, holding within 1 g to 500 g and within 2 g above it.
- Clean before codingStatic is neutralised and powder is blown from the can before the base is printed, so the code is legible on a clean surface.
Signature Detail
The Line Moves at the Pace of Its Slowest Station
A production line has one rhythm, and it is not an average of its machines. This table sets out the stations and what each one contributes to the pace.
| Station | Function | Effect on the line rhythm |
|---|---|---|
| Depalletising | Breaks down can stacks onto the conveyor | Must exceed the line rate or starve it |
| Unscrambling | Singulates cans and sets spacing | Sets the pitch that every later station sees |
| Empty can sterilising | Prepares the can before product enters | Adds dwell time; must be parallel, not serial |
| Spoon feeding | Drops the measuring spoon into the empty can | Short cycle, runs ahead of the filler |
| Vacuum feeding | Delivers powder to the filler hopper | Must keep the filler supplied at peak fill weight |
| Dual-head metering | Fills both lanes to the target weight | Fill duration scales with the fill weight |
| Seaming | Forms the lid onto the can | Usually the constraint on line rate |
| Ion-air cleaning | Removes powder and static from the can | Short cycle, but essential before printing |
| Base coding | Prints the date or batch on the can base | Cycle time depends on the printer supplied |
| Can turning and lid pressing | Uprights the can and presses the soft lid | Completes the pack at line rate |
| Cartoning | Manual packing, or linked to automatic palletising | Decides how many operators the line needs |
The line rate is published as 20 to 45 cans per minute. Where a station in the table is marked as the constraint, its rate is matched to the line rate at the design stage rather than left to chance. Coding equipment is supplied by the customer in the published configuration.
Process Chain
Twelve Stations in One Direction
Follow the can and the whole line is explained.
01
Can Prepared
Depalletising, unscrambling and empty can sterilising bring clean, oriented cans to the filling station.
02
Spoon and Powder
A measuring spoon is dropped in, then the dual-head filler meters powder to the target weight.
03
Seamed and Cleaned
The lid is seamed onto the can, and the ion-air ring clears powder and static from the outside.
04
Coded, Turned, Pressed, Packed
The base is coded, the can is turned upright, the soft lid is pressed on and the can is packed or palletised.
Technical Data
Line Specification and Utility Figures
Values are reproduced from the manufacturer specification for the complete line.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Can specification | 502#, 401#, 300# type metal cans, under 1,500 g, conventional seaming |
| Production capacity | 20–45 cans/minute |
| Metering accuracy | Within ±1 g for 100–500 g, within ±2 g for 500 g and above |
| Line compressed air consumption | About 1,100 L/min at 0.6–0.7 MPa |
| Total power | 18 kW, excluding self-supplied equipment and other factory auxiliary equipment |
| Process sequence | Can depalletising, unscrambling, empty can sterilising, spoon feeding, vacuum feeding, dual-head metering, seaming, ion-air circumferential cleaning, base coding, can turning, soft lid pressing, cartoning |
| Construction | Stainless steel machines with polished product-contact interiors, quick-release parts for cleaning |
| Standard | GMP canning practice |
Can moulds on the filling and seaming machines are changed together when the can specification changes, which is what allows the line to run more than one can size. The coding printer is listed as self-supplied in the published configuration; nitrogen supply is added where a vacuum nitrogen seaming arrangement is specified.
Key Numbers
The Line by the Numbers
Rate, tolerance, air and power are the figures that size the plant around the line.
0cans/minMaximum line capacity
1,500gMaximum can content
1,100L/minCompressed air demand
18kWConnected line power
Three Can Standards
502, 401 and 300 cans, covering the common retail and bulk powder formats with one set of change parts.
Graded Tolerance
One gram of tolerance up to 500 g and two grams above it, quoted by weight so the pack declaration can be checked directly.
High Automation
From the can stack to the closed can the process runs automatically, leaving operators on supervision and packing.
Line Design
Three Ideas Behind the Layout
They are all about keeping powder out of places it should not be, and keeping the line running through a shift change.
Powder Kept Off the Can
The ion-air ring neutralises static and blows the can clean after seaming, which is what allows a clean print on the base and a clean surface under the soft lid.
Vacuum Feeding on the Level
Product and filling machine sit on the same level and powder is drawn to the hopper by vacuum, which avoids product drop heights and the dust they create.
Built for Cleaning
Stainless construction with polished contact surfaces and quick-release fittings means the product change is a wash-down that fits inside the shift window.
Product Coverage
Powders Packed for Shelf Life
The line is aimed at free-flowing powders that benefit from a sealed metal can.
Milk Powder
Infant and adult milk powders in retail cans, with the spoon packed in before filling and the lid seamed after.
Protein & Nutrition Blends
Protein and nutritional powders filled to within 1 to 2 g, where the declared weight on the pack has to be dependable.
Foods for Special Medical Purposes
Clinical nutrition powders requiring a sterile empty can, a controlled fill and a sealed, coded pack.
Signature Balance Sheet
Designing for the Rate You Actually Need
The published band is 20 to 45 cans per minute. Which end of it a plant reaches depends on the fill weight, the can size and how the stations are balanced.
| Factor | Moves the rate up | Moves the rate down |
|---|---|---|
| Fill weight | Light fills, 100–500 g | Heavy fills approaching 1,500 g |
| Can size | Small cans, 300 and 401 | Large 502 cans |
| Seaming capacity | Adequate forming capacity for the rate | Seamer sized below the filler rate |
| Can supply | Depalletiser and unscrambler running ahead | Manual can loading |
| Packing | Automatic cartoning and palletising | Manual cartoning with too few operators |
- Start from the slowest stationBalance the line around the seamer, then make sure every station upstream can feed it without stopping.
- Fill weight is the biggest leverDoubling the fill weight roughly doubles the time the filler occupies each can, which shows up directly in the practical rate.
- Plan packing with the lineIf cartoning is manual, the number of operators on packing decides whether the line runs at its capability or waits.
- Confirm with a trialRun your own can and product to establish the practical rate rather than assuming the top of the published band.
Balance factors and directional effects are planning guidance derived from the published can sizes, fill tolerance and line capacity; they are not separate performance guarantees.
Ordering & Support
How the Project Is Delivered
The line is a project, so the layout, the utility schedule and the scope are fixed before production.
Build Time
Complete lines are quoted at roughly 45 to 75 working days, shipped in sections with site assembly drawings.
Warranty
12 months of parts warranty across the line, with free replacement components and lifetime technical support.
Commissioning
English manuals, layout drawings and remote support for assembly, seamer setup, weight calibration and first production.
Change Parts
Filler and seamer moulds for additional can sizes are quoted with the project. Volume terms are agreed per order.
FAQ
Can Filling Line Questions
It fills and closes powdered products into metal cans: milk powder, protein powder, nutritional blends and similar free-flowing powders. The line is configured for 502, 401 and 300 type cans carrying under 1,500 g, closing them by conventional seaming. Changing the moulds on the filling and seaming machines allows a different can specification to run.
The published capacity is 20 to 45 cans per minute, and the pace is set by the slowest station rather than by the fastest. Seaming, being a mechanical forming operation, is normally the constraint; the can depalletiser, the steriliser and the filler all have to be able to run at or above the seamer rate. With a can and a fill weight in hand, we confirm where the line will actually sit inside that band.
The published tolerance is within plus or minus 1 g for fills between 100 and 500 g, and within plus or minus 2 g for fills of 500 g and above. Filling is carried out by a dual-head machine working with a metering system matched to the powder, so the dose is repeatable across a shift even as the product density changes with the ambient humidity.
A measuring spoon is part of the consumer pack for many powdered products, and dropping it into an empty can is far easier than adding it after filling. The line therefore places the spoon at a dedicated station after the empty can has been sterilised and before the powder goes in, so the spoon sits at the bottom of the can and is sealed in with the product.
After seaming, the can passes through an ion-air circumferential cleaning station that neutralises static and blows residual powder from the sidewall and the seam area. Static is the reason this matters: without it, fine powder clings to the can and then to the printing head. Cleaning before coding is what allows a clean mark on the base.
Compressed air at about 1,100 litres per minute and 0.6 to 0.7 MPa, and a total connected power of 18 kW excluding equipment supplied by the customer, such as the coding printer. The exact utility schedule is issued with the line layout, and nitrogen is added where a vacuum nitrogen seaming configuration is specified.
Machines are built in stainless steel in accordance with food hygiene design, the interior of product-contact vessels is polished, and structures that are cleaned regularly use quick-release parts so that a shift change or product change is a wash-down rather than a long shutdown. The whole process follows GMP canning practice with a high degree of automation.
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