Design and Implementation of an Automated Multi-

Purpose Filling and Capping Machine

R. L. W. Koggalage A.G.M.I.S Wijesinghe H.P.S.S Caldera
Faculty of Engineering Technology Department of Electrical and Department of Electrical and
University of Vocational Technology Electronics Technology Electronics Technology
Ratmalana, Sri Lanka University of Vocational Technology University of Vocational Technology
koggalage@yahoo.com Ratmalana, Sri Lanka Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
isurusampath79@gmail.com supunsandanuwan97@gmail.com

R R Samarawickrama
2021 From Innovation To Impact (FITI) | 978-1-6654-8325-4/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/FITI54902.2021.9833035

Department of Electrical and

Electronics Technology
University of Vocational Technology
Ratmalana, Sri Lanka
ruwanrashmika@gmail.com

Abstract— In the beverage industry, bottle filling and fixing
bottle caps are considered the most time-consuming and
important tasks to maintain the quality of the final product. By
using an automatic machine, the quality and the production
quantity can be improved and in turn, the profits can be
increased. But the automatic filling machine that is available in
the market is complicated to maintain due to the installation of
pneumatic actuators and controllers that need a pneumatic
system to operate. This machine has been designed to
overcome such complexities by replacing the pneumatic system
with a novel design, which would not only overcome the above
problems but also will be easier to install and maintain. The
proposed automated multipurpose filling and capping machine
mainly focuses on small-scale industries which have financial
difficulties. Therefore, the main aim of this research project is
to develop and implement a cost-effective automated filling and
capping machine without pneumatic systems as a solution to
overcome the above issues. The implemented simplified
automatic liquid filling and capping machine is developed in
such a way to be lower in price compared to the other filling
machines in the market. This machine is fully electric-powered
and sensors are used to automate the process properly. The
machine is designed using gear motors as well as solenoids to
perform the task while in operation. It has a simple and user-
friendly interface, so that only simple steps need be followed to
operate the machine. The machine controller is also portable
and can be attached to a conveyor system to automate the
whole production line
Keywords—Automation, Bottle capping, SME
I. INTRODUCTION
Automation not only reduces human efforts and time
required in the production process but also improves the
quality of the product with maximum efficiency [1]. This
research aims to design and implement one of the simplest
automated machines for filling and sealing bottles with
liquids. The filling is the task that is carried out by a machine
in many industries dealing with liquids such as milk,
chemical, food, mineral water, and many industrial
manufactured products [2]. It will also increase the use of
technology by small businesses and lead to sustainable
economic development through increased technical literacy.
It is intended to manufacture this machine using the latest
technology and design that allows multiple tasks to be
performed simultaneously. Although such machines are in
the market today, they are very expensive to afford for small-
scale industries in Sri Lanka.
After studying the various businesses and products and
the manufacturing processes, it was decided to develop such
a machine to overcome shortcomings. This machine has been
designed in such a way as to meet a variety of business needs
and requirements, and is successfully designed for small-
scale industrialists, avoiding many problems faced by an
entrepreneur compared to the automated machines available
in the market today.
The proposed machine can be used for filling and sealing
bottles, in any liquid bottling industry to overcome many of
the existing problems. The manual filling process has many
shortcomings like:
▪ Spilling of liquid while filling it in a bottle
▪ Precise liquid quantity may not be filled
▪ Need at least two workers
▪ Liquids may be hot or cold therefore difficult to handle
▪ Hygienic problems with human workers
▪ Delay due to natural activities of humans etc.
Automation is the solution to overcome many of the above
problems. This research aims to eliminate the above
problems faced by small-scale bottle filling industries. It
performs a major function in the automation field, which
tends to reduce complexity, and increase safety and
efficiency [3]. With the proposed automated system, the
process of refilling can reduce workers' cost and operation
time. This machine will have a huge potential of attracting
more customers in the bottling industry, as it is an important
and necessary machine for small businesses. It will be more
attractive, with the simple interface requiring no skilled
person to operate and also coming at an affordable price.
Another objective of this product design is to integrate
multiple tasks into one machine. This will reduce the
staffing requirements and also increase the speed of
production which can improve the business. It will also

978-1-6654-8325-4/21/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE

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increase the use of technology by small scale industries and
lead to sustainable economic development.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Nowadays, the world is moving towards automation.
This is true for the food industry as well. Automation will
improve the quality and quantity of the product to meet
customer demand [4]. Developed as a multifunctional
device, this machine can be used as an automated machine
for packaging various liquids in bottles, and applying lids as
well as sealing (water, beverages, juices, milk products,
shampoos, oil, etc.). Such machines are often imported to Sri
Lanka at a high cost. Usually, the imported machines
available in the market are very expensive and not suitable Fig. 2. Design of the filling system
for small-scale industries with lower budgets.
An electrically movable nozzle and electric valve are
Another problem identified is that many of these existing used in the filling process. A solenoid-operated valve and
machines are both electrically and pneumatically powered. mechanical plunger solenoid were used as an actuator of the
Hence the automatic filling machines presently available in filling system. The capacitive proximity sensor was used for
the market are complicated and difficult to clean up due to ensuring bottle availability before the filling operation. First,
the installation of a cylinder piston that needs a pneumatic the program checks that the bottle is available in the filling
system to operate [5]. But the proposed machine can be section in the correct position. If the bottle is available, then
cleaned more easily by electrifying it. It also has additional the filling nozzle moves down to the bottleneck and controls
advantages such as reducing the space required, reducing the the flow valve according to the special program algorithm,
amount of energy consumed, increasing the production and finally the filling nozzle moves up at the finish of the
speed, and ease of handling. filling process. Figure 2 shows the overall view of the filling
system.
III. METHODOLOGY
D. Rotary Table
A. System Planning
During the design process of the machine, attention has
been paid to its design, materials used, technology, methods,
and timing, and the most suitable methodology has been
selected from several methods that could be used. We built it
successfully through study, analysis, and group discussions.
B. System Designing

Fig. 3. Final view of rotary table.

The purpose of this system is to systematically direct

Fig.1. 3D Design of the machine.
Figure 1 shows the overall view of 3D design of the
project. To make the design process easier, the whole project
has been divided into several sub-systems as described
below.
C. Filling System
The Filling System is a special part of this machine used
to fill a pre-determined liquid quantity into the bottle
accurately. Here the liquid should be filled without spilling
outside. This system was designed to fill various liquids into
bottles with different capacities (100ml to 1500ml), with
various shapes and materials.
bottles to each section of the machine. The rotary table
performs the transport and positioning of the bottles to each
section of the machine to complete bottling and capping
operations through the input conveyor and output conveyor.
The rotary plate, the gear-bearing assembly, and the gear
motor are the main three parts of the Rotary Table System. A
DC regulated high torque motor with worm and worm wheel
gear assembly was used to smooth the drive of the rotary
table. It facilitates speed control and automatic braking,
handles high torque and accurate positioning, and can
immediately stop functioning. A slot type photoelectric
sensor was used to identify each section of the machine that
should be stopped for sequential operation of the machine.
Figure 3 shows the rotary table with the bearing and the drive
wheel assembly.

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E. Cap Sorting and Capping
Fig. 4. 3D Design of the cap sorting system.
This component is designed to distinguish whether the
cap used to cover the bottles is in the correct position. Bottles
that come out of the filling should be covered with a cap. The
function of this component is to direct the cap to the correct
position. The cap sorting container consists of a stainless-
steel container, two layers of acrylic designed plates, and one
aluminum plate. Those are named the base flat plate, custom-
designed curved plate, and the sorting wheel. The total
sorting system was designed using Solid Works 3D design
software. The model was developed, after the success of the
testing model, comprising of the three plates, viz., the base
flat plate, the middle-plate, and the sorting wheel. A stainless
steel container 240 mm in diameter was used to make a
sorting container. This container is capable of storing about
one hundred bottle caps without effect on the operation of
the sorting process.
Fig. 5. Cap sorting bowl.
The function of the chute end is to correctly position the
cap on the bottle. Here the testing model was made for better
identification of its shape, size, position, and angle. A steel
plate was bend into a U-shape similar to the measurements of
the cap, and the mechanism ends built with three supports for
the cap retainer. One of the connectors is tensioned by a
spring and the other two supports maintain the normal
tension of the plate. Based on the results of the testing model,
the final chute-end was made using stainless steel material.
The DC gear motor was used to drive the cap sorting
mechanism. There are two capacitive proximity switches to
identify the availability of caps on the chute and chute-end.
In the process, if the chute-end has no available cap, it was
identified by capacitive proximity switch in the chute end,
which then turns the motor on in cap sorter to supply caps.
When the chute is fully filled by caps it was identified by a
second proximity switch in the chute, which switched off the
sorter motor.
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F. Machine Structure
Fig.6. Machine structure.
Taken as a whole, this machine structure helps maintain
the shape of the machine, minimize vibration, maintain
balance, and support the machine. Machine Structure is the
main chassis of the machine, all the sub mechanisms were
mounted on this frame. The Machine Structure consists of
two parts, a structure base made with steel and a stainless-
steel bone stand. Figure 6 shows the final appearance of the
machine structure designed for bench mounting and support.
G. Controling System
This system is important for the successful operation of
the process while maintaining, and systematizing all
activities. The Automated Bottle Filling System is comprised
of the various components which are controlled by the
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The capacitive
proximity sensor is used to detect the presence of a bottle and
caps in various stages. An Electric Solenoid valve is used to
control the amount of liquid to fill the bottle. The HMI unit
acts as the interface between the system and the user. The
entire system is controlled by the PLC system. The plc
microcontroller is STM32f103. This is an ARM®32-bit
Cortex®-M3 CPU microcontroller. Here we use C language
to program this ARM microcontroller-based PLC to get
better performance and run complex algorithms. The reason
for choosing this plc over other STM32 development boards
is this circuit board is made for industrial applications, with
high protection and high quality, and without any complex
circuits. Nextion HMI was used for this machine. This is a
solution combining an onboard processor and memory touch
display with Nextion Editor software for HMI GUI project
development.
Fig. 7. Panel Board Design.
H. The Electrical system
Electrical power protection equipment, PLC, HMI, power
supply unit, and relay are assembled in a 300 mm x 300 mm
x 200 mm powder-coated electrical enclosure box. This 3 199.5 500 1001 1500
system consists of laser photoelectric sensors to identify the 4 200 501.5 1001.5 1500.5
bottle caps and the bottles traveling through chutes. A high 5 199.5 502 1000 1500.5
precision rotary encoder is used to detect rotary table 6 200 500.5 1000.5 1502
position. 7 200.5 500.5 1000.5 1501.5
IV. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 8 201.5 500 1000.5 1503.5
9 200 499.5 1001 1501
Liquid filling is the main function of this machine; 10 200 500.5 999 1502
therefore, the liquid has to fill in the bottles accurately. For
11 200 499 1000 1500
that, there are several methods to measure the amount of
12 202 499.5 1000 1500.5
liquid. We measured the amount of liquid by timing. This is
done by keeping a fixed pressure on the filling tank. When 13 201.5 499.5 1000.5 1500.5
the machine is running continuously, an external tank fills 14 200 499.5 1001 1501
the liquid to the filling tank continuously. A floater valve 15 200 499.5 1001.5 1500
was used to maintain a fixed liquid level on the filling tank. 16 200 500 1001 1500.5
During the continuous filling process, the liquid fills the 17 200.5 500 1001.5 1500.5
bottle by using a special algorithm that codes into the 18 200.5 501 1001.5 1505.5
microcontroller. This algorithm was made using timing data 19 201 500 1000 1501
from manual testing of the machine. 20 200 501 1001.5 1500
In order to measure the accuracy of the whole process 75 Max value 202 502 1001.5 1505.5
samples were taken for the testing phase. A 200 ml Min value 199.5 499 999 1500
volumetric flask and stopwatch were used to get this data Bottle Volume 200 500 1000 1500
with the lowest speed of the machine. Using the liquid filling Error range 2.5 3 2.5 5.5
data during the development and the testing process of the Applicable Error
3 3 6 8
machine the graph below was plotted to identify the errors. from customer
Accuracy 98.75 99.4 99.75 99.63333
Product Rate at
Low speed 360 200 110 60
(Bottle/hour)
Product Rate
At maximum
900 400 240 150
speed
(Bottle/hour)

Fixed volume -15 liter (low speed)

Fig.8. Sample testing graph.
I. Specification
Figure 8 shows the time-volume graph of this data
plotted using Microsoft Excel. The graph is not linear. Here TABLE II. SPECIFICATON
we used the second-order polynomial trendline function to
get an equation (1) of the plotted graph in Microsoft Excel. Power 230 V 50 HZ 500 W
‘y’ is the time and ‘x’ is the volume in the tank. The capacity of the tank 20 L
y = 0.0008 x2 + 0.0017 x + 8.1404 (1) Filling Principle Solenoid control
Structure Rotary
This result was used to make a microcontroller algorithm
for increasing the accuracy of the machine in the program Packaging Bottles
The microcontroller memorizes all the liquid quantities filled Filling Size 200 ml – 1500 ml
out after identifying the special liquid level using a float Machine structure Material 304 Stainless Steel
switch. Hence machine can identify how much liquid volume Liquid Contact Material 316 Stainless Steel
exists in the tank at any time. The algorithm works using this Filling Material liquids
data for increasing the accuracy and precision of the filling
Working Automatic
process.
Control PLC
H. Machine Accuracy Screen Touch screen
Machine accuracy was calculated using manual Cap Sorter and capping Including
measurements for the 100 ml to 1500 ml range of the filling Net Weight 20 kg
sessions.
Dimension 1000 mm x 800 mm x 1600
TABLE I. ACCURACY TESTING mm
Sample Bottle Volume
Number 200ml 500ml 1000ml 1500ml
1 201.5 501.5 1001 1500
2 202 500.5 1000.5 1500.5

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 II. CONCLUSION
We successfully designed and operated the filling
machine. Accurate speed and stability are considered
necessary and important in systems. Other sensors used are
very accurate and high sensitivity is important for machine
use as they are not controlled pneumatically. The format here
may vary depending on the initial application, but the
selected format should match the required application.
Implemented automated machines use the latest
technology so that it will be very helpful for small and
medium scale industries. This system is ideal for
industrialists who do not have large space and capital
This machine can be further enhanced with the following
features:
a) Rotary type bench: This is the most suitable one for
this project. There is no need to manually load bottles one
by one. It can be used with a batch of the bottles, orwith an
attached bottle loading and unloading conveyor. And it can
be easily combined with a bottle lid capping system.
b) The Electromagnetic solenoid: The filling system
was not good for acidic liquid and chemical filling. This can
be solved by using a stainless steel motorized ball valve
between the tank output and nozzle.
c) The filling system:The system is not accurate for
customized liquid filling for any quantity of liquid. Load-
cell integrated systems can be used to avoid this problem. It
helps to fill small quantities accurately.
d) The system: The speed and durability of machine
can be increased using a pneumatic system but it would be
more costly than this one. However it could be considered
according to the value of the filling product.
III. FINAL VIEW OF THE PROJECT
Figure.9. Front appearance of the machine.
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Figure. 10. Rear appearance of the machine.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We are especially thankful to the University of
Vocational Technology for giving us the opportunity to do
this work. We would also like to thank those who helped us
to make this project successful.
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